Divers have discovered holes in the partly sunken barge across from Ross’s Landing that will need patching before pumping begins to raise the vessel, the project’s coordinator says.
“We’re hopeful of having everything secure and ready to begin pumping early [this] week,” said Harry Phillips, a Chattanooga businessman overseeing the refloating of Allen Casey’s rundown barge.
The vessel suddenly sank about four feet early last week, with a charge made that it was intentionally swamped by vandals. Jerrold Farinash, trustee in a bankruptcy court case involving the barge, said someone moved a hose pumping water off the barge so that it would run into the vessel.
Another potential issue, Phillips said, is that one end of the barge is sitting on the river bottom and workers will need to refloat it to examine that side and see if there are additional problems.
He noted that the last time the barge sank in late 2011, it took workmen about six weeks to raise it. Phillips doesn’t believe it will take that long this time.