Barge raised from High Rock Lake

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, December 1, 2009

By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.comA barge that sank on High Rock Lake created a bit of stir for boaters and residents of Anchor Downs.
The barge with pile-driving equipment was reportedly being towed to a site near Goat Island to install a pier.
According to residents of Anchor Downs, the barge began taking on water Monday and quickly sank.
Workers on the barge scrambled off to the boat that was towing it.
Charlie Black, a retired airline pilot, said it appeared the weight shifted, causing the barge to sink in the middle of the channel.
The sunken barge posed no problem to boat traffic with the lake full.
Crews worked all day Tuesday trying to raise the barge, using two pontoon boats to hoist it up and a third to drag it toward the shoreline.
At some point, crews also attempted to use flotation devices.
Several of Black’s neighbors gathered in his back yard Tuesday evening to watch the crew get the barge close to shore.
A large wrecker then hooked to the barge and pulled it ashore.
The crew then pumped the water out.
Wednesday morning, crews towed the barge back on the lake and off to the next job.
Black, who grew up along the lake, said it’s rare that a boat or barge sinks on the lake and then is recovered.