Salvage crews raise sunken towboat

<span>Salvage crews continued work on raising the sunken towboat "Maverick" on Friday north of Lone Eagle Coal Dock along Route 3 south of Chester.</span>

<span>Knight Hawk Coal Spokesman Jeff Smyth said the vessel, which sank on the M</span><span class="text_exposed_show">ississippi River in the early morning hours of Sept. 18, was found sitting upright on the bottom of the river.

"They were able to get it out of the water on Thursday afternoon," Smyth said. "Their plan was to slowly raise it out of the muck, but it came up so easily, they were able to get it to the surface ahead of when they planned."

Smyth said crews are currently cleaning river mud off the second deck of the vessel, which was owned by KC Marine Services, a subsidiary of Knight Hawk Coal.

"The hull is still in the water, so it's not fully exposed," Smyth said.

As to the cause for the sinking, Smyth said the swiftness of the river current flooded the vessel. Two crewmembers, whose names have not been released, were rescued by towboat "Hortense B. Ingram" the night of the sinking.

They were not injured.</span>