83 rescued from Ky. eatery that floated downstream

woman walks down a fire ladder, used as an improvised ramp, during a rescue operation in which customers were off-loaded from Jeff Ruby's Waterfront in Covington, Ky., after the floating restaurant's moorings broke loose. Covington Fire Department Capt. Chris Kiely said diners at the restaurant used cell phones to call for help Friday night as the restaurant floated about 85 to 100 yards downstream. Everyone on board, including former Cincinnati Bengals star Cris Collinsworth, was safe after the hours-long rescue, Kiely told The Associated Press. All were led off one at a time, wearing life jackets. AP Photo/The Cincinnati Enquirer, Carrie Cochran

83 rescued from Ky. eatery that floated downstream

DAN SEWELL, Associated Press

COVINGTON, Ky. — Kathy Kinane and her husband walked into the upscale Waterfront restaurant on the Ohio River with a surprise for the manager: They wore snorkeling gear, a joking reference to the recent rain and rising water levels outside the eatery housed on a barge.

After a laugh, the snorkeling equipment went back into their car, though they almost needed it. After finishing their meal Friday night, the Kinanes and 81 others found themselves floating downstream during the dinner rush when the restaurant broke from its moorings. It came to rest against a bridge about 100 feet downriver, and all on board had to be rescued, one at a time, with a makeshift gangplank of ladders and ropes. Women were rescued first, then the men.

' ... the joke's on us.'

"We were joking about the river," Kathy Kinane told The Associated Press on Saturday morning. "Well, the joke's on us now."

Officials said the hours-long rescue was orderly and calm. One patron would climb down the gangplank wearing a life jacket, which would then be sent back up for the next person. Kathy Kinane said she had to take off her heels to make her way down. Among those rescued was former Cincinnati Bengals star Cris Collinsworth, Covington fire Capt. Chris Kiely said.

One of several restaurants on river

Collinsworth, a pro football commentator for NBC, has long been associated with Waterfront owner and restaurateur Jeff Ruby. On the waterfront's menu for $40 is the "Steak Collinsworth," along with other steaks and high-end entrees including lobster, sea bass and tuna. The restaurant is one of several on the river in Covington, just across from Cincinnati.

Kinane and her husband, Bill — frequent patrons of the Waterfront — had arrived around 7:30 p.m. and listened to music for awhile before joining another couple at a table for dinner. They were finishing up around 10:15 when they felt an ominous bump. Kinane said her husband peered out the window and saw that the barge was moving with the fast-paced current. They had eaten there before with the water levels rising, but the boat had always remained in place.

"That was not a good thing," she said. "We said, 'Let's get up and leave.'"

However, they found a crowd near the exit. The walkway ramp had broken loose from shore, and the patrons had no way of getting off the barge. TV footage showed diners pacing aboard the boat as firefighters put together the makeshift bridge above the water, which was swirling with broken tree limbs and other debris.

Used cell phones to call for help

Kiely said several patrons had used cell phones to call for help. The power never went out, and tugboats and emergency crews arrived quickly, Kinane said.

The barge started moving when a main cable came loose, leaving the remaining cables to handle more pressure than they could withstand, said Covington Fire Chief Chuck Norris.

COVINGTON, Ky. — Kathy Kinane and her husband walked into the upscale Waterfront restaurant on the Ohio River with a surprise for the manager: They wore snorkeling gear, a joking reference to the recent rain and rising water levels outside the eatery housed on a barge.

After a laugh, the snorkeling equipment went back into their car, though they almost needed it. After finishing their meal Friday night, the Kinanes and 81 others found themselves floating downstream during the dinner rush when the restaurant broke from its moorings. It came to rest against a bridge about 100 feet downriver, and all on board had to be rescued, one at a time, with a makeshift gangplank of ladders and ropes. Women were rescued first, then the men.

' ... the joke's on us.'

"We were joking about the river," Kathy Kinane told The Associated Press on Saturday morning. "Well, the joke's on us now."

Officials said the hours-long rescue was orderly and calm. One patron would climb down the gangplank wearing a life jacket, which would then be sent back up for the next person. Kathy Kinane said she had to take off her heels to make her way down. Among those rescued was former Cincinnati Bengals star Cris Collinsworth, Covington fire Capt. Chris Kiely said.

One of several restaurants on river

Collinsworth, a pro football commentator for NBC, has long been associated with Waterfront owner and restaurateur Jeff Ruby. On the waterfront's menu for $40 is the "Steak Collinsworth," along with other steaks and high-end entrees including lobster, sea bass and tuna. The restaurant is one of several on the river in Covington, just across from Cincinnati.

Kinane and her husband, Bill — frequent patrons of the Waterfront — had arrived around 7:30 p.m. and listened to music for awhile before joining another couple at a table for dinner. They were finishing up around 10:15 when they felt an ominous bump. Kinane said her husband peered out the window and saw that the barge was moving with the fast-paced current. They had eaten there before with the water levels rising, but the boat had always remained in place.

"That was not a good thing," she said. "We said, 'Let's get up and leave.'"

However, they found a crowd near the exit. The walkway ramp had broken loose from shore, and the patrons had no way of getting off the barge. TV footage showed diners pacing aboard the boat as firefighters put together the makeshift bridge above the water, which was swirling with broken tree limbs and other debris.

Used cell phones to call for help

Kiely said several patrons had used cell phones to call for help. The power never went out, and tugboats and emergency crews arrived quickly, Kinane said.

The barge started moving when a main cable came loose, leaving the remaining cables to handle more pressure than they could withstand, said Covington Fire Chief Chuck Norris.