The Nation - News from Aug. 25, 1988

An oil barge heading from Baltimore to Richmond, Va., cracked down the middle, spilling 160,000 gallons of diesel oil and gasoline into the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Potomac River, according to Coast Guard officials. It was the largest such accident since 1976, when 250,000 gallons spilled into the bay from another barge. Coast Guard officials said that the 240-foot barge involved in the latest incident, named only by the number 565, carried just over 800,000 gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline. The 37-year-old barge, owned by Eastern Carriers Inc. of Hockessin, Del., passed a Coast Guard safety inspection last week.