TOLEDO — Tugboats on Friday pushed and pulled a 730-foot freighter that had not budged since running aground two days earlier, blocking ship traffic on the Maumee River.

        Officials had hoped that removing some of the 28,000 tons of soybeans from the Nanticoke would reduce its weight enough to allow tugboats to shove the freighter back into the shipping channel, Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Rick Minnich said.

        But when the freighter shifted 3 feet Friday morning, barges could no longer reach the grain.

        “We're not gaining any ground,” CWO Minnich said.

        The river was dropping, making it more difficult to bring the ship off the bottom, he said. All that crews could do was wait for the wind to shift and push more water into the river.

        CWO Minnich predicted it would be at least today before the freighter would be freed.

        About 1,200 tons of soybeans had been taken off since Thursday, said Mike Hanson, a spokesman for owner Canada Steamship Lines of Montreal.

        The Canadian freighter was turned sideways in a strong current and got stuck Wednesday. It ran aground, and the force of the current has kept it from being turned around.

        Three ships waited Friday for the Nanticoke to be pushed out of the way.

        The freighter was perched perilously close to a train bridge, one of the nation's busiest on a rail line that connects the East Coast with the Midwest. In case of a sudden shift, tugboats were stationed to keep the freighter from hitting the bridge.

        The Nanticoke was heading out onto Lake Erie on its way to Quebec before it ran aground.

        It became caught in the current as it waited at the rail bridge for a train to cross and the bridge to swing out of the way, Officer Minnich said. The current was moving faster than usual Wednesday after heavy rain.

        While members of the ship's crew milled on the deck Friday, about 30 onlookers watched and snapped pictures. A high school teacher even took his class to the riverbank to take a look.

        The ground shook whenever the ship and five tugboats revved their engines to try to dislodge it, churning the muddy water.

        One of the onlookers, Bill Herdter, used to pilot ships down the river and said it has a tricky current.

        The captain “had everything against him,” Mr. Herdter said. “You're not only at the mercy of the wind, but the current, too. It's amazing what the wind can do.”

Apology follows offer to hijack victims' families
Concrete cracking at stadium
Agencies sweat out fund drive
Flyboys keep My Gal Sal in their hearts
Officials ask God for guidance at Red Mass
Police can air ideas in private
Police investigate 3 bank robberies
Tristate A.M. Report
UC loses $11.2M from subsidy
MCNUTT: Warren County Witches' persecution examined
SAMPLES: Displays oddly comforting
Court may reconsider school funding
Sheppard family won't auction handkerchiefs
Spiff up your state Web sites, political parties advised
Tugs can't free freighter
Witness: Fantasy could turn real
Best bands show off brass
Industry reps miss meeting on mining rules
Kenton Co. considers more security
Kentucky News Briefs
New rail link boosts readiness at post
Outdoor education area for blind, disabled
Schools's garden is growing peace