Dead Cat Closes Bridge

The Fred Hartman Bridge and Houston Ship Channel were closed for nearly an hour while authorities inspected a mysterious box. A tugboat operator had called the Coast Guard to report that someone in a small boat had placed the box on one of the bridge supports. The boat was stopped, and the package x-rayed. It turned out to contain a dead cat. The cat's name, and its dates of birth and death, were written on the side of the box. Coast Guard spokesman Rob Wyman praised the operator for reporting the incident. "This is a great example of exactly what we have been asking the maritime community to do. We are very pleased it worked out the way it did," Wyman said.