The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-06-30
PERILS BY ICE.
An American Fishing Vessel, Surrounded
by Floes, Absndons Her
Voyage
Another Collision With a Berg-Indica-
tions of Some Unusual Climatic
Change in the High
Latitudes.
New YORK Herald.l

the 18th of May, bound north to Greenland
for the prosecution of the halibut fishery
durlpg the current summer. With the ex-
ception of two days detention at Little
Canso, caused by adverse winds, the voyage
moved along under very favorable condi-
tions till the schooner reached the fifty
second parallel of latitude, when vast
field of lea was sighted on the port bow.
The course of the vessel was altered little
more easterly. and continued till position
was reached sixty five miles northeast by
north of Bell lie Island, off the straits of the
same name. There another ice-feld was
deserted on the starboard bow, far heavier
and more formidable in appearance than
the western ice. The schooner was kept on
her course q few hours longer, when the
lookout sloft gave the wstchword, "Ice
ahead" In q very brief time the vessel was
hove to. with perfect ice wall surrounding
her, and only what now appeared to be
narrow opening for escape lying away to the
southwest. The vessel was Immediately put
around and headed away in that direction
under all available force OF canvas, and
reached ST. Johns last night, having sban-
doned the voyage on "Wednesday evening
last.
BAFTLED SCIENTIST.
Professor Titus was passenger on board
deputed by Professor Spencer r. Baird, OF
the Smithsonian Institute, Washington,
I nited States fishery Commissioner, to pro-
. coed to the shores of Greenland to irvesti-
gate the fora and fauna of that country and
70 make other important scientific observa-
lions bearing on the general natural history
of that little known land. So much i'm
pressed is Captain Lawson, commander OF
the Babson, Of the impossibility OF arriving
at his destination this year, that he has
abandoned his Greenland voyage for the
summer, and is now equipplng his vessel for
the cod fishing on the Great Banks. Pro-
fessor Titus who was very i'll till his arrival
at ST. Johns, goes back to Washington, and
will be passenger by the steamer Cortes,
leaving st. Johns this evening for New
York.
THOUSANDS OF BERGs ON THEIR WAY SOUTH.
Captain Babson informed your correspond
emit that he has been for five years engaged
In the Greenland fishery, and has never in
all his experience witnessed anything ap-
preaching the terrific ice blockade extending
down the fifty-second parallel of latitude.
The field ice lying to the eastward, the south
ern tail of which now bears east southeast
120 miles distant from st. Johns, is of the
heaviest foe description. Thousands OF ice
bergs OF all varieties of size and shape were
also seen, battling all efforts at enumeration.
That some sudden and uncomputed change
of temperature has taken place in high lati.
tudes scarcely admits of doubt, and it would
seem as II the polar basin was unlocked and
had discharged its contents Of glacier and
foe Ice into the temperate zone of the North
Atlantic Ocean. With such momentous
perils threatening the navigation of the
North Atlantic 0sean the shibboleth of COM
manders of vessels should be, Keep q
faithful and constant lookout sloft."
ANOTHER VESSEL SHATTERED.
Another ship is reported as having been
collision with an iceberg. The French bark
Mater Captain Armand, 500 tons burden, was
towed into st. Johns to-day In a wrecked
condition. having collided with an iceberg
about $50 miles southeast of this port. The
Mater is salt laden, bound from Cadiz TO
Newfoundland, aud is owned in Toulon. The
extent of the damage Is considerable, en-
bracing the lose of her cutwater. bowsprit
driven in, Observation-Disclosures carried away,
foretopmssts sprung, bollards and waterways
started and deck and side seams opened. All
the fore mainrail is carried completely away.
When Captain Arnsud saw the looming OBJ
ject ahead be took 1t to be a steamer. and,
having his lights burning, he trusted to the
steamer to keep away. He was sailing on
his right tack. put the iceberg needed not
the approaching ship but smote her with
little bark to pieces.
The Wreck of the Bark Birdstow-One of
the Crew Gives a Graphic Picture of the
Scene.
New York Herald, 20th-The ship Liver
pool, from London, arrived up from qusran-
tine yesterday, having on board Cal plain ].
Tooker, of the British bark BlIdstow, Of
Windsor, N. s Captain lockers wife, and
the cook and seven seamen from the Bird
stow. The Birdstow was run into by an
iceberg off the coast OF Newfoundland, and
was 50 badly injured that she had to be
abandoned. The Herald yesterday con-
tanned an interesting report from the master
of the British bark but the following state
ment from John Poulson, Nova Scotian,
who was one of the crew of the wrecked
vessel will te found TO contain some ad-
ditionsl particulars:
"I was told OF with the port watch of the
East Side sailors boarding house. at was on
the morning of the 9th of June, and the fog
had been very thick since / came on watch,
for IL was my watch on deck. We were near
ly l00miles south of the Newfoundland Banks,
aud the fog was one of the thickest have
canvas spread. and were bowling along at
about seven knots. Two men were on the look
the C.ntain say that there 'Wasn't anV
danger OF running foul OF lcebergs, because we
were so far 10 the southland, and the water was
about half past 10 a. m. was startled by hear
ing the lookout cry that there was an Iceberg
dead ahead. The mate was In command, and
he at once gave the order to put the helm hard
down. At that instant saw the gigantic white
mass directly in front of us, and the next mo-
ment there was fearful crash. SO short was
the interval between the time when the berg
was first sighted and the collision that II TOOK
place quicker than have told It.. The helm
was put down Immediately, but IL was too
late. The shock was terrific and seemed to
shiver every timber in the ship. We struck
bow on, and we all felt that our last hour had
come and that the ship would surely sink at
once. The great jagged, irregular walls of the
iceberg overhunR us threatening death from
above as well as from below. l can form no
idea Of Its height, but in width and length
should think II was about as big as g block OF
buildings here in New York. After dealing
us our death-bow the white monster glided
away as silently as ghost, and we saw 1t
more A great hole was cut in the
bows of the bark, from the decks clean
down below the water line, and the vessel
began to I'LL. All hands began pumping at
once, but in q few minutes we found that
there nearly six feet of water in The hold.
and the Ca DfaiQ much against his will and