Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-06-21
SELECT.
ICEBERGS AND FOGS.

New YORK, June 10.-Icebergs ol
enormous proportions continue to be
met with by ocean steamers with
amazing frequency even in very south
ernly ATTITUDES. An illustration OF
this may be found in the statements
of four ship captains who have just ar
rived in this city. Captain Hansen. of
the Hamburg steamer Frisia, said ::
we left Hamburg on May %. We
had light variable winds and moder-
ate weather On June 5 we entered
latitude 4237, longitude 47.0S. The
temperature, both of the atmosphere
and the water, then fell considerably,
and 1 concluded that icebergs were not
far off. | had already gone through
the mill before, you know. Well, of
course, | was not mistaken. When the
first iceberg hove in sight-about Up.
M.-we were running parallel with
the Bremen steamer Main. The
Mosel and an unknown English steam
er were also near by. This iceberg
was big fellow and was being carried
toward US with great rapidity by the
Gulf Stream Its height above water
was fully 200 feet, and as that portion
always represents but a seventh part
of tie entire mass, it must have been
l,400 feet high. 1t covered an area
of probably 500 square feet. AT 1870
it arrived at an equal distance be-
tween the Main and my steamer,
creating a number of small Whirl-
pools around US.
Indeed, both vessels heaved heavily
from one side to another in conse
quence of the commotion produced in
the water. On the rear portion of the
iceberg a number of Northern birds
resembling elder ducks were visible.
A black object also appeared for
moment between the crevices of the
ice. which one of the men who saw it
through telescope declared to be
sea-horse. We saw two more icebergs
of an average heighl of one hundred
feet before the day was over. This
was latitude 1906, longitude 1904.
The two knocked together shortly
after passing US and third iceberg,
considerably smaller than the rest, was
formed The sight was magnificent,
though enough to make any one dizzy.
THE FRUITS OF A MILD WINTER.
account for the presence oficebergs
so far South this year by the fact that
we have had very mild winter,
which has severed the the bergs from
the mainland. They have drifted
southwestwards as far as Newfound-
land, which is in latitude so, and not
being able to gain a foothold on shore
there, owing to their depth, have
drifted eastward. They are to be
found in many different latitudes, but
pretty near the same longitude, that is
between Al and so. | do not think
any of them are more to westward
than that.
Navigation is greatly impeded, and
it is wonder to me that no accidents
have occurred so far. After meeting
the three icebergs | spoke of just now,
heavy fog enveloped us, and | know
| never slept wink that night. Had
an iceberg approached US there would
have been no means of discovering the
fact in time to steer out of its way.
The only manner of ascertaining the
presence of icebergs in Southern waters
is by testing the temperature; but
then of course, this does not tell one
how near the ice is There is prac-
tically no way of eliminating this dan
ger to ocean travel, unless very
southerly and consequently rounda-
bout course is taken by the steamers.
that is what most of them are doing,
by the way, and as to my self, intend
running two or three degrees further
south on my return journey
ICEBERGs AND FoGs.
Captain Barre, of the Bremen steam
er, Main, corroborated the above
statement of his brother captain. and
added: My experience with iceoergs
on this trip was, perhaps, even mcte ex-
tensive than that of Captain Hansen.
Late in the afternoon of June 5, we
lost sight of the Frisia, and very near
ly missed coming in collision with an
| iceberg as large as any | have yet seen.
This was owning to the dense fog
which came in the wake of the first
three bergs Indeed, strange to say,
most of the large floating masses of
ice | have met have been followed by
mists. Luckily the approach of the
monster was noticed in time by the
seething of the waters around 1t, and
we escaped without scratch, SO to
say. Judging by the extreme GOODNESS
of the water during the night, we must
have passed several icebergs That
we escaped collision and instant death
on this trip was nothing short of g
miracle
CAPTAIN HILMERs' STATEMENT.
Captain Hillmers, of the German
bark Amaranth, from Hamburg, had {
still more interesting story to tell
I'VE left Hamburg In the middle o
May he said. Winds were yer,
: variable, but mostly westerly. o.
e May %, latitude "A, longitude 1850
we narrowly missed coming in coils