The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1889-06-06
Briny Dangers.

South street and New forks water front
hold many queer characters, but none stranger
than the ex-saor, be he an old forema>t hand,
mate or eN-ma>ter. These old mos>backs often
branch of into land work, but they never for
get their ioEe for tarry smells and ship-gear.
On the East river. below the bridge, among
the empty clippers and little fat brigs. one can
find half dozen loating around every day,
knowingly coming the top hamper Of the sail
ing craft and smiling contemptuou>y at the
steamers, or tea kettles.' a. they call them.
out on one of the long docks. Just below Wall
street ferry, heavily y-bear,ed rather we-to-
do-iooking man stood the other day looking UP
into the rigging of a biz American ship. That
he knew what he was looking at wa, a> eNi-
dent As was the fact that he wanted somebody
to talk to. and it only required Il pleasant satu-
tation TO get on speaking terms with him.
lie was an old sailor, having. a be said.
"craWled in the haw>epipe and come out at
the cabin windows" which being translated
means that he had worked himself up from
before the mast to the masters berth. lie was
an old-tme American master.
'lt wasn't so strange to see an Amer lean
tiag at lofty gail in those DAYS said he.
I'VE had the finest and fastest ship, in the
world. and when lime iuicer sailor for Eng
ll>hnanl saw cotton canvas on royal yard. he
knew that II wasn't any use trying to catch
'lhdt bloody ! ankte. a. they always called i
Snip from the states"
Just then the old sailor shifted rather eager
Il in the rather damp misty air The reporter
ial nose could only family trace the Hunters
Point aroma that haunts the river, hut the
sailor bad caught whitl of something ese.
'DO you know. said he. ~ thought | smell
ed an iceberg just then At sea in high lal-
tude, you can smell them miles away. and
many night have kept ali hands Oh deck
>ning and peering around on the watch for
field ice pr berg>. | tell YOU il j. 10 fun 10
have half y dozen ceherg> lJaing around
when Your Ship Is logging nine or 10 knots
straight of the reel and You are in such a liur-
ry t. make passage That YOU don't want TO
shorten sail"
The scent mad awakened a train of memory,
and sealing himself on one of lhc dock piles.
he took a iarge->Zed chew OF plug, and settled
himself 10 talk about field ice aud bcrg>.
II Wa> for nearly 20 wears master Of a deep
sea Ship" began the old >hellbark, "ani have
doubled both Cape Horn and Cape OF Good
Hope more times than | have fingers tW ice
over. There's where You scc ice. The hclG>
down here are not 20 lofty or 80 beautiful a>
those IN Arctic regions. but they are much
more dangerous; first. because OF their number
and extent, and again because they have SUP
marine formations that are just like a ledge OF
ROCKS, and project sometimes half 4 mile or
mile out from the base OF the berg. lou see,
with those fellows You might think You Were
giving them AL the berth they needed and sui
break Your ship up on one of these reefs.
he biggest Ice Island ever heard tolt u
by sailors was seen drifting around IN about -
degrees south and u degrees west almost III
thr TRACK o1 the fnGii>h llNtrpoui boats b0uuu
to Melbourne. 1t was in 1913 that it was if>t
-ightcd and the same chunh OF Ice was report
cd from that NlclnHy untll lN'h1 wien 1t dINai~
l'ctl 90. III was >thi To nave been about 'IV
1ect high. 90 miles lon- and ~ miles Wldl. and
was curved into Very much the Shape "f Il
horseshoe. The two arms of the curves en-
hraced bay ~ miles across and perfectly
sheltered. y big English cmlgralt >lIip cai!eN
The Guiding star, think. sighted The Ice Is
land, but whether. because Of fog or careless
ness, nobody knows. sailed slap into the bay
between the arms OF the island and Wa lost
with all hands. Pieces Of her Wr"ckage We're
picked lip near the Island hy steamer bolhu
1or Au>tralla.
'Ihe highest berg ever heard Of was seen in
the southern ocean. where They are not zen
orally Very lofty sailed WIN man who do
rlared that he had seen this berg. and that II
Wa thousand feet hl@h above the surface "
the water. Now, a> there Is always nine times
A. much OF ber- below the water a. there j.
ab0Ne, that Would make the fellow 5000 feet
from the base under water to the highest polnt
above. that's pretty biz chunk Of ice. co-
>iicring that II is over % times A. high a the
Brooklyn bridge. III bet 1t naUe Il splash
When il fell. That's where the danger is In
warm attitudes the base melt> away and the
first thing you know it falls over. have heard
Of several ships that had biz chunks fail ON
their decks one vessel having her ma>t> carried
away and several of her crew killed.
but they are usually loftier ard more beanti-
the sun shines Oh them they look like lot of
fahh"NS PheI ON toP ol cach o'hel. lHt>t
i.,t hnari ,f ~ ti'n' ~, tL. ia',i
Newfoundland, where there was over 500 feet
of water by the lead. They have been report
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