Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-07-11
VAGA20ND ICE,
GLACIAL BER,s WHICH nraxE
OCEAN TisAVE. DANGEROUS.
Greenland is the Gr,t Factory for
the Formation Of Icebcrgs-
Studying tho Mo,,meuts
of Floating Flies.

where he went for the purpose of S,ta;n.
ing more accurate knowledge inrele-
ton to the movements of ice within,he
lines OF regular ocean travel. He says'n
the Washington Star: Newfoundland
and the mouth Of the st. Lawrence Rivsa\
yearly send out miles of ice that is { n
tremcly dangerous to navigation s;iu
deep waters the course of ice car be en-. NJ,
traced, but in shoal water this bccomS W
difficult. The movements of the ice de- =
pend Ill great measure upon the various
currents that traverse the ocean in this
vicinity, rs well rs upon Il great variety
81 other forces, and little can be said
with any degree OF dcfnitcncss MS TO the
probable movements of ice beforehand.
hundreds of vessels have been lost from
ignorance of the local path of ice, and
many are damaged severely yearly ON the
same account.
Greenland is the great factory for tho
formation of iccbcrgs and the most of
those tina, make All annual appearance in
the northern waters are from this region.
1t is II large island, entirely covered by
ice, that flows down to the sea and,
breaking oil, forms bcrgs and fields.
Each glacier produces from ten to twenty
that has been estimated nj $50, 900 ,0OO,-
QUO OF cubic feet, or, calculating ut the
rate of five pounds II day for every man,
woman AMI child in the United States.
enough to supply this country for at
least hundred years. But only small
proportion OF the years production Of
bcrgs ever reach the trans Atlantic
steamer lines, for many are melted, but
more are broken up before they get into
the navignblc waters. on the Grand
Banks the bcrgs are tho most plentiful
during the spring months. There is Il
great difference in the rates ut which
bcIgs travel. One may reach the south
ern waters the same year in which il is
| produced, while another may be several
years going the same distance. The leo
fields urc great obstacle to the progress
of the berg5 smashing them up and eau
! ing their d;sin,cgration The ice of the
bergs is very brittle, and sometimes the
sharp blow olan axe will slluttcr "a berg,
and they are often demolished by the con
| cussion of the report Of II cannon. They
break mp with loud reports that can 10
heard some distance. Water often mclts
in croyiccs of the bcrgs, and then by
and then il often happens that by reason
oi the expansion and contraction due To
the change in the condition of the water
the ice is split, and thus bcrgs are fire.
| qucntly destroyed They melt away as
they get into the warmer water of the
south, and are ground nsains, The fields
and broken ice tint they NEE, on the
way. Some Of them lust for several
| years. They quite often have long, out
| lying spurs projecting unucr the surface
OF the water that ARE very dangerous to
ships, for they arr invisible and may
! pierce the side 81 3 vessel. Hergs urc, us
II rule, nicely balanced, and arr; pui.S
apt to tumble over if disturbed. On II
clear day II berg can be s6aR ftt IN long
distance on account of itsskfilh aathshitc-
ness, and ut night from tit33tq;se gsscc, q
In" fog bcrss may b9dd IS
apparent backncss, lutmcif2 ll Sl
echo which they throw oilsfisaf f tlsRitiieii
sound ASA Sig 1IHn ora wh!stlG3 gAp jsip
strlmenL on deck catches the cchowa4es, fI
and by n perfected mechanism theirE
lcngths may be measured, thus giving
| the marincrsomc idcl ms to the distance
lbs is away from his danger Field leo is
u
motion within itself that is always carry
ing it ON in some direction. 1t often breakE,
up, drifts and freezes again the same
dizzy. Two vessels, caught in the ice near
to each other, may, in few days be
many miles apart, although there is not
time when one could hot walk from one
10 the other. The Arctic leo takes several
Seasons 10 make, while that made further
south forms each season. The latter is
softer and does not last MS long rs the
other sort. Only an average sized berg
can get across the banks, owing to the
1'i grsnM EIaEibs q Nv water wien hoy ariw,
and many are grounded there to melt
slowly away.
The cod follow the ice down and feed
under it, while the seal, the sort that is
hunted for its leather and not its fur.
makes the ice its breeding ground This
furnishes lively industry to many fish
crmen Of the north, who 90 out in fleets
ms soon us the ice begins to como down
and race FOR the bcrss and fields. Tho
catch avcrn@ci about al 900 900 worth
each year. but the business is pcrlons
! and the risks are great. IL is IL pcculinr
fact, that has been lat1y demonstrated,
That all the ice docs not form on tic
surface OF the water, but often makes in
| from ten To fifteen fathoms down. Arti-
Giles that have been lost overheard
have been found in cakes of ice
months Or years after, AS they are
heavier than the water and could not
float, this is accounted for by the cxpa-
nation that there are spots in the under
current of the water that are colder than
on top, and ice forms when il could not do
so above. The present year has been ,n-
usual in the number aud the size OF tho
bcrgs that have been sighted their ap-
pcarancc having been much earlier than
ever before. 1t is estimated that fully
| S1OO, 900 a year would be saved in coal
alone if steamers could sai in such
courses that they would not meet ice in
| their routes.
| Going Abroad for What We Hare Here.