Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-05-20
SAILING THROUGH ICE
EXPERIENCES OF a JOURNEY ACROSS
NORTHUMBERLAND.

How an Iron Steamboat riows Her Way
al speed Of Jen Knots m uoar
Through Niie. Of Thiek iee-Naiue 81
Two Bis water riehi Compartment.
Me. l. A. Currey has returned from a
trip 20 Prince Edward island. and accord
ing 10 his account, such a trip j. one Of tho
most interesting and novel imaginable
He IL fnll Of il, and TO hear him toll Of tho
wonderful Ice cutting achievements Of tho
government steamer Stanley would almost
Induce one 10 start od Al once to enjoy q
trip across Northumberland strait I'VE
were about three days going soross from
Pictou 10 Georgetown" said Mr. Cufrcy.
sand We had n splendid opportunity Of see
lug how communication T. kept up IN win.
ter between Prince Edward island and the
mainland. a. required under the terms u
confederation.
Until about three year, ago. a. you
know. communication with the island In
winter was keptup by the steamer Northern
Light. She waH built Of rrrcnheart. and
was very strong. but na she could only run
through loose. broken Ice and pick her way
among the drifting ncld Ice 10 the strait
abe was unabls 10 approach either shore
nearer than the edge 81 the board Ice or
the solid lev along the coasts would per
NIT THIS hoard ice h generally about
the thickness of the ice In the river -
Jobn-probahly from q foot 10 thrre feet
and during the winter mouths II extends
out about four miles from the plciou
shore and eight or ten miles from the
shore Of the islnud.
when the Northern Llght was run.
ming shc had to H. met nj the edge of the
Ice on either side Of tho strait by teams,
which transferred the passengers. mails
and freight 10 tho shore. and m old rs.
ident Of Piciou, who had great faith In tho
achievements 81 science and the progress u
the Ninutccnth century, WIS laughed nj
when be pfopheslod that within few
years steamer would BE- built that could
make the complete passage hon shore To
SHORE. The Idea seemed well nigh imp0ssl.
bic, but the old mans prophetic dream has
becn realized much sooner than even no
could have believed pussihlc and the same
captain which ran the grecnheart North
ern LIGHT from Ice 10 Zee now run. tho
steel Stanley from shore to shore.
GREAr srrID NECESSARY.
The Stanley was built especially Tor
this service by the Dominion government
She Il necessarily very strongly constructed
Of steel, the plates being Of great thickness
She has a sharp bow and Il wedge shaped
on the bottom. When you zee her lying at
the wharf. surrounded by solid Ice. which,
~ said, extends for several miles from
the shores, YOU would think that there was
no chance for her 10 move Hut she Is it.
ted with triple expansion engines Of great
power. and when these begin 10 whirl the
heavy screw propeller the Ice has to give
way before her
ina liulewhlle she gets up quitcn speed,
aud, cutting, crashing aud cronching
through the solid ioe turning burrows
sometimes up and sometimes down, the
steamer proceeds on her voyage, very
quickly working her way ont To tho clear
water or TO the part Of the strait where the
heavy field los drifts down from the Gulf
OF 81 lawrcrce. II Ia here that shsex
pcrienocs the most difficulty, or II may be
said the ouly difficulty In making her regu
lar trips, for while she cuts through the
solid board leo steadily at tho rnte Of al.
most ten knots an hour her progress Is
often greatly impcded by tho heavy drift
Ice. which Is often fifteen 10 twenty feet
d.ep Ia the water, and which therefore In
tsrferc- with the working Of the propeller.
IN. Stanley sometimes gets wnigcd
Into a Held Of this heavy drift Ice and has
TO DRIFT along with II for some time b,foro
she can FORE her way out. aud IL was on
account OF trouble Of TIL. Kind that we had
To spend thrcc days going across We got
over one wednesday, and the steamer
made up one Of the lost runs by making u
fouhd trip over and hack next day
nRRAkiSo MILES OF IcE
la. a Hat 4
fictou 70 Georgetown. and the trim il a
most Interesting one under any crcum.
Stances for tho steamer has splendid pas.
scngcr accommodation. aud tho way she
cuts her way through tho leo Is the most
wonderful thing you ever saw. Il make.
quite roaring sound aud some little vi
btauon, but not enough 10 make one feel
uncomfortable.
"lou can form tho best idea of what she
Il capable Of doing IN the way Of running
through Ice when | tell you that the stan.
leya captain asserted confidently thAt he
could run his steamer up the 81. John liver
In mid winter at the rate Of about ten tnot,
an hour a winter steamer service betw.en
st. John and Fredericton would be- a nov
city, wouldn't ~ but there 1, no neeessity
for Il as there Is In the service supplied by
the Stanley.
Another Interesting feature about this
wonderful steamer l. the way In which Ale
I, arranged for breaking her way ont n
the heavy field Of lee AZ the stern of the
steamer Il q large water tight eompart
ment When she gets stuck in ice that 4,
30 thick and strong that she can't cut her
way through Il, the water Is let into hi.
compartment, 10 that the stern Of the
steamer sinks enough TO raise her bow out
OF water
Then steam Is put on. and she runs her
bow right out upon the leo and erushes il
under her Where the pressure Is not sui
hcient In this way the powerful pumps are
net at work, and In a few hours tons upon
tons Of water from tho stern oompart.
mcnt arc transferred to like eompart.
ment In the bow, and this pumping kent
up I'LL with the combined weight OF tho
steamer and the water In the bow com.
partment the Ice Is forced TO give way, aud
with the eommotion raised In the water by
the big screw the steamer h enabled 70 FREQ
herself aud proceed on her voyage. st
John "a. b. Gazette.