The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-08-26
ICEBERGs.
The Terror of the Ocean voyager.
From The Philadelphia lpA1 Ledger.

Il
those of the Alps, only they arc much
grander, and, owing to their proximity te
the sea, different in some respects from
those of inland countries. In the Arctic
regions the snow line is close to the water S
edge-at most only few hundred feet
above it. The glaciers thus, sooner or la
ter. reach the sea, which they can obvl-
ously never do in the Alps. When they
do so they drop off in the form of ice
bergs. Glaciers are seen TO perfection IN
Spitzber en- and Greenland, but it i, only
in Greenland that Arctic glaciation can be
seen on large scale.
The iceberg is forced of from the par
ent glacier by the buoyant action OF the
sea from beneath, and not, as is commonly
supposed, by the mere force OF gravity
When the separation has at length been
made, the bergs are driven out to sea BY
the off-shore breezes, where they enter on
their final but most interesting stage OF
existence. Occupying, mayhap, many
centuries in their march seward, their
sea life is Il very brief one, since they sell
dom survive their first summer, that is, sup
posing they drift southwark into the warm
waters. They often ground in fjords,
whence they had their birth, and in this
position remain for years until they crum-
Bile TO pieces by the constant wash OF the
sea. Most frequently they are borne
away by submarine currents, and, alter
sailing for few days or sometimes weeks,
in calm and silent majesty, the bergs APP
pear within the haunts OF mariners, on
whose care and walchfulness their dreaded
presence makes incessant demands. They
are nearly always found in considerable
numbers in the North Atlantic Ocean dur
ing June, July and August, and some
times, indeed, as late as September.
Regarded from whatever point of view,
whether of origin, size. form or colors, ice
bergs are amongst the most interesting of
natural phenomena. They baye often APP
peared off the coast of Labrador and New
foundland, varying from 80 to 300 feet in
height. and one was described 10 us by the
captain al British warship, who fell in
with it in the Strait of Belle Isle, whose
length exceeded half mile, but higher at
no point than 30 feet. Hayes, the Arctic
traveller, calculated that a berg, stranded
in Baf1ius Bay in water nearly half mile
deep. contained about $4,000, 900, 900 GU
bic feet of ice, and the entire mass must
have weighed not less than 2,000,O0O,O0O
tons. Rink has calculated that about one
seventh of the bulk of an iceberg is above
water and six-seyenihs below it. The ac-
curacy of these figures can scarcely be
doubted.
The ieebcrgs assume all kinds of beauti-
full and fantastic forms which alternately
delight and awe the behoder. One APP
pears as a snow-enwreathed mountain,
whose rugged surface and stupendous
heights glisten in the sunlight; another is
a veritable fairy land, with dome, minaret
and laughing cascade; from the uneven
surface of third arises a tall and graceful
spire of surprising beauty aud SO. as we
proceed from one To another OF these
weirdlike beauties of Arctic chimes, there is
not form that nature can assume that we
are not permitted to behold and admire in
them. Hayes thus describes a group of
icebergs seen By him off the coast of Green
land "When viewed ont of danger, this
noble assemblage of ice palaees-hundreds
being seen from the end of JacSbshaVeD
Kirk-was a magnificent sight; and the
voyager might well indulge his once poetic
frenzy at the view. The MONDAY heat
had melted their sides, and the rays of
the red evening sun, glaring askance among
them. would conjure up fairy visions of
castles of silver and cathedrals of gold
floating in sen Of summer sunlight.
Here was the Walhalla of the sturdy Vik-
jngs; here the city of the Sun God,
Freyr: Aft helm with its elm caves. and
Glitner, with It's walls of gold and roots OF
silver; Gimle, more brilliant than the
sun. Gladsheim, the home Of the happy !;
and there, piercing the clouds, Himmels-
berg, the celestial mount, where the bridge
of the gods touches heaven
1t was perfect day in July. We had
been cruising in yacht on the coast of
Labrador for some days previous, and were
now heading for harbor on the northeast
coast of Newfoundland. There was very
little wind, and icebergs were floating
around us everywhere We were crossing
the mouth of the Strait of Belle Isle, near
the island whence il derives its name.
For a few hours'n the middle of the day
we were becalmed, aud lay under the over
hanging cliffs of the picturesque island,
whence we were able to view the magniti-
cent scene 1t was very hot, and the sea-
men moved about dreamily or else reclined
laziIy on the matches, but we could not
sleep in the presence of so much that was
grand and impressive. The deep blue of
the sea, on whose placid bosom the ic :
bergs reposed conlrasted sharply with
their more than snowy bril.iance and
from their rugged heights rose numerous
gannets no less white than they were,
SCARED high 10 the serene atmosphere,
poised, then swuoped with the rapidity of
lightning on the uuwary herring which
disported in the waters. The beFge were
of all shapes, sizes and hues. Some
aoated on The gentle current in silent
majesty, producing tiny eddies and whirl-
pools all around them; others were lying
aground notionless and spilep, but awfully
grand. Abont in the afternoon sharp
breeze sprung up and we sped gaily before
il towards the harbor, wherein We hoped
to anchor for the night. We kept the
breeze for some time, but lost it entirely
when we had reached point mile or Sc
off Cape Baud, in Newfoundland. Again
ue found ourselves in the midst OF ice
bergs, whose presence robbed US of oul
breeze. Many of them were pinnaelec
and their sides perforated with arches Of
various styles of architecture. There was
however, one whose Ike had never be
fore nor have since seen. In almos
every feature it was an exact picture o
the roof of a submerged church, upoI
whose eastern gable TODD correctly pro
portioned Roman cross. Arriving, littl
later, at the entrance Of the harbor o
Griauet-our destination-Ve found j
almost entire blocked BY stranded bergs
We lowered boat, in which we made a sur
vey of the POSITION, and, finding narrow