The evening times., 1900-03-07

A review Of the weather conditions which
have prevailed upon the North Atlantic
from January l. to March 1 has just been
issued by the United States Hydrographic
Office. This report is printed upon a chart
/ illustrating the direction and the velocity
Of the various high winds which have
swept the North Atlantic in the last
month nd a half. Dereliets icebergs. and
| floating masses of wreckage reported @ the
photographic officers in that time are also
charted. The report shows that nearly a
dozen gales have swept The track OF trans
Atlantic vessels in February. and that four
/ teen or more derelicts have been added to
that already long list OF sodden, washing
wrecks. which mariners dread. Not an
iceberg was sighted in February. although
a little field OF ice was reported near the
5Oth meridian. latitude IS north There
was also very little fog last month.
The high winds which prevailed in the
I last SIX weeks. however. more than made
up for the absence Of ice and fog. and the
list Of marine casualties is formidable The
month Of March is not likely TO be any i'm
provement in the matter OF weather if the
[ following forecast Of the Hydrographic Of
hce may be taken as an authority:
Forecast for March-Frequert gales
north Of the 25th parallel. along the trans
| Atlantic routes, occasionally from the
eastern quadrants. Gales to the north Of
the routes less frequent than during Jan
uary and February; more frequent south
Of latitude 40 north. Occasional fog north
Of the trans Atlantic routes Ice on and
near the Grand Banks"
Many Of the highest gales in February
and the latter part OF January occurred
along the North Atlantic coast. A few OF
these storms, however turned to the east
ward in the vicinity OF Newfoundland and
went out 10 sea There were also a mum
ber Of gales in the vicinity o. the Azores
at various intervals throughout February.
The location and the direction OF these
storms are illustrated upon the chart by
red lines. The chartmakers are guided en-
tirely by the reports which they receive
from captains OF vessels and from stations
along shore The result OF the storms
which have lashed the Atlantic OF late are
shown in the number of new derelicts
which appear upon the chart: Among them
are the J. G. Hamblen, Jr. reported on
/ February 3, 4 and y, schooner Allen 4.
I Mcintyre, reported January 80. and the
schooner r. W. Morse reported February
T. Besides these. seven or eight derelicts
the names Of which are unknown. have
been reported since January - In the vi
. =
/ eral old-tmers. which II was hoped had
/ disappeared, have again turned up and
. they viii doubtless continue 20 show up un-
. I'll the Government sends out cruiser TO
I search for and sink them
! The dereliCt schooner Yale was again re-
ported on February .. Her drift has been
/ the most remarkable Of any recorded by
| the photographic Office in some moaths.
| She was first sighted on October 80. in the
HrHH HrHmH No.
/ on November I. about fifty miles 10 the
southwark. Then she started out 10 sea.
/ crossing the track Of coasting liners until
F she was several hundred miles of shore
/ After this journey the wreck took another
turn TO the southwark. and when last re-
/ ported. on February >. she was several
I hundred miles OF shore in a direct line
I with Jupiter Fla
/ Another wanderer which is exciting the
I interest OF mariners is the schooner Al
/ furetta s Snare, which was abandoned on
/ Georges ShoaI, of the New England coast.
/ on December 9. She has pursued an er-
ratic course, pointing at various intervals
/ toward all quarters OF the compass. She
/ was finally sighted on February g. going
out 10 sea The Snare has been seen over
dozen times in the past three months.
The bark Oxford was reported water
logged in mid-Ocean on January Q. She
has not since been seen. Mariners will not
( feel safe until these derelicts are blown
up or disposed Of in some way.
Hundreds OF vessels have been lost or
! damaged in the storms OF January and
I February. Marine underwriters say that
/ last month was the worst month OF the
winter. The winter OF 1s99-1g0O has. how
ever. been such a general Improvement on
the previous winter as regards big losses
that the underwriters say that they have
no fau1r n find