Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1900-06-28

Inc occurrence OF drifting nNld ice
along the trans-oceanic steamship
routes in the North Pacific has up to
the present time been extremely rare.
No mention of such an obstruction TO
navigation in the vicinity Of Japan Is
made either in the British Admiralty
Sailing Directions for this region
China Sea Directory. Volume ",
Coasts of Korea, Siberia and Japan
or in the Sailing Handbook of the Pa
cifc Ocean" published by the Deutsche
Seewarte. Hamburg. For this purpose
the following letter dated Vladivo-
stock. Siberia, March %. 1900, and adj
dressed to the L. s. photographic Of
fee by Captain John Matthias. +. X. G.
s.. master of the British S. S. Ness"
is OF special interest. II is worthy If
note that the occurrence of field ice in
the North Pacific here recounted II CO.
incident with the singular and prac-
/ tically complete absence of ice in the
/ North Atlantic during the present
spring. The letter of Captin Matthias is
as follows:
"The purport of my letter is to ac-
quaint you as fully as possible with the
extensive fields of ice met by us on
March Is, 1870 miles from Yezo Island.
Japan. To give you a thorough outline
of this most unusual and unlooked-for
ice, must go into somewhat lengthy
details"
I'VE left Astoria February 81. bound
direct for Vladivostock with cargo Of
-four, lumber and general merchandise
under deck. and 3-foot load of lum-
Der on deck"
MY two books Of Weather Reports,
as kept by my second officer and care
fully checked by myself. will give you
full particulars of our passage which
was a very quick one for a cargo
steamer loaded down to her marks-2l
days from Astoria to Nladivostock.
will dwell only upon the ice fields with
which we met.
First let me mention that | was
navigating nthe very best and latest
charts (lS99) and had as a reference
twelve months of your North Pacific
Pilot Charts for 1899. as also the
months of January and February, 1900;
also chart for 1876. and North Pa
cifc charts for 1896.
Not one of these charts showed any
remark as to ice.
IAN extrca from my Sailing Direc.
tions CFindlay's North Pacific Ocean
reads as follows: Floating Ice has lit
tie or no influence upon the navigation
of the North Pacific Ocean, its northern
border being practically free from ice
except possibly rare fragment formed
In some narrow passage, or driftet
south by some severe winter gale. thu
southern portion lof Boring Seal aloni
the Aleutian Islands being rarely, Il
ever, troubled by ice.'
, ~ Ils VI th' ic'h 'Nhoi'h
1901 a lovely bright moon at the time
field Ice was observed to the northwar
OF the steamers position, which wal
then latitude az degrees SO minutes n,
: longitude l46 deg. IS min. Z. The en-
gines were at once put to dead SLOW
and stopped. Shortly after field ice Wa
observed ahead and on each bow an,
abaft the beam as far as the eye coul'
see. At 2:i0 a. m. the steamer enter
ed the first Of the ice at what appeared
to be the narrowest part, no openini
r being visible, and with only just SUN
: Client Roadway on the steamer to steer
l At i:30 a. m. we had passed throug'
/, the first pack of ice. with fairly clea
; water ahead, and our speed was accord
| ingly increased to slow and then I
e half speed. At 8 a. m. another immens
= field Of ice was seen ahead and al
p around the bow with no opening visi
. BILE. The steamer entered this secOn
9 field with engines stopped Just steer
!. ingD The Ice then continued on an
o off with intervals OF one to one-and-a
g half hours fairly clear water, the ic
pack being thicker at times than q
a Others, but all moving. This ice feel
c continued on again at p. m, grad
G ally getting less after that hour till
p. m. when only small pieces were
. be seen. and | may say finished in lat
. tude AZ deg. 90 n, longitude 144 de,
o 25E. One large seal was observed o
q one piece of Ice close to MS, but onl
q looked at us and never moved. W
q passed through 80 miles OF this feel
e and were thirteen hours in 1t.
e AT s p. m, when passing throus
!, this Ice, somewhat larger pieces tina
% others came in contact with our stel
u and the blum Of each bow, but with n
70 great force as the engies were barrel
70 moving and the ice setting to the ives
10 ward However. we found that son
le rivets were started each side Of the
le foot 6-inch stemplate and water con
" ing in: this we stopped by building
cofferdam from the stein to the fir
Is frames and filling the recess with bal
W of -four