The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-05-03


sue their solitary and majestic course
toward the open sea and gently melt
away their lives Oh the deep swell OF
the Atlantic. Still others. like dtSr"rl-
does OF the ;!i:s'!N,ty. make ~tlW! -iIi lHE
some nnj,!.. >..:'' anal Ind jNr j''j.'*' -
ing to The l,.t:u1A. ->'n,, rs t@ay s"'
different in iii. j. .~:iv, 80 ,.t.. !.ss.
varied III ;jD: Ii;!.,.-''. ,hia'' in'.u~ w. 49,
like. solid r..A':'jr.~. With g. -. 49, 49,
most perpendicular, faces. ii!l!,,.ss,.''i.. !.
scale. 1Wn Or ..Iir, mites i ll- AND ia
as many broad. Others I::j-At 1T 4 l.!
tie N:<Iuncn | - mistaken for Il :! .!'I.s,it.
Palace, Il Turkish MOSQUE or 4 C0.ii->
cIll.rrh.
Occasionally an iceberg gets worn
away at the water line, while the base
below the water is intact and supports
an extended surface on Il comparative
ly narrow stem. Dthers are tunn"letl
or urched sl fact, there is no limita-
ton as to form or size. The most bcau-
tiful and the most grotesQue may sail
side by side 8,ne may be Il mile square
and the other only forty or fifty feet
Whether large or small, but 4 Slnuh
proportion u either is seen. The great
mass is always below the water.
At times there is something El:
graceful in the movements OF an i">-
berg one of large size was UDSCrEt:l
some years ago which for 4 time OSCIl-
lated backward and forward with Il
regular movement like the rcn0uIuln
Of Il clock It was a grOtesuur. almost
humorous. sight to observe the great
mountain Of ice sWayin@ from side to
side like one Of the polar bears that
haunt the far north. Then gently ~nu
almost jmperceptibly the berg turned
TURTLE" showing a gently rounded sur
face where before had been jagged
peaks and turretS 1t was Il disSo.vi.!s
view in the literal sense.
There is continuous change in the
appearance OF icebcrgS. At times Il
Gothic cathedral is stimulated; again,
faces may take to themselves Il like
ness to a tropic landscape. Cascades
will descend from the upper slopes.
breaking into feathery spray as the
stream meets with obstacles. Sailors
in the arctic make mental pictures as
children do with passing clouds Of
these strange forms. Home, with its
familiar scenes, may be imagined amid
the very abomination Of desolation.
AS to the size of icebergs-well one
must be among them to appreciate
their proportions. Sir John Ross OBJ
served one that was 21a miles long by
21a miles broad and $50 feet high. The
weight was estimated at 100000, 900
tons. This, however, was not an eX-
traordinary berg. Sometimes they are
observed towering to height Of 700 or
500 feet. AS only one-tenth of the mass
is above water and visible, it is seen
that they require plenty of depth as
well as sea room for their movements.
The comments of the passengers
when an ocean steamer passes an ice
berg are often curious. If the weather
is fine and the distance sufficient for
safety, while convenient for the obser-
walton. the sight is taken as a spectacle
for the edification of the on
lockers. Some are disappointed. They
expected something more dramatic. |
turrets perhaps when fiat surfaces are
seen or ragged edges where the waves
may be sliding over smoothness. 9th
ers 60 into ecstasies of delight over the |
ever changing pictures presented to
their view. But the master of the ship
looks on the berg as his natural enemy !
and calculates the chances of others |
being met with later on. When the
passengers are sleeping the officers
watch that harm comes not nigh
The littleness of mans work as COM
pared with that of the Creator is no.
where more apparent than when ship. |
perhaps a great ocean liner, falls in
with a feet of these leviathans of the
ocean. The captain, observing lower
ing of the temperature otherwise not |
to be accounted for, causes his ship to
be steered cautiously. The watch is
cautioned. Perhaps fog falls over the
face of the deep. Then, cropping slowly
and painfully in the murky twilight /
that even a search light will not pierce