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

MONSTER ICEBERG IN STEAMER TRACK.
LFrom photo taken 500 miles east of Hall
fax.1
ing the season Of dense fogs, violent
windstorms and low temperature, the
peril to shipping is increased hun
dredfold.
Many transatlantic steamers entering
this port during the last fortnight have
encountered great bodies of floating
ice, which entailed the most watchful
care on the part of the navigators to
prevent disastrous collisions and re-
suited in much perplexing delay. The
log Of one incoming vessel shows that
nearly a hundred icebergs varying in
height above the water line from fifty
to 800 feet were sighted on the trip
across the Atlantic. These covered a
stretch of over $50 miles, being mainly
between latitude AZ degrees Is min
utes, longitude 40 degrees 20 minutes,
to latitude AZ degrees 5 minutes, longi-
tude 80 degrees So minutes, which is
about 200 miles almost due east of
Halifax. It's passage was a most haZ-
ardous one. and on several occasions a
collision which might have sunk the
ship and caused a frightful disaster
was narrowly averted. Other ships
have scarcely less sensational stories
to tell of experiences with the perilous
ice foe.
+ According to the expert hydrogra-
h0
anybody, else and probably not much
more, this early appearance of the ice
is the result of warm and early
spring in northern ATTITUDES. causing
the breaking Off of large bodies of ice
from the great glacial formations of
the arctic region. from whence they are
brought southwark along the coast of
Newfoundland into the path of steam
err traffic by the polar currents.
The size of an iceberg appearing
above the surface of the sea does not
constitute its essential peril to ship
ping. Frequently that seen above the
water is less than a ninth of it's total
bulk, so that berg that stands 300
feet above the sea level may be actual
~ 2,700 feet high and of far greater
area than is indicated by the exposed
surface.
In mild weather the proximity of
large body of ice at sea is usually indi-
Gated by colder air and water, but in
thick and heavy weather, which pre-
walls at this season of the year, it is
extremely difficult to detect the pres
ence OF an iceberg by the tempera-
tures until the ship is squarely upon it.
A familiar method of keeping look
out for ice in thick weather is to take
'soundings' with a thermometer The
instrument is lowered below the sur
face at intervals, and Il record is kept
Of the waters temperature. A sudden
drop OF ? or degrees is usually the
signal for reducing the vessels speed.
doubling the lookout and keeping the
whistle blowing for echoes An auto
matte signaling thermometer is also
used. This is kept permanently below
the surface. and any important change
in temperature is registered in the pilot
house.
The birth of the iceberg is in the far
north. AS glacier or ice river pushes
its way into the ocean huge masses
break away from the edges and float
seaward. Currents carry them scme-
times for thousands of miles before
warmer climates eventually cause their
disintegration.
Charts of the north Atlantic show
that vast number of bergs float with
the Labrador current in southerIy d.
rection around the coast of Newfoupd-
land and Nova Scotia and from thence
farther out to sea until they finally
melt away and become a part thereof.
Many of these great floating noun
tains come from tie coast of Green
land, where the succession of glaciers
sives birth to thousands of bergs. Like
human beings, each one rulfills its own
destiny Some are grounded near the