New-York tribune., 1905-08-03
THE ICEBERG PERIL.
a Silent Foe That Often Stays the
Northern Mariner.


Belle Isle straits during the whole summer season
Because of Belle Isle Strait being blocked with
Ice until the middle or end OF July, the southern
passage, via Cape Race and Cabot Strait has to
be utilized in reaching leaving Montreal from
May 1 till July. Prior to May the Gulf of st.
Lawrence is not accessible at ALL because of foes,
and Halifax is the Canadian terminus from the
preceding December. From August till November
Belle Isle Strait be traversed. but only with
great caution. bergs all shipping in
foggy weather.
Bergs and foes imperil navigation by the Cana
dian routes nearly all the year round AS early
in the winter February the big Allen liner Tu-
nisan reported by wireless telegraphy to the sig
nal station at Cape Race that she had been forced
to skirt fee pack stretching eastward $50 miles
along her route to Halifax. On July l, again, her
consort, the turbine engned Victorian. reported to
Belle Isle signal station that she had been de-
tanned two days by ice Off that strait while MAX
ing the northern passage The Dominion liner
Hurona had a similar experience. In the early
months of the year the Savoe met enormous
foe off Boston. The Kaiser Wilhelm had narrow
escape from contact with berg. Fearing lest
some ship would meet disaster from the unusual
prevalence of these floating terrors, all the big
New-York liners altered their routes to parallels
sixty miles further south
The previous year the barkentine Nelly left St
Johns for Brazil with a cargo of dry cod, and
four hours afterward, in a dense fog. struck a
berg and foundered, the captain and five men per-
was caught by a foe between two headlands,
whence there escape. and, being forced
shoreward. ground to pieces by the reslstIess
pressure. Not a soul escaped The Endymion was
crushed on the Grand Banks in March. 1900, when
eight out of thirteen men perished, and the others
were at deaths door when rescued from the pan"
fiat of Ice, which they had taken ref
uge The Snowbrd foundered off Cape Race in
1928 by huge berg capsizng and causing wave
which overwhelmed her. Only one man out Of
seven escaped to tell the tale.
These are, however only the domestic tragedies
which discussed at the firesdes of the islands
hsherfolk, for in Newfoundland hardly a family
can be found but the loss OF some member
by this ever present ice peril. Many of the mys-
teries Of the North Atlantic due to these causes
the loss OF the White Star liner Naronic in 1892
State liner Nebraska in 1898 and the Allan liner
Huronian in 1901, all Of which vanished in the
month Of February without leaving single trace
by which their fate might be made known Many
tramp steamers before and since. have undoubtedly
met the same end-a conclusion warranted by the
tales Of those fortunate enough to escape with
crumpled bows Jagged sides.
The shipping annals contain long lists of liners
sent to their doom by these grim sea castles. The
steamer Canadian struck in Belle Isle Strait
in July. 1861 and foundered speedily carrying down
thrty-hve human beings with her The Vicksburg
hurled herself against one off Cape Race in Au-
gust, 1876. and forty-seven souls perished. The
warrior tore out her bottom against a pan
the Grand Banks in 1898, and twenty-nine persons
were sacrificed. The Guion liner Arizona hit one
In the same region the next year. but her superior
construction saved her from the doom Of the others
sShe remained afoat. put into St Johns and was
repaired. But in 1881 the North Star was a victim
She was bound to Montreal, and crashed into a
glistening barrier in Cabot Strait She had 2s0
immigrants aboard, and sixty-seven found their
last home in the ocean depths. The Midway was
equally unfortunate in 1887. She too was bound
10 Montreal, and had large complement of steer
age passengers, when she impaled herself on q
serrated low lying mass. which tore her bottom,
OUT IN me rush and confusion incident to getting;
away the boats twenty-nine lives were lost
Inc Sheerness was crossing the Grand Ranks in
1881 when she struck a berg a glancine bov, ,bicL
stove IN her side from deck to waterline maxine
hoIe thlrty feet wide Fearing she would founder
hve men lowered boat and jumped into if The
Ooat was upset and they were drowned, while the
rest or the crew, sticking to their posts worked
her safely into ST. Johns. Here she was re,,airal
ana made the voyage successfully to NeV-Yorlx
her destination. The EIbrug was bound n pbiIa
deIphla when In 1897. she ran into ice which b,,
chahge or wind soon enmeshed her The breeze in
creased to a gale, and the enormous .'pans' were
flung against her sides with the force of katherine.
rams. She was in water ballast and gradually
pumped this out, lifting her fractured mates hove
Che oahger point They had been attacked bv the
noes along the waterline. She was fortunate
enough to make port at st. Johns The steamer
CastIegate, bound for New York was enveloped bv
foe in March, 1898, and so badly crushed that ali
EFFORTS 10 Keep her afOat futile and the crew
mace mace ther way onto a pan with boats tents
pIoEisions and Kits awaiting the subsistence of the
saIe AT thls tuncture the sealing steamer Diana
tneh on her annual sealing cruise CANA and
NaHslerFed the crew to her friendly deck
month later the French ship valiant with
GO 'eIl.y ny Two french fishermen from ST. Malo for
- fief[e TO engage in trawling on the Grand
BANKS pumped against a berg south or Con- T2o
at midnight, and went to pieces IKE . - -
caros' sinking almost before those be1ou, doo1,
couIo reach her upper deck. ONLY two boa+s CO..
s ts'lAs Twelve persons, escaped from her side and
were adr4rt for seven days and nights with
OUT nre, food, shelter or ADEQUATE cIotbiro :;
temperature at that season of about 20, - q
the twelve perishod before another shin sieh+1
tNe'I' ana when she took on board the tbraa Ii,,r
OUT unconscious beings they held she found +be+
these mad kept the vital spark alive nv rasorti -
cannbalism - +SSoI lilS 20
The Notre Dame and Rurg,rdi
rFeheh steamers recently were caught amoDe t5o
storm near spd cape Race in the midst or terrible
nights that those on board feared M Two days and
see !ano again 1t hopeless for the sbiIs 81
they had to haul away South to skirt IonH Ge and and
mjnent niis sns me TWO steamers Were i'm i'm
tEagments against the shipe' sides the Cr US
srtilferW Tbs pans sounding like fusiIlades Of
lee ns W. Inc TWO finally took shelter under the
of fi i~9 large bergs, where fury of the gals
ably have been destroyed utterly "'"o prop
the passenrer sne proper ma1agement Of the vessels
sne ] Hatcheg 5attened down. for the seas which
swept the Burgundil carried off twenf,, On, @
me Notre Dame had several injured ''-''
BANKS contest 80 1Sa7 wi With monster berg on the Grand
so 4odg pa that she had to be steamed stern
NO 81 I 20 port 70 relieve the strain On her for
Garo Dulkhead. The ConCorda's case was s{rniIar
She rammed a berg the next season and battarej
an M ner & &dorePeak while in fog in Belle Isle Strait
9nd only hne weather enabled her to reach 81
Jonh 10 recover from the effects of the terrihIe
khhoch. Inc Gibraltar shortly after hi another
6erG "a spur OF which penetrated her buikRead,
Ato she loundered within an hour. The Iudici3
met hke fate, in her case CARRYING seven Cf ~