Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-05-07
ICE FROM POLAR REGION
LUNG DISTANCES TRAVELLED BY
IMMENSE MASSES.
orlgln CT 1cebergs at Ends of the Earth
-GIaclers That Terminate on the
Coast Of Greenland.

1t is an interesting fact that the actual
iceberg always comes from near the ends
OF the earth. Becoming detached from
lhe immense ice masses of the north or
'ne south polar regions, the huge pin
hacies and mounds and other formations
700 often in the path of vessels crossing
the Grand Banks of Newfoundland have
made long journey before reaching this
LOCALITY. for they have come the length
or that interesting river in the ocean,
the Labrador current, besides floating
hundreds OF miles in the waters about
Greenland.
| Inc distance covered by an iceberg
OF the north Atlantic from the time it is
formed until it reaches the Banks is fully
700 miles. 1t may have been afloat for
year, exposed to wide changes of tenn
pefature battered by ice foes, possibly
| other bergS and ceaselessly washed by
| the waves. let some of those seen 1000
miles south of their starting point are
nearly 800 feet in height and truly of ma
JeSuc proportions, often thousand or
more feet in length while it is an estab-
lshed scientific fact that so much more
| or the bulk is under water than is visible
mat the largest bergs may extend INTO
the ocean to a depth of over half a mile
Ihelr enormous size when they become
detached from the glaciers is proved
! by the observations of explorers along
the Greenland coast. A few years ago
berg was measured as nearly as pos
! sIble around the edges This distance
was about five miles. 1t had several
peaks estimated to range from 300 to
oOO feet high. Judging from it's appear
ance. writes Dan Allen Wiley in the
Sclentlhc American, it was a solid mass
that had separated in it's entirety from
| the glacial edge of Greenland
| AS Arctic navlgators who venture far
north often see a score or more of great
bergs in day the tremendous glacial
activity in this region can be appreciat-
ed. The majority of these that drift
to the Grand banks come from
Melville bay. Some of the distinct gla-
ciers that terminate the Greenland ice
cap on this coast extend along it a dis
lance of fully twenty-five miles. Their
thickness or height can only be esti-
mated but in places near the open sea
! 1t is believed to be several hundred feet
! Recent examinations of this coast
show that during the short summer the
formation of bergs in the bay is almost
| continuous. The glacial movement keeps
pressing the ice forward until a thick
stratum often projects many feet be-
yond that beneath. After a time the
! great weight overcOmes the tensile
strength of a mass and it falls into the
sea and berg is created
| The warmer temperature of summer
may also widen crevasses on the fringe
! OF the glacier and wave action loOsens
another mass. The explorers in this
| sheet of water say that enormous force
! is displayed by these ice falls and that
| the sound of the great body striking the
water is so deep and loud that is resem-
| bles heavy thunder. The many reports
! that may be heard in a day indicate the
rapidity with which the glaciers disinte-
CRATE in summer.
| Probably the natives of Newfoundland
| and Labrador are more expert in the
| knowledge of marine ice and ice forms
! than any others. This might be expected
| since the shores of the island and the
| long, bare peninsula are encased in ice in
some form so many months in the year
| while the berg laden current flows past
them on its southerly course. The seal
hunter or fisherman of this region can
| tell the character of piece of floating
ice or an ice pack merely at a glance.
When searching for seal on the ice
fields in winter if he becomes thirsty he
| looks for ice having a blush or grayish
tint-not the white or transparent varie-
ty. He knocks off a lump of the darker
| hue and tests it with his tongue. The
| field may consist of pack of pan or foe
| ice which though dazzling in its white
ness and clearness is unfit to quench the
! thirst owing to its salt. So it is that
much suffering is endured by those fur
hunters unless they chance upon a frag-
ment of a berg which may have gone
to pieces and been wedged in the pack.
If an iceberg moving down with the
| Labrador current is swayed by an east
ern storm or eddy too near shore owing
| to it's draft" as the sailors would say,
it is liable to ground. Thus an oppor-
tunity to study the changes which occur
is given. 1t has been discovered that
while the summer temperature of New
! foundland is high enough to reduce the
surface considerably by melting, it goes
! to pieces much more rapidly by the
weakening of the lower portions.