Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-05
THE MENACE OF IcERERGs.
One Danger Of the Sea Against Which
Wireless Is Of Little Avail. 2

Wireless Is Of Little Avail. ?
The fear of icebergs has been part
ly removed in recent years by wire
less telegraphy, but their presence on
the seas is still menacing enough to
cause anxiety.
The government every summer
and fall makes out an iceberg guide.
When some ship reports an iceberg
in a certain latitude and longitude a
little red dot is placed on the iceberg
chart.
1t Is drifting in a southerly direr-
ton, and allowances are made for 20
many miles Of advance every twenty
four hours. So the red dot is moved
slowly forward But adverse winds,
seas and currents may change the
course Of the berg, and this sort Of
reckoning may prove all wrong.
Later another ship reports the same
or another iceberg in different
place, says Harper's Weekly. More
red dots appear on the chart, and as
the season advances the danger points
increase. These charts are issued as
warnings to mariners. Ships sailing
in certain northern latitudes must
study the location Of the icebergs, and
for the sake Of safety the captains
provide themselves with duplicates of
the charts.
Icebergs are dangerous obstruc-
tions to navigation on clear, dark
nights as well as in times Of fog They
carry no lights and they cannot be
detected in the dark until close upon
a ship.
Experienced sea captains possess a
certain instinct for detecting the
presence Of icebergs. Some captains
claim that they can smell an iceberg
miles away. Something in the atmos-
phere warns them of the danger, and
they double the watch and reduce
speed until out of the danger zone.
Then again when near an iceberg the
air grows suddenly cold and chilly.
and sometimes there is a drop Of sew
eral degrees in the temperature.
Many unaccounted disappearances
of ships and steamers are attributed
to collisions with icebergs, ships and
all on board going to the bottom
without so much as a remnant left to
tell the tale. To this cause mariners
and marine insurance companies at
tribute the mysterious vanishing Of
the City Of Boston from the face Of
the ocean with all its passengers.
There is the unparalleled case Of
the steamer Portia in Notre Dame
Bay. In clear daylight an iceberg was
sighted, and passengers and crew
begged the captain to approach near
er in order that they might inspect
and photograph it. The Portia, there
fore, was steered close to the tower
ing sides of the mighty berg, whose
highest pinnacles glistened several
hundred feet above the sea.
Then the unexpected happened.
There was an explosion like the shock
of a volcanic eruption and the Nigh
ty berg was riven asunder. One Of
the pieces split apart, grew topheavy
and toppled over, its base, far under
water catching the Portia and lifting
her high and dry some ten or twelve
feet above the sea.
The mighty overturning Of the berg
created enormous swells, and these
huge waves were the only thing that
saved the ship from destruction. The
weight Of the ship caught on its shelf
of ice kept the berg from turning a
complete somersault and a huge
swell picked up the vessel and launch
ed her again. stern first, in the sea.
This sort of rough launching was
not the kind a ship expects. and the
force carried her so far down into the
sea that the captain and crew never
expected her to come up again. But
she battled bravely for her equilibri-
um and finally righted herself and
steamed away from the dangerous
spot The whole mishap had taken
only a few minutes and before crew
and passengers had time more than
to catch their breath they had been
into the Jaws Of death and out again.