The San Mateo item. (San Mateo City, Putnam County, Fla) 189?-19??, 1910-04-16
MENACE OF
ICEBERCS
Danger of Sea Against Which
Wireless Is Useless.

! AShS NtiSbidpuyt Out luelI pItSeHCe
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 certain latitude and longitude n
little red dot is placed on the iceberg
| chart
1t is drifting In a southerly direc-
ton, and allowances are made for so
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. 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
ATTITUDES must study the location OF
the icebergs, and for the sake OF
safety the captains provide them
selves 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 can
not be detected in the dark until
close upon 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 at
mosphere warns them OF the danger,
and they double the watch and re
duce speed until cut OF the dancer
zone. Then, again, when near an
iceberg the air grows suddenly cold
and chilly, and sometimes there Is
drop of several degrees in the tenn.
perature.
Many unaccounted disappearances |
OF ships and steamships are attri- !
buted 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 com
panies attribute the mysterious van.
ishing OF the City OF Boston from the
face OF the ocean with all it's paG-
There is the unparalleled case OF
the steamship Portia in Notre Dame
Bay. In clear daylight an iceberg
was sighted, and passengers and
crew begged the captain to approach
nearer in order that they might In.
,pect and photograph IL. The Portia,
therefore, was steered close to the
covering sides Of the mighty berg.
whose highest pinnacles glistenei
several hundred feet above the sea.
Then the unexpected happened ,
There was an explosion like the
shock OF a volcanic eruption and the
mighty berg was riyen asunder. One
II the pieces split apart, grew top.
leayy and toppled over It's base. Gar
Inder water, catching the Portia AMI
fitting her high and dry some ten
n fifteen feet above the sea.
ue HllBHN9 oNSiAHi MUS vi lHC '''h
reated enormous swolls, and these
uge waves were the only thing that Z
aved the ship from destruction. Tho 1
,eight OF the ship caught on It's shelf {
I ice kept the berg from turning a q
omplete somersault and a huge ,
well picked up the vessel and launch.
her again, stern FIRST In the sea a
This sort OF rough launching was I
OF the kind a ship expects, and ,
he force carried her so far down into \
he sea that the captain and crew I
ever expected her 10 como up again. &
ut she battled braVely for her equill' 4
rum and finally righted herself and n
leaned away from the dangerous 4