The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1910-09-09

At any ume of the year ice may be
encountered in the Atlantic north of
the fortieth parallel Of latitude ap-
proximately that OF New York, and
between ~ and % degrees west longI-
tude. bur II is in spring. when the in
creasing warmth Of the sun loospus
the arctic does and causes the bergs TO
melt ard Goat from the places where
they have been stranded. that there is
the greatest danger to the mariner
The bergs have their origin almost
exclusively in western Greenland. al,
though few may come around Cape
Farewell from the Spitzbergen sea and
some from Hudson bay
A huge sheet OF Ice a mile thick IN
places covers the whole OF Greenland
This gradually slides down the valley
toward the sea. into which 1t is thrust
In great sheets fifty miles wide ~
these ends become too heavy they
break of and become bergs. The proc
ess is known as "calving." The pieces
set adrift thus may be a thousand feet
out Of the water and mile square.
but as they drift about they become
broken and continue TO diminish in
size until they finally disappear com
pletely The process sometimes takes
several years
Once set adrift icebergs lind their
way into the Labrador current and be-
gin their journey. But OF all bergs 50
set adrift only very small proportion
ever lind their way into the path Of the
transatlantic stea mships
Nor do all bergs take the same
course Some 60 south: others lodge
against the shore or against Islands.
Two years may separate the time that
two bergs reach a low latitude, though
they were "calved" at the sam" mo
nent
Field ice also offers an obstruction ="
the icebergs though by their great
size and bulk they often act as piowS
and aid materially IN breaking up HI
ice fields which obstruct the arctic ba
sin.
Ice fields are more affected by the
wind than are icebergs. Bergs gener
ally drift With the current. so that one
sometimes Is seen moving into Th,.
wind.
sealing and fishing boats when caught
In an ice Geld. They often moor to an
iceberg and are ,owed miles through
the ice, through which otherwise they
could make no headway. This is &C.
complished by sinking an anchor into
the berg and using q strong tow!iDe
AS the berg advances open water. with
small floating ice, is left astern
But this is indeed q dangerous thing
10 do. All Ice is brittle. but especially
icebergs. blow Of an az has been
known to split one. while the rcporr
Of gun at times will accomplish the
same end In July and August. when
the bergs are breaking up along the
coast Of Labrador, the noise al times
IS deafening. and the noise OF one of
ten causes another to break up
From their very nature iceberes rs.
sumo an endless variety Of shapes
Some resemble geometrical figures
while others carry fantastic dome,
spires and minarets. Sometimes they
appear TO be veritable ice bridges
with two separate supports. In mauy
there are great caves and indenta
lions. AS they drift south and begin
melting cascades Of water pour down
their sides or run from the tips Of the
hundreds Of icicles which depend from
every ledge.
Frequently there are outlying spurs
III the water, as dangerous to ships a.
submerged reefs. For this reason yes
sells should always give them wide
berth. half mile being considered the
nearest that one may be approached
with safety
Several years ago the British steam
ship Nessmore ran into an iceberg and
stove in her bows. When she was
docked a scratch was found neat the
keel the full length Of the ship. the
plates being almost cut through. The
ship evidently struck a submerged
spur. The government report says:
1T is generally best for ships to 60
to windward of them. because disin-
tegrated fragments have a tendency TO
drift TO leeward. while open water will
be found 10 windward."
So nicely are icebergs balanced in
the water that the slightest melting
sometimes will cause the center Of
gravity 10 shift, and the entire berg
will capsize or founder Thus many
ships have been wrecked.
Field ice is formed throughout the
waters within the arctic circle south
as far as Newfoundland, and each
year vast foes leave the shores and
drift south into the paths Of com-
merce. The arctic ice often has lived
through several seasons IN the far
north and occasionally Is ten TO fifteen
and sometimes twenty feet thick Be
cause Of its continual motion. due 10 |
currents, wind. etc. gradually 1t be |
comes broken up. Swells from storms |
In the open seas cause IL TO raft or |
pile one pan on aDother-iD the arctic |