The Dickinson press., 1910-09-24
THE ARCTIC CROP.
Frigid Yield From GreenIand's
Icy Mountains.
THE MAKING OF AN ICEBERG.

nugo Sheets OF Ice Q Mile Thick In
Places Slide Down to the Sea. and
a. the Ends Become Too Heavy
They Break OF and Form esrss.
At any time 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 AZ and IS degrees west longi-
tude. but it is In spring. when the In.
creasing warmth Of the sun loosens
the arctic foes and causes the bergs to
melt and float 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 a few may come around Cape
Farewell from the "Spitzbergen sea and
some from Hudson bay.
A huge sheet of ice q mile thick In
places cover the whole of Greenland.
This gradually slides down the valley
toward the sea. into which it Is thrust
in great sheets fifty miles wide. As
these ends become too heavy they
break off 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 a mile square.
but as they drift about they become
broken and continue to diminish In
size until they finally disappear CON-
pletely. The process sometimes takes
several years.
Once set adrift icebergs find their
way into the Labrador current and be-
gin their journey. But of all bergs so
set adrift only a very small proportion
ever find their way into the path Of the
transatlantic steamships.
Nor do all bergs take the same
course. Some go 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 same mo.
ment.
Field ice also offers an obstruction to
the icebergs. though by their great
size and bulk they often act as plows
and aid materially In breaking up the
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 the
wind.
Advantage Is taken of this by the
sealing and fishing boats when caught
in an ice field. They often moor to an
iceberg and are towed miles through
the ice, through which otherwise they
could make no Roadway. This is &C.
complished by sinking an anchor into
the berg and using a strong towline.
As the berg advances open water. with
small floating ice. is left astern.
But this is indeed a dangerous thing
to do. All ice is brittle. but especially
icebergs. A blow of an ak has been
known to split n while the report
of a 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 at times
is deafening, and the noise Of one Of
ten causes another to break up.
From their very nature icebergs as
sumo an endless variety of shapes.
Some resemble geometrical figures,
while others carry fantastic domes,
spires and minarets. Sometimes they
appear to be veritable ice bridges,
with two separate supports. In many
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
in the water. as dangerous to ships an
submerged reefs. For this reason YES.
sells should always give them a wide
berth, half a 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
locked a scratch was found next 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 to windward."
So nicely are icebergs balanced In
the water that the slightest melting
sometimes will cause the center of
gravity to 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 does leave the shores and
drift south into the paths Of COM
merce. The arctic ice often has lived
through several seasons in the far
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