The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-05-17
ADMIRAL PEARY
WRITES ON ICE
Says SeaTchIlght viii Find BGrgs
on a Clear Night.
BUT NOT WHEN THERE IS FOG

''SFoWieTS' p1c OnleI OaHSoT-i nny
Arc Submerged, Hard as Rock and
Take the Color Of the Water About
Thenn-opinion of an Expert.
One of the best of authorities on the
subject of arctic icebergs and the use
of searchlights for their discovery is
undoubtedly Robert Il. Peary. In re-
sponse to a request Admiral Peary has
written for the Army and Navy Jour
nal statement of his expert opinion
on this subject. He says:
"a powerful scarchlight would be Of
great assistance in determining the
presence of icClergs in a ships course
in clear weather. In dense fog it would
be useless except at such short range
as to be of no value. There is no rea-
son why scurchliGht on a transatlan-
tic liner should not he equally rs eff
fective in determining the presence of
icebergs or field ice in any direction
as the searchlicht on n battleship or
cruiser in determining the presence of
torpedo boats or other craft. And the
same conditions which would affect the
usefulness of the searchlight in the one
case would also affect it in the other.
Large Bergs Least Dangerous.
Large bergs. with their marbe-lil;e
sides and towering pinnacles, are the
least dangerous of all, as they are most
easily located and avoided. Under Ger
tain atmospheric conditions the pres
ence of these bergs can be detected
even while below the horizon, some
times by the reflection upon the sky
above them, sometimes by the little
cloud of condensed moisture lowering
over them.
"At closer range air temperatures,
water temperatures, the whistle and
megaphOne, the sound of breaking seas
and the searchlight may all be of as
sistance in detecting the danger. and.
on the other hand, under adverse con-
ditions all these may be useless in Civ
/ ing warning in sufficient time to pre-
vent disaster.
THE value of all these methods is
| largely vitiated by the high speed Mt
! mOutIu lTdNpI.
The "GrowIers."
"The most dangerous ice menace to a
steamer is the last remaining frag.
ment of berg usually a mass Of dense
| translucent ice, hard as rock, almost
entirely submerged. absorbing the col
or of the surrounding water and al
most invisible, even in broad daylight,
until close aboard These masses of
! ice present no surface to the air to af-
! feet its temperature, to cause cOnden-
sation to catch the eye, to send back
an echo or to form a sea. Nor is the
size of the mass sufficient to affect the
temperature of the surrounding water
to any distance. l know of no way of
detecting them except by the eye, and,
as noted, even that is often difficult
even under favorable conditions.
"These dangerous fragments of bergs
we know in the arctic regions as growl-
ers. / recall one occasion in Melville
bay when my second mate in broad
daylight, with no other iceberg or frag
ment of ice in sight from the crows
nest, smashed the ship full speed on tC
one OF these submerged ice rocks with
force which carried away the cabin
table, broke some of the couplings OF
the engine room and nearly sent the
topmasts overheard
THE stout little wooden ship, with
her solid bow and elastic sides, car
omed off II like billiard ball without
injury. A steel ship would have had
her bilge torn open from bow to quar-
ter. For our huge modern steel steam
ships, travelling at high speed and in
tensely vulnerable to puncture, there Is
no certain protection against iceberg
except to give the region where they
may occur the widest berth.
His Own Experience.
"In my northern work with my snug
strong little wooden ship, the Roose
velt minding its helm quickly aud 20
ing at moderate speed, icebergs neveI
gave use much concern. When in
large feet of them in fog and dark
ness | usually slowed down. Only tw,
dangers threatened us-one the pOssi
bility of running upon a slanting sub
merged spur in such way as to throw
the ship on her bilges or beam end
and allow her to fill, the other of beinl
smashed under by huge mass of ic
breaking off from berg alongside ant
falling on our deck. We had SOM
narrow escapes from this last.
'At times the icebergs were eagerl.
sought for shelter and protection. TIL
wake of a berg or group of bergs oftel
enabled US to hold our position agains
the drift Of large fields of ice. An,
in Robson and Kennedy channels
grounded icebergs frequently offere,
US partially protected position be
tween them and the rocks of the shOr
nnnlnSf the nnSnt nf hnnvv nnns of foil