Las Vegas optic., 1912-04-24


In 1864 and at almost the sam
spot the Canadians sister ship, III,
Indian, hit GROWER" as hergs arr
called when they have melted nearl,
down to the water line. The Indiar
remained afloat for more than al
hour. and in that time all but % Of
her 300 passengers and crew got
away to safety.
In 1868 the City of Glasgow was
sunk by barge over the ''tail'' OF
the Banks at cost of 4S0 lives, and
in 1871 the City of Boston went down
with 1s1 within few miles of the
same spot.
For three years after that time
there was no great disaster. but in
1874 the freighter Ronald struck a
berg and sank before the 35 mem
bers Of her crew could make even an
attempt to escape. On May 25, 1876
the Vicksburg of the Mississippi line
left Montreal with cattle and freight
for Liverpool At Quebec 2S passen-
gers were taken aboard, and the voy-
age continued without incident for
five days.
On May 30 the vicksburg fell in
with icebergs and il an attempt to
clear them steamed due south until
midnight. Then she struck, and it
was found that the blades of her pro
peller were gone, while on the port
side the ice had hammered away her
plates until she had begun to fill
Eight hours later the -vicksburg sank,
when 120 miles southeast of St.
Johns. OF her company II lost
their lives, and Of the II survivors
nine were members OF the crew.
The spring of 1882. with the excep-
tion of that of 1908, was the worst
for icebergs since records Of the
North Atlantic have been kept, it is
said. The bergs we're of exceptional
size, and the floating ice which sur
rounded them was of great thickness.
The Gulf of st. Lawrence was block
ed by the movement, and perhaps 20 (
schooners and steamers were caught
in the jam. Their danger was grave
at all times, but none was lost.
Many Steamships Crippled.
May saw the situation over the
Banks become very critical. The
steamship Rialto, from Hull to New
York, was caught in the flow Of ice
over the forty-seventh parallel Of
longitude on February 27, and had to
sail 200 miles to the south with botn
bows stove in and her forward com
partments filled, before she could
continue to New York, where she ar
rived on March 3. During that month
the steamers Herman, Sheldon and
Limosa limped into New York, bad
ly damaged. In April the steamship
Rampur- was towed in by the Mary
Tonisa, and the Hermod followed On {
April IL, after having sailed LOO +,
niles with her forehold full of water. a
That year took heavy toll of lives, t
besides the damage done to shipping.
rhe City of Limerick went down with e
rs souls on board, and the City of a
.ondon was lost with 100. The I'll k
ania carried 1870 to their death. r.
In 1884 the Sirius was wrecked by L
n iceberg, at a cost of AZ lives, and .
be Ontario, with IS. In 1886 the Prin-
ess was lost with eight, and in 1891 :
be Snowbird with 81, and the Zebra :
18th IT, In 1893 the Naronic was
v;
,st, her name being set down on !,
he list with the Georgia lost in -
s97; the Huronian, lost in 1902; the a,
ucerne, lost in 1904, and the Athos, !,
st in 1906, the five carrying down M
ith them more than 1000 people, al DC
Tough it has never been possible to nc
rive at any accurate estimate th
In the year of the Georgia's loss
e Valiant went down with II on ce
,ard Two hundred members of the M
st