Semi-weekly herald., 1913-08-18
THE TRUTH ABOUT
THE ICEBERG PERIL

That famous craft, the United
States revenue cutter Seneca, Captain
E. E. johnson, has added one more
to the long list of the valuable serv-
ices which she has rendered to nayi-
cation. The Seneca it will be remem-
bered was detailed to patrol the ice
field during the spring of the present
year, locate the position and course of
the icebergs, and make a thorough
study of this peril and the best means
to detect and avoid it. The report Of
Captain Johnson shows how we'll the
work was done.
All of the Ice seen on or near the
Grand banks this season has been in
berg form. The largest berg eighted
measured 400 feet long kyf $40 iYeei
wide and 1t Et86d seventy Feet out oi
the water. All were white in colo,
and no two bore any striking resem.
blance to each other. The Seneca
sighted every type and shape of ice.
berg except the kind popularity pic.
tured in school books, with high, over.
hanging, craggy pinnacles. The cap.
tain sighted no bergs of the enor-
nous size reported in the newspa.
pers, such as were stated to be hall
a mile long and 800 feet high. The
loftiest berg that he saw was esti
mated to extend only 150 feet above
the water.
The greatest distance at which ice
was observed in clear weather by day
was eighteen miles. The average berg
on an ordinarily clear day, can bt
sighted from 13 to 16 miles from thu
ship; on cloudy day, from IL to Il
miles. In slight fog bergs can b'
sighted at two miles, in dense fot
at 200 yards, and in drizzling rain a
two and half miles. In bright moon
light they can be seen at two and {
half miles with the naked eye; il
starlight at one mile, and at two
miles with glasses. On a night over
cast and dark, with with the horizon
visible, bergs can be seen at dis
tance of one-half mile with glasses
With a searchlight berg can b,
seen at three miles on dimly moonli
night, and at two miles after tn,
moon has set; but the observer mus
stand fifteen feet away to one sid
of the beam If he would see readily
Captain johnson states that with tn
beam turned on berg abreast tn
ship and two miles away, he coul,
see it as plainly as an illuminated
store front from the quarterback whel
he was standing about 100 feet from
the light. 1t should be noted that tn
beam must be drawn to fine focus
and that flaring beam blinds tn
observer. Because Of its binding eff
feet, the captain would not recon
mend the general use of the search
light for a vessel under way. Yer,
pertinent is his remark "On darl
night or in thick weather, the vesse
in the vicinity of bergs should slo,
down so as to be able to maneuve
within the limits of visibility"
Important, also, is the fact tina
about 80 per cent Of the attempts o
the Seneca to locate an iceberg b.
means of echoes gave no results. TIL
existence of an echo indicates tn
presence of berg; its absence prove
nothing. Usually an echo will be oh
tanned only II the face of the ber
opposite the ship is normal. A slant
ing face will, Of course, reflect tn
sound away. Nor can the tempera
ture Of the sea be relied upon as a
indication of proximity to an iceberg
No change in the temperature wa
noted up to within ships length @
the berg. Again, the Seneca foun
little or no change in temperature q
the air near a berg. It was foun
that in light, low-lying fog, the oil
server could see = berg from aloi
sooner than from the deck; on tn
other hand. in dense fog It was foun
that the lookout was most effectiv
when It was kept from the spar decl
- the hrst sight Of the berg was u