The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1915-02-26
HUBBARD GLACIER
Alaska's Gigantic Frozen River
as 1t Meets the Sea.
THE MOTHER OF ICEBERGS.
Runnblings and Roarings That Come
as the Masses of Ice Break Away
From the Face of the Lofty Cliff to
Start on Their Ocean Voyages.

From the Face of the Lofty Cliff to
Start on Their Ocean Voyages.
The birth of an iceberg is strikingly
described In a report made to the Ma
tional Geographic society by r. S. Tarr
and Lawrence Martin, who headed the
expeditions of the society to Alaska
for the study Of the behavior of gla-
ciers there.
"The front of the Hubbard glacier,
measured in a straight line, is three
| and one-half to four miles wide. But
since the Ice cliff has q sinuous form
with projections in the center 1t is in
reality much longer than this, the total
length being between four and one
half and five miles This cliff rises be-
tween $50 and 800 feet above the wa
ter and extends an unknown distance
below 1t.
"One usually needs to wait but few
moments to hear from some part of the
cliff the thunder-ike rumble or roar
which is the first announcement Of an
iceberg's fall, followed a few moments
later by the appearance of great
swell, which on reaching the shore
forms line of white breakers even at
distance of several miles from the ice
cliff.
by watching the ice cliff one may
see the huge masses fall from the ice
front and a fountain of water dash
perhaps even to the top of the glacier
and then In a few seconds hear the re-
port which the rending of the glacier
sends out.
Zone Is fascinated by the perform
ance. Sometimes it is only a small
piece that falls, and then a sharp
single report like the crack OF q pistol
goes through the air; again a part of
the front crumbles and the down
sliding ice. broken into small pieces,
seems from a distance like a foun-
tain OF water while the report is only
a low rumble; at other times huge
masses break away, forming large
icebergs, and the noise then produced
is like the heavy rumble OF distant
thunder. ana at rare intervals one
may see a huge mass of blue or
! black Ice thrust itself up from be-
| low the ford, some distance from the
glacier front as n part Of the sub
merged ice foot is broken off, and then
no report is heard, but the wave that
follows is far greater than usual.
''The water waves which follow the
| discharge of icebergs from the front
of Hubbard glacier are of great mag
niture In September, 1913 for ex-
! ample the big steamship Princess
| Maquinna was aground on a reef
just west of Oster island with the
members of the international geo.
| logical congress, who visited Yakutat
bay under the guidance OF the junior
| author. The ship lay somewhat over a
mile from the glacier, and yet the
water wave following the discharge
| Of icebergs from Hubbard glacier
| caused the steamer to roll until she
took in water on the main deck as
| first one side and then the other was
! tipped far down by the iceberg waves.
There are periods when for an hour
or two there is very little discharge
and then periods, fully as long. when
scarcely moment elapses without the
sound of icefalls from some part Of the
glacier front 1t is possible that these
differences are In some way related to
| the state of the tide. but we have
not determined whether the periods
OF quiet and activity form part Of a
regular cycle or are merely irregular
intervals due to accumulation OF strain
and relief from strain or to expan-
sion and contraction under sunlight
while there are periods OF relative
quiet, they are not periods Of absolute
repose, and they occupy far less time
than the periods Of activity. Day and
night the ice falls, and the reports
that pass out through the air are SC
frequent that It is fair to speak OF
the glacier as almost ceaselessly &C
tive. The noise disturbs ones sleep
at first, and sometimes, when an un-
usually heavy fall occurs, wakens one
even after he has grown accustomed
to the ordinary rumble. A sense OF
nervous relief is felt when camp is
! removed to a part of the ford to which
the iceberg roar and the breakers on
the coast do not reach"