The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1915-04-08
HUBBARD GLACIER
AIaska's Gigantic Frozen River
as It Meets the Sea.
THE MOTHER OF lCEBERGS.
Runb|ines 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 tc
Start on Their Ocean Voyages.
The birth of an iceberg Is strikingly
described in il report made to the Ma
tional Geographic society by X. S. Tar,
and Lawrence Martin. who headed tn,
expeditions OF the society to Alaska,
for tine study of the behavior of gl;l-
ciers there
"The front of the Hubbard glacier
measured in straight line, is three
and one-half to four miles wide. But
since the ice cliff has a sinuo,,s form
with projections in the center it is in
reality much longer than this, the total
length being between four and one
half and five miles. This cliff rises be-
tween 30 and 800 feet above the wa.
ter and extends an unknown distance
below it,
zone usually needs to wait but few
moments to hear from some part ot the
cliff tho thnrde, 'ii;r rumble or iu'r
which is the first announcement OF an
iceber@'s fan, followed Il few moments
later by the appearances of ii great
swell, which on reaching the shore
forms a line of white breakers even at
Il distance of several miles from the ice
cliff
by watching the ice cliff one may
see the huge masses fail from the ice
front and Il fountain Of water dash
perhaps even to the top of the glacier
and then in Il few seconds hear the re-
port which the rcndiny of the glacier
sends ont.
zone is fascinated by The perform
ance Sometimes it is only a small
piece hat falls. ana then a sharp
single report like tho crack of pistol
goes through the air: again Il para Of
the front crumbles and the down
sliding ice. broken into small pieces.
seems from Il distance like Il fnun-
tain of water. while The report is only
a low rumble: ut other times huge
masses break away. forming large
iccbery>. and the noise then produced
Is like the heavy rumble of distant
thunder. ANA ut rare intervals one
may soc Il huge mass of blue or
black ice thrust itself up from be-
low the ford. some distance from the
glacier front. as II 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 iceber@s from the front
of Hubbard glacier are of great mag
nturc In September. 1913, for ex-
ample, the big steamship Princess
Mnuulnna WAS aground on Il reef
just west of Ostcr island with the
mcMherS 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 iccbcr.S 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
''Thcre are periods when for an hour
W WV IuSlC IL WI y NIUE ulSSUNlec
and then periods. fully rs long, when
scarcely a moment capses without the
sound Of icefalls from some part OF the
glacier front. II is possible that these
differences arc 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
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 so
frequent that 1t Is fair to speak of
the glacier as almost ccaselessly ac-
tive. The noise disturbs ones sleep
at first, and sometimes, when an IN
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 Il part of Che ford to which
the iceberg roar and the breakers on
Il l..