Arizona republican., 1922-06-05
BY Frederic J. Haskin

Ocean, particularly the crowded
steamers lanes between America ana
Europe, to locate drifting masses OF
ice coming down from the glaciers OF
the north.
The huge mass of ice making up an
iceberg is but a bit broken Off the
seaward end of a glacier, the solldly
frozen rivers which gradually move
to the ocean. These bits of ice are
bits only by comparison with the
glaciers from which they break away,
In the late winter and early spring
the icebergs break off from the
glaciers and start drifting south, and
1t is to find those that stray as lar
as the Atlantic steamer lanes that
the American Coast Guard Yesseis
keep busy throughout the spring ana
early summer months.
Through communication by Wire
less ii is possible now to guard the
shipping of the world from the men
ace of crashing into icebergs. The
terrible Titanic disaster is RESPONSE
BILE for the yearly activity or the
American Government in finding and
warning shipping of the location of
floating bergs. When that vessel.
then the largest afloat. crashed head
on into an iceberg and sank 1t was
able TO tell other ships of its predtc-
ament while still afloat through the
medium of it's radio apparatus. Its
signals of distress brought the steam
er Carpathia to the rescue. and that
vessel was able to rescue many souls
who otherwise would have shared
the fate of those on board who went
down with the Inflated ship.
Without radio, the fate of the Ti-
tanic would have been a mystery to
this day, as no other ship chanced to
come along the same route during the
time the wrecked vessel remained
above the waves. Other similar dis
asters might have happened since
with no proof of the vessels fate. un-
less chance threw survivors in small
boats or RATS in the paths OF other
boats.
Out of the Titanic accident some
good did come in waking the world
up TO the iceberg menace to shipping
This disaster, like the Iroquois
theater fire in Chicago, so Mortified
the world and aroused it's interest
that steps We're taken to guard in
every possible way against its repe-
tition. In the cast of the Iroquois
theater, hundreds of patrons were
penned into the blazing building be-
cause great swinging doors opened
inward. and the weight OF the frantic
mass pushing against the doors in
vain efforts to escape. jammed and
held the doors tightly shut, and pre-
cluded all chance of escape. Every
where today theater doors must open
outward, and regulations provide that
there must be many emergency ex-
its which open automatically when
pressure is applied to them from
within.
So too, the lesson of the Titanic
has not gone unheeded. The activity
of the Coast Guard has been going
on since the year of the sinking OF
the Titanic. The main shipping ma
tions of the world came to an inter-
national agreement by which the
United States was given the duty of
securing the North Alantic to locate
floatings icebergs and warn all boats
by radio of the position of icebergs
and their direction of movement, as
well as the speed which they are
drifting. The cost Of this patrolling
of the sea Is borne by the various
nations entering into the agreement.
in proportion to the amount OF ship
ping each has on the North Atlantic.
lcebergs Hard to Locate
Ieebergs are not easily visible. and
GdllDOL DG QcLECleu dl I'LL III iOB5J
weather or on dark nights. About
six-seyenths of an iceberg is under
water just as a bit Of ice in a tum-
bier of water floats with only its top
exposed to the air Thus only a
point of ice may project into the air
and ship hundred yards or more
distant from the visible portion of an
iceberg may be on the verge Of crash
ing into the submerged mass of Ice.
The work of the American ice pa
troll calls for excellent seamanship.
and is undertaking not without con-
siderable peril. For one thing. the
water off the Grand Banks. where
drifting icebergs often are located, is
shrouded with thick fogs on many
occasions. But the ice must be found
and shipping warned. Despite hard
ships and handicaps. this is so we'll
done that there has been no repeti-
tion OF the Titanic horror.
The work of the ice patrol has
served to shatter many old traditions
of the sea regarding icebergs. It had
long been a favorite belief OF sea-
faring men that the presence OF ice
bergs could be detected because the
floating ice invariably echoed dis
tinctly any sound within a <nsider-
able distance of it. This has been
found to be untrue except in the
case of icebergs presenting flat wall
to the sound waves, and even then
the echo is discernible at such short
distance that this warning is of little
or no value.
Another tradition that has been
shattered is that an iceberk chills
the surrounding water and air. The
facts do not bear out this supposition,
H., -I,t Il H. ira1 ia III
ing from an iceberg toward a ship,
the air may seem slightly cooler. but
the water does not appear to be af-
fected at all. except so close to the
berg that no ship could reach the
cooler water without practical cer-
tainty of destruction.
Still another mariners belief
touching icebergs has been that birds
flying about and roosting on the ice,
disclose the presence OF bergs by
their cries. but the ice patrol has
blown up this tradition along with
the rest 1t has been found to be
without any foundation. Many bergs
have been located without any birds
about them at all
Give Bergs Tide Berth
Collision with icebergs is not the
only danger to shipping. Another
menace is from movement of the
great mass of ice in the water, AS
the berg drifts farther south. the air
and water become increasingly warm,
the ice is melted in various ways. A
current of warm water will melt
away the under part OF an iceberg so
that the disturbance OF the center of
gravity will cause the whole thing to
roll or turn over. When this occurs
as it frequently does. great waves
are sent out. All ordinary ship, II