Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-04

NkSho 0AV Ia AlSSS - ScpNSS L GAS
American coast guard began again the
enormously important work of scour-
ing the north Atlantic ocean, particular
ly the crowded steamer lanes between
/ America and 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 solidly
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 it is to find those
that stray as far as the Atlantic steam
err lanes that the American coast guard
vessels keep busy throughout the
spring and early summer months. Z
Through communication by wireless
it is possible now to guard the shipping
of the world from the menace Of
crashing into icebergs.. The terrible
Titanic disaster is responsible for the
yearly activity Of the American gov
eminent in finding and warning ship
ping Of the location of floating bergs.
When that vessel, then the largest
%afloat, crashed head on into an iceberg
and sank it was able to tell other Sims
of it's predicament while still affoat
through. the medium of its radio APP
partus. Its signals of distress brought
the steamer 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.
\ yE,{lo,t roI.o A. f,ko 6 IL. u-:x----
would have been q mystery to this day,
as no other ship CHANGED to come along
the same route during the time the
wrecked vessel remained above the
waves. Other similar disasters might
have happened since with no proof of
the vessels fate. unless chance threw
survivors in small boats or on 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 lroquois theater fire
in Chicago, so Mortified the world and
aroused its interest that steps were
taken to guard in every possible way
against its repetition. In the case of
the IroquOis theater, hundreds of pat
rons were penned into the blazing build
ing because the great swinging doors
opened inward, and the weight of the
frantic mass pushing against the doors
in vain efofrts to escape. damned end
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 exits
which open automatically when pres
sure is applied to them from within.
So, too. the lesson of the Titanic
has not gone UNDECIDED. The activity
of the coast guard has been going on
since the year of the sinking of the
Titanic. The main shipping nations of
the world came to an international
agreement by which the United States
was given the duty of securing the
north Atlantic to locate floating lee
bergs and warn all boats by radio of
the position Of icebergs and their direc-
ton of movement, as well as the speed
at which they are drifting. The cost
of this patroling of the sea is borne
by the various nations entering into
the agreement, in proportion to the
amount of shipping each has on the
north Atlantic.
Icebergs Hard to Locate
Icebergs are not easily visible. and
cannot be detected at all in foggy
weather or on dark nights. About six
seventies of an iceberg is under water !
just as a bit of ice in a tumbler of wa
ter floats with only its top exposed to
the air. Thus only a point Of ice may
project into the air, and a ship a hun
dred yards or more distant from the
visible portion of an iceberg NAV be on
the verge of crashing into the sub
merged mass of ice.
The work of the American ice patrol
calls for excellent seamanship, and is
an undertaking not without considerable |
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 hardships and handicaps. this
is so well done that there has been no
repetition of the Titanic horror!
The work of the ice patrol has serv-
ed to shatter many old traditions of the
sea regarding icebergs. 1t had long
been n favorite belief of seafaring men
that the presence Of icebergs could be
detected because floating ice %invari-
ably echoed distinctly any sound within
a considerable distance of it. This has
been found to be untrue except in the