The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-06-05
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC J. HAsKIN, Director.
Washington. ID. @.
CHARTING ICEBERGs.

particularly the crowded steamer
lanes between America and Europe,
to locate drifting masses of ice COM
ing down from the glaciers of the
north.
The huge mass Of ice making up an
iceberg is but bit broken off the sea-
ward 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 At
lantic steamer lanes that the American
Coast Guard vessels keep busy thruout
the spring and early summer months
Thru communication by wireless 1t
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 snip
ping of the location of floating bergs
When that vessel, then the largest
afloat, crashed head on into an ice
berg and sank it was able to tell other
ships of its predicament while still
afloat thru the medium of its radio
.apparatus Its signals OF distress
brought the steamer Carpathla 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 III
fated ship.
Without radio, the fate of the II
tanic would have been mystery to
this day, as no other ship CHANGED 10
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 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 1roquols thea
ter fire in Chicago, so horrifled 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, hum
dreds of patrons were penned into the
blazing building because the great
swinging doors opened inward, ana
the weight of the frantic mass push
ing against the doors in vain efforts
to escape, jammed and held the doors
tightly shut, and precluded all chance
of escape. Everywhere today theater
doors must open outward, and regu-
latiens provide that there must be
many emergency exits which open
automatically when pressure is ap-
piled to them from within.
So, too. the lesson of the Titanic
mas 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 nations
of the world came to an international
agreement by which the United States
North Atlantic to locate floating ice
bergS and warn-all boats by radio of
the position of icebergs and their d.
rection of movement. as well as the
cost of this patrolling 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.
Iccbergs Hard to Locate.
Icebergs are not easily visible. and
cannot be detected at all in foggy
weather or on dark nights About
six-sevenths of an iceberg is under
water. just as a bit of ice in a tumbler
of water floats with only its top ex--
posed to the air Thus only point
of ice may project into the air. and
a ship a hundred yards or more dis
tant 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 an undertaking not without
considerable peril For one thing, the
water off the Grand Banks, where
shrOuded with thick fogs on many oc-
casions. But the ice must be found
and shipping warned. Despite hard
ships and handicaps, this is so well
done that there has been no repetition
of the Titanic horror.
The work of the ice patrol has
served to shatter many old traditions
of the sea regarding icebergs. 1t had
long been a favorite belief of seafar-
ing men that the presence of icebergs
could be detected because the float
ing ice invariably echoed distinctly
any sound within a considerable dis
lance of it This has been found to
be untrue except in the case of ice
bergs presenting a 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 iceberg chiIls
the surrounding water and air The
facts do not bear out this supposition !
Once in while, if the wind is blow |
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 GER
tainty of destruction.
Still another mariners belief touch |
ing icebergs has been that birds fly
ing about and roosting on the ice dis |
close the presence OF bergs by their |
cries. but the ice patrol has blown up |
this tradition along with the rest. It |
has been found to be without any
foundation Many >bergs have been I
located without any birds about them |
at all.
Give Bergs Wide Berth.
Collision with icebergs is not the
only danger to shipping. Another |
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 disturb |
ance of the center of gravity will /
cause the whole thing to roll or turn