Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-24
GOOD SEASON AHEAD FOR
THE ICERERCS
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON, April 81. - This
is to be a summer Of many icebergs
in the Atlantic Ocean if the first
discoveries of the new science of ice
berg forecasting prove to be reliable.
The %forecasting of the occurrence of
icebergs is a development which has
spring from two sources: first, the
Titanic disaster in 1912, which
resulted from collision with a berg
and showed the lamentable lack of
Information on the subject, and,
second, discoveries by scientists of
the Weather Bureau of fundamental
laws OF relation between weather
conditions, ocean currents and the
appearance of the cold and ghostly
ice ships which menace the sea
lanes.
The Titanic disaster resulted di-
rectly in the establishment of an in
ternational ice patrol, under general
supervision of the United States
Government. A continuous patrol
is maintained by two staunch Coast
Guard cutters, seaworthy enough to
ride out any storm. One cutter
takes the lonely patrol amid the
tempestuous seas of the North At
lantic for a WI weeks tour of duty
and then is relieved by the second,
this rotation keeping up all winter
and early spring. 1t is the duty of
the patrol to maintain a contact
with the southern eastern and west
ern limits OF ice as they vary in po-
sition throughout the season and to
broadcast this information by radio
to all ships within the long range of
its apparatus.
One of the direct reforms brought
about by the Titanic disaster was a
change in the pathway of trans-At-
lantic steamers. Prior to the dis
aster the steamers sailed on the
Great Circle, which is the shortest
route because it slips around the
bulging bulk of the earth. shortcut
ting it's rotundity. But Great Circle
sailing finally was recognized as too
dangerous and a more southerly
course now is nayigated.
Such a course by no means OBJ
viates the danger. 1t has been
learned as the result of the ten years
study of the bergs since the ice pa
troll that their presence Is not regu-
lar and their cruising radius not
fixed. From year to year. the OBJ
seryations show, the icebergs are
fewer or more numerous, melt in
higher ATTITUDES or come farther. to
the south ward. This has injected
an element of uncertainty into sea-
farm gin the North Atlantic which
was not recognized before.
Bergs Are TcmperamentaI
Lieutenant Edward II. Smith of
the United States Coast Guard, has
just submitted a valuable report on
meteorological aspects of the Ice pa
troll in the North Atlantic which is
expected 20 be of material aid in
perfecting the science of iceberg
~torecasting and thereby lessening
the danger to shipping, His studies
and report reveal that there are
many influences affecting the move
ment of icebergs and that indeed the
iceberg seems to be somewhat lem
peramental,
The breeding ground of the North
Atlantic icebergs Is the bleak west
coast Of Greenland. The determln-
ing factor In the number which
break away and come bearing down
49, RNC OPFh SNdh Ilcin5 like Rllln
me1inS ghosts in the night to af.
fright the seamen or like mountains
Of jewels to dazzle the eye by day
Is the relative calm or tumult OF the
winds and weather.
An iceberg is the vast tip of q
glacier. The glacier flows down a
polar gorge between the mountain.
to the sea. Protruding into tn,
ocean, 1t Is affected by the warmer
waters, or, If the water at the foo
OF the glacier be deep. the tremen.
dous weight is sufficient to break of
the end. Then It drifts free anc
seized by the winds is blown into
the ocean currents.
II will be seen, therefore, tina
three important factors are presen
to be studied and make possible ice.
berg forecasts. If the winds blow
stormily, the Iceberg is more likei,
to break off than II 1t slips down j
quiet weather to a quiet sea. Second
| the prevailing direction of the wind
viii determine what course It will
: take and how fast it will move
Third, the set of. ocean currents II
; the polar sea- governs the course I
the berg. These are the factor
which Lieutenant Smith of the Ic