Newspaper Page Text
From Greenland's Fiords to "Graveyard of the Atlantic" Comes the Iceberg THE LAST OF A GIANT BERG. This berg grounded and gradually melted into this fantastic shape. ; The Huge Ice Masses That Haunt the Region of Cape Race Make a Long Journey on Their Death Mission After Being "Calved" by the Parent Glacier. THE epitaph, "the Graveyard of tl Atlantic.** which has heen unan mouEly selected for the Grand Ban! end the rugged cliffs of Newfoundland thi hcund the Banks on the west is as appr?* priate as It is hackneyed. No phrase COUl more truly describe that region of ocea currents, icebergs and fogs, if Cape lia? may b. called the Bcylla of the moder transatlantic navigator, the combination < tht water nnd the atmosphere represent' in the c?rrente, lea and fO| may v? t properly be set down as Chnrybdis Tl navigator of the Straits of Messina used t rrav to Neptune to eprotecl him froi both Apparently the powers of tl still respect thai anclenl deity, for th | t-tatue erected to his memory on the watet ' fiont of the city remained standing unir Jf.red while the walls tumbled about It 0 that awful December moni ng i few yeau apri There is no similar deity to bad th mariner through the dangen ol the Hank. The terrorl ?>f the rocka and whlrl?poola o the Italian strait have- dieappi?ared witl the coming of the steamship, but the Ice h? if fog and the rt cka <?f N?"-v f? ?midland are -u menactng te-day a*- evei they wer? in tin hist?>iy ?t navigation F*ortunately for the preaanl day mariner however, if he has been forsaken by th? old god. invention and aelence have com? t.. his aid. and the watertight ?bulkhead, th< whistle, the thermometer un ! win li i rsphy have ?combined te> proteel him an? his charges from total annihilation It i: unlikely that in the futur?' v?asela with al on board will disappear leaving no recor? of their fate behind, as they have- done ii the past ICEBERGS THE GREATEST MENACE The commander of the nig liner fears twt perils on the Newfoundland Hanks The.*, ar? collision with another ship and the sud? den looming in? in front of an ?iceberg ?Despite the f?i_.s which lying over th< Banks- from 40 to '5 per cent of the tin.? in April?the dangers from the first peri have largely been eliminated, f<?r the ships follow prescribed "lanes" which carry then well past each other an?i which can Im avoided by small vessels The steam whisti?', the Ughta and the wireless tel* praph are added protections. Bul th? sin lfter iceberg carries no light?, no Whistle, r.o wireless telegraph mechanism, and moreover, Is no respecter of persons or the handiwork of man. Stolid, : low moving, Imperturbable, It Invades the ahlp'i path and. unseen ii, the fog e?i the dark. the night, may provi th. "While the watertight bulkhead, th?- fore? knowledge of the approximate location of Ice and the vigilance Of the lookout av.iil much and ar>- likely to save the ??teat ship, yet on occasion the greatest liner succumbs Th? Iceberg ha? lu Hrth In the rock] fiords of Western Greenland. Under the peer present ?nd irresistible prassurs of "Gteeniands ley mountains," the great ice tap, the remnant of that which 01 tended down over the northern part of the jef.-etit United States, countless glaciers move toward the sea from an elevation of PjMtt feet. This sheet of lee covers an area ??Mlu.ated to be fron. ? **%ttt SQUarc miles, or from six to right limes that of New York Slate it |g believed that Its depth la some parts is more th,.n 1,0 The ice Braduall) movea dowq the horda t.? the sea level, having a greater or les according to th?- season of the -ear, some of the glaciers travelling in the summer? time as much as fifty or sixty feet a day. One glacier, that large one near I'pernavik, has been ?known t<? move as much as |JB hundred feet In twenty-fo?ir hours. THE ICEBERG FACTORY. The fringes of the ice cap as they flow Into sea finally i?>at and the en?Is are bro? ken off. These floating fragments are the Icebergs and the procesa of detachment from the parent glacier is called "calving " It has been estimated that the ice detached In this manner in the ?ourse of a year would cover half of Connecticut to the depth of the bergs th?-n selves, The banK of the separating lea may be followed by a great commotion in the water as th* new berg. If it is a small one, turns over to readjust Its equilibrium in Its new environment. Then it floats out of the fiord or away from the shore carrying with It a quantltiy of the rock and soil which it has accumulated In the course of its Jour? ney down the slopes of Greenland. Settled for Its voyage, it move? stolidly off into Baffin Bay or Davis Strait, as the caae may be. Borne of these Icebergs are miles in length, for the fronts of certain of the gla? ciers, such as those which come down to Melville Sound, are twenty-live or thirty miles in length, it is such glaciers as these that give birth to the h.rKs of the Size described by the officer of the Etonian, which arrived hete a few days ago. These larger beige aie ?slower In leaving the stream that gives them birth, for they must await the slow movement of time to Carry them far enough into the water for their great bulk t?> ?be ?supported by that medium. The famous Humboldt glacier has a front sixty miles U*mg anil three hun? dred feet high with a depth of water of half a mile. It gives Off SOOUgfa bergs in lbs ooura? at u yeor t?< form u chain otear across the State of New .1. ? - ?.lowly ami stead?) ii?- Icebergs folio? the West (?rcenland current north* across Baffin Buy an?l DnrfS Strait toward the wsstseaj shore, where they ax. taken up by the Arctic currant, flcwJng south? ward. Tere they eue Joined by tha smaller berg? and Ice floes that represent :he wast age of the numerous islands, and the pro? cession of majestic masses of steel blue and green, towering Into the sky two bun drrd, three hundred ?and lily five hundred or six hundred toots oi i.tu-ly to the height of the Singer Tower, journey** i the "pen Atlantic Si ; g few of them would rival the Flstlren Buildi*; elevation. A great many ol these bergs, however, will fortunately n< ?? h the Newfoundland Hanks, for. iln .?port of the . currents and th* winds, they will become stranded upon the hidden pboals or outcropping r< eki th H *-kirt the coast llne. The shoals _r? of their own mal (<?;? in the " havi been ting on th?- bottom 1 '??'? fragments of and s ror-kv pinnae,. . ? ?- d In their slow, grinding pilgrimage ovi r the and. AN ICEBERG AND AN ICEFLOE PASSING THE COAST OF LABRA DOR ON THEIR WAY SOUTH TC THE STEAMSHIP TRACK. Th? I iibmerged bodl? a, '? miri! as nlnc-tentha of their ma hidden below the surface of the water, sometimes extending downward in*?? th? a depth of more than a thousand itick fast, and they b< ome the prey oi the waves, which gradually beal them to pieces. A few of those which escape the headlands of Labrador, caught by som? slant ?if current, past Into the Strait ?>f h ? and through Into the Oulf of Bt. .-i ?. . M th? wesl tide of Ken found land. The great majority ?if those which are nol caughi up on the Inhospltabl? ? II has mad? countrj sweep down iii<* eastern shore ?>f the triangular island and across th? New? foundland Banks, which ;?r<- generally be? lli ved to i??* made up <>f d?-i?ris droppi ?i by their nredec*essors through many g< tlons, until they reach it? wain, isat the (iiilf .?"tr?-.-?m, flowing across th? Arctic Current in a northeasterly direction, eome m contact with this famous ??"?<-?? ?i stream at about the Hd parallel <>f lati? tude ami iK-twien the 18th and .'?Uli de? grees "f longitude, They past ?<> close to the shores "f Newfoundland that a p?-r Hini standing on the hesdlanda ??f the nar? row entrance to the .*iarl-<?r ?>f St. John l i an pometlmea count iioz?-ns of bergs, "growlers" and small fragments of Ice glistening white agalnsl the daik water and tin- sky as the* PSSI In litad) I" SlOII. au this time they hav? been altering In shape and siz?. nu- ?. anging temperatur? s of water and *>f air hat ? aff? cted th? Ir form. ? Some are now mere spires of /listening Ire that might be likened t? spar buoys warn? ing the mariner of I ngera In the form of greel submerged ? ? ? is of ice which would tear tiie bottom nut of ? ship If she struck and nui? up on them. Others have weathered into curious arches thai remind ? ?ne of the natural rack bridges familiar to I landlubbers. Still others present frowning cliff? that are as Stolid and frowning as ky heailland. From time to time as , ?ntre of gravity changea through thai .-ses of attrition and heat, the mon- ? ster heel? over with a mighty commotion. - and w?ie betide the vessel that Chances to be close by when this happens Som?- pre-j sent none of these characteristics, beln.i simply giant tables of ice, acres upon in extent and sometime?* miles in length, which ar<* invisible in the darkness of th night FIRST GLIMPSE OF AN ICEBERG. The first glimpse of an iceberg is lik. ly I to bring disappointment to one who has feasted his Imagination upon descriptions "f their ponderous bulk and Imperturbable demeanor. The glistening whit?-, marblelike blocks dotting the Mue exparis?- to the hortson seem t?><> small to be guilty of th. ? is charged against tb?-m. They ?lo not s- em ? .?pable of causing the shlp wrecks and suffering that lie at the bottom of the nni-w ?.-ai begBsge pai?i them b] th? marin? i As on?- approaches them,they gain in grandeur and hapresslvonesn. They range In?m H to ;:<i? tmei in height an.i OM thai ros.- above the water t<> an elevation ol ?t hi's in-en recorded, They vary In length aii'i breadth, berga ? mile long .m<l ' a quartet t<> a hall a?le wide being nol ' uncommon, it is reported thai one which v.a> ilv.- tnli.s in length ran agiound In I IM ?>n Cape Ha??, ami p?-isons from the nils ?if St. John's saw one three miles in length pabt that point in IK?. One near? ly five miles long was seen off the ?oast of Labrador in WO*., and in April. 1?S3J. <>b I in the neighborhood of Notre Dam? * coast of Newfound? land, gam otic? which is aai?i to hav. _?.-._ A SHIP CAUCHT DETWEEN A GRCUNCED DCHG AND AN ICEFIELD. nine miles long nr-, i more than half*. In width and 200 i el high A rtmllar one .la reported to !. been paaasd by the steamer Portia, off i lap? Fogo, N wl land, tlve years later, Fortunately, l< are eseidom seen In those nelghborhooda These at?- laid to bs th?- largest bergS known. Their sise may i><- Imagined when one stops to recall ihal s person standing on the beach si Ccney Island and luoklng off to ssa ? ould . ? ? i.. oi |?cl such fiat cake ??i le? ??ri the water, even with glasses, at of nine miles, owing to the curvature ?>f the eaith Ths Iceberg seen off Notre learn?- Bay was approxi? mately three-fourths the length of Man? hattan. curhius characteristics an ?-?''?'> sonm tlmes when approaching an Iceberg In the neighborhood of the (lulf Stream. It will be bearded with icicles formed from the dripping of the monster Itself, and ?" ? ? lonally a cataract will he seen pouring from its crest into the sea, the SOUTCS Of Which Is a small lake formed on th?- top ?by th?- lun'l r lyi and fog. WHERE THE BERGS ABOUND. rtunately, n large number of ti"* Ice bergi do i??' ?reach ths Orand Hanks, for they ground along the shore, bul all Um a?.-!.' ?if th? o. ?I?, i rom Cap? R vet t i Cai ?? Hai-.-w.ell. | he si ?ut hen, . .ti- I-..C ? f I 11 ' ' " land, icebergs can ? ?? Keen ths year round, ? mil as many as s?-v. nty-lm- huti'lre.l. be aldea tin- low.lylnp "growlers," have been recorded in one yesr at the signai sta? tion <m Heib- (ble, at th?- entrance to the strait ,,f that naroa in th.- neighborhood ?r Cap? Popo from eg v, i??i largi Ibrborgs ?an hi- ?nun!,,! from a steamer'* ?I? k .?t any tim?- m midsuinm?r. The period when th.-,- .ne t., be mo?t feared on th? orand Hanks aoutbeaal of Newfoundland Is from Februan to Juni They ?are eetdoai sot n ?ooth ??f ? ,,,,1, latitude, m they meH before the) r?a< h thai point Ii ordei to ,.s tun ? ?-."?! rout* ' Mg transatlantic Imerg during the period when icebergs an? the greatest menace on the Banks, by agreement two courses laid out a number of yeare atso from r Brltiah Channel to Sew Votk. The shorter Of th? [the Ba.ks, is used from August 24 to PI the on ? ".*i whh i? lit ? | rocord passagea are made The Ions course ? ai 11? s the stesmeri to the ?mih ? ( ,i . ? ; and Banl * rectly mesl ? ? at longitud? *. ? ? - lath 12 north The eariirard course rnakei t! turn at this point <mc degree further south, truck the Iceberg In lati? tud I- li. It ?fl ;!l '? ?? * thai he a a ti If! outh of her ? o ilmosl mids-ay between the westwsrd and eastirard c< Perhaps the. Titanic took thli coui order t<> av?.d the i????? Tne necessity foi looking for i<e in thai neighborhood ? evident sa early is April i" the day the ?Titanic sailed from Southampton. <?n thai date the German it? in i Excelsior rsporl ad by srirelesa pesslng In laiitude u .'?. longitude v ?.:.'."> a large ice fi?-l?l a few hun dred feet wide an?l liftfen miles long, ex tendlng In a north?oorthessi direction. THE LANES TO BE CHANGED. Captain Smith of ?h?* Titanic Steel*? 1 south of his cours* when in the neighbor hood ?if th* Hanks, an?l nn hour or so be? fore .-trikinK the berg relayed by v.iiei??. io the LTnlted .?"tat? s Hydrographie < >fti. ? a message be had recHvcd from the Qei man steamer Amerika reporting thai that vessel pasted two large iceberg! In latl? tuii?- ti ?.'", longitud?? 10:01 These ten* were sllghl -. ?,-t sad south of the pain; wh.-re th?- Titanic struck. On that nsmfl day tie German steamer Pisa reported by wlretaee encountering In latitude 48:00 i- -.. mm "? '.'? II an exti nslve ?leid of lec .?i i seven Icebergs ?>f ctmalde-rable si/.? These reports ail indicated that there was much more lee than usual In this neighbor* hood for the season of the year. The steam ers Cannants and Niagara had tryin*: es? i. ??' i* ? s wltli i th. l.-it. i suftei ut-, ?lam ii'i the Lapland. ?>f the Red Btar Line, I? I--I l< -1 ? UlllUI t?, M Mil Ire. 1 an ?ill ??I t ??? uni-Mial ? olun.f Ire m this neighborhood, since th?- dtasater ??? th? Titanic it lia.? !?.<-!i agreed l?y the Iteamship lines that the weetlwun'l rout beginning on April 25 should be the for? mer saathound course, which will take btiarr.er? coming to thle country abou: . . ???.*. mlnutti Eouth of the -pot w.-ter? tr.e Titanic sunk, ar.d the eattiound rout? beginning on April 16 ahould be ftity min I l MAJESTIC ICEBERGS SWEEPING DOWN FROM THE NORTH PAST THE "NARROWS.'' ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOR OP ST. JOHN'S. NEWFOUNDLAND. jutes s.iiith of the previous course Thta i will slightly lengthen the rout??, but the I courses win be more likely t?> ?>?> fro? from p. I? fa 't Ihev Will pra.'thally he on the ?outh ride of the Gulf Btrsnm, which wUl I carry the bSTfS ?a-!wai?l 00 IhS DOftb tide ?of tbs steamship ire?* and oatU them rap i.ii\. Th? ocean cwrrents am respooslWs fa [tbs dangers in lbs neighborhood of Cap? Race an i tbs Wend ?Bank?, Net only la they bring the Icebergs ?lown, but the In tsratingting of UM ?Id waters of the pola. currents with the warm Gulf Stream on the Banki in the sprtn* and summer causes fogs whl-"h add to the dangers. On a clear day. of course. lecberF* may be seen at a distance which removes them from the category of BMDMSP. At night It I A MENACE TO THE BIGGEST STEAMSHIP. They Reach the Banks of Newfoundland in Bulks Sometimes Miles in Length, and Only Through Melting Influence of Southern Seas Do They Cease to Menace. I is not so e.tsv hi distinguish th?m if the , m,->rn ;r not F'-vr.ini-. In the case ,.t a "growler" It ml-ht he Impi.-slhle In the case of a preat steamship driven at a high rate of ipesd by powerful engines to see them in season to prevent a collision. In July, I9f'7. the Kronprinz Wilhelm ran Into a "gr'-wler." hut she suffered little injury. Wh?-n enveloped in the fog the Iceberg he comes most sinister, for then it cannot le sf?*:t Until I id late to save lh* v?-.?el There are various Wayi In which a cap? tain may ?uess with some degree of ac curacy regarding the proximity of an Ice lierg. A sudden fall In the atmospheric temperature- ml?ht servo as a warning. "GROWLERS" IN ST. JOHN'S HAR? BOR. Iceberns arc no rscpectors cf the handi? work of man. ? Some ?? - rt that th' ? !? ? ?! the pretena ??f one cf these cry? ne monstei at a distance ??f i il i by the a? nse of smell. The reverbera? tion of the whistle agalnsl tbs glass\' sides of .1 towering bcerg win sometimes serve as ;i warning. When the Columbia, ?>f t>he And '? Une, came into p'*rt !a*t August with her hows crumpled up from ? < with an i<<- mountain northwcw ?>f ? spe Race, her commander bro igi't ? tale of salvation through his whist!? Bteaming aloni In the f??'.. he believed, from the foam ?.?' ? he saw on the wal r thai there was a .easel In advance. From time t?< time, as a warning, h<- M siren. At las:, following on? blast he heard what he thought '.va? a response from another vessel on his starboard how. He pulled the whistle cord again, and a i se '???i time he re?relved a reply, it* or-. dered the engines stopped and reversed. j bul n..i i-ulckly ? noOgh to save his ship ?from damage With s heavy crash the Steel prow cut nit? the wall of 1'?* whi'b , sudd,ni?, loomed up ahead. It \\..s this thgt Sent i?a??k th,- echo ?>f hi? rirea. Vn der th.- force ??* tin- recoil <-?>upi?-'i with the reversad engine* the ship was quickly ? wlthdraim from the tweiv.-f??ot h??!?- she had mad.' When she trl?*tl to burrow into the green erystaJllai -**.?n. Th? forward deck was burled in Ice. The reverberation ly-d saved the ship. The abasare of swell or wave motion ami the appearance of bird3 or seals from land are said to be evidences of the *.rox Imlty of the menace of the North Atlan I tic. Devices for detecting the presence of I the dread enemy have been Invent?!, hut ! they have not proved infallible? as yet One ?g a nncrothermometer, whh h Is hung i so as to drag in the water at the water? ! line of a ship and reveal the sudden change in th? temperature of the wa'er 'due to the melting of the Iceberg. The Inventor. ?Professor H. T Barnes, of Mc ?.ill University, has mads a study of ice for th.- Canadian government In order to make navigation of thi Oalf of SI Lawrence safer. Another device is that f??r detecting ice by means ?>f sound. ?J.ewis Nixon thinks perhaps a lei! may ! ?? used to locate bergs under water. THE BERGS' MANY VICTIMS. The list ??f collisions with thess sea monsters is a lon^ on", and, doubtless, should Include whlcb are classed as having mysteriously disap? peared with all on board On? of the r Of the crack Atlantic liners to meet with n the Banks su the Arizona, then the chief of the Oyera She i ?ay her bow m i ..- \n vember, li ?9, Moat . r? In those ? ??'.?? year Experience an.?* 1 thai :is of ice from her f< -.nd a ible he?- to rent h Sen Yorb St John's la the haven of rsfuge for *?? such led vessels 1 The City of r- . : erg en the Banks in l BUf only a t-1 d ?? m u d the do* structlon of her for? dlalodgement of a hun fue which crash?-?! ei.,wi, i n her ': I the city < f Rome, s fan ? day, was ?saved from ?-' ' ' ?__? her. I?00, by he .- ? I a h? n ?he mcuqted a low rowler." S i a h.ole m h'?r stem larg It an she- ?uinl I into \. v Yorb Harbor folio - Isaster. The Bas o ee* Ho boken piers, struck s meing i low that threw hei over ? i ?: shift, d and she I " ith ? list dne of ! - ttOtp to* ? - ?Hi ttrai '-.ir.-ct? r o ?Pori of Newfoundland In , ... ? . _? in ,,,, ,.r to - lome ? f her pass? ? gem to tak?- l ' ?? Of II Bin rged eel mi which ?llsl irl ?! its equilibrium and was being i.ii'-i o i of the water by the an | i when It off an?i she at ttled ?back Into ihi was sMe t<? .-??am ?way ??-??. wlthl short a time that the ?,. ?? time to i??- omi ttu roughl) alarn_ed : she and they w.rc oui The i ?! of acd l< nts in whl h v< ? '? *'? tr<n sunk ?>r dan ovvlng t" the pracaul gators, the Invantlona which h?v? ?? rhlps Into close communication with lira* and with oth-tT >b'.y.:. lh?n at op port-.initics for ?-scaplnir th.* "Oravejrard ot the Atlantic." THE WISE LION. Paul Ratftcy, while showing privat ly '?** N. n V-irl. t: ? cli i itograph pictures <"" bis -Afiican lion hunts, told an amusing lion SI "A mun." he said, "aat before ''is t?*nt, when a n.*a<-!iifK?-:.t U??ri Stiffened f< r th'* spring,, leaped . nd mil <??'? th? man, him by jumping thiee f--*t to. high It -ii-*? slunk back !*it?> the finest, looking thor? oughly ashamed. "The r.cxt day the man came unexpected? ly on the lUn by a stream. It had up md?-d a leg of wood and wa?> practising I"-**' Jumps!"