In Camp at Glacier Bay 



June 30. Clearing clouds and sunshine. In less than 

 a minute I saw three large bergs born. First there is 

 usually a preliminary thundering of comparatively 

 small masses as the large mass begins to fall, then the 

 grand crash and boom and reverberating roaring. 

 Oftentimes three or four heavy main throbbing thuds 

 and booming explosions are heard as the main mass 

 falls in several pieces, and also secondary thuds and 

 thunderings as the mass or masses plunge and rise 

 again and again ere they come to rest. Seldom, if ever, 

 do the towers, battlements, and pinnacles into which 

 the front of the glacier is broken fall forward head- 

 long from their bases like falling trees at the water- 

 level or above or below it. They mostly sink verti- 

 cally or nearly so, as if undermined by the melting 

 action of the water of the inlet, occasionally main- 

 taining their upright position after sinking far below 

 the level of the water, and rising again a hundred feet 

 or more into the air with water streaming like hair 

 down their sides from their crowns, then launch for- 

 ward and fall flat with yet another thundering report, 

 raising spray in magnificent, flamelike, radiating jets 

 and sheets, occasionally to the very top of the front 

 wall. Illumined by the sun, the spray and angular 

 crystal masses are indescribably beautiful. Some of 

 the discharges pour in fragments from clefts in the 

 wall like waterfalls, white and mealy-looking, even 

 dusty with minute swirling ice-particles, followed by 

 a rushing succession of thunder-tones combining into 

 a huge, blunt, solemn roar. Most of these crumbling 

 discharges are from the excessively shattered central 



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