630 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of March ; and, on the western passages, nine hours and forty-three 

 minutes in May, to the westward of 70 longitude, and six hours and 

 thirty-six minutes in August, between the 23d and 33d meridians ; 

 while not a particle of ice has been seen during the entire season. 

 Bergs have no doubt been reported to the southward of these tracks 

 this year, but very rarely, and so few of them reach this latitude that 

 the chances of seeing any are very small. 



What this immunity from fog and ice means may be appreciated 

 by any one, landsman or sailor, who will take the trouble to look over 

 the files of the " New York Herald " for the " reports " of arrivals of 

 steamers, or those of the New York " Maritime Register," where their 

 logs are published. Here are a few, selected at random : 



" Steamer ' Emberiza ' (Br.), Dundee, February 12th, via Halifax : February 

 25th, 8 p. m., while running before a strong easterly wind with a heavy sea, got 

 into immense quantities of field-ice ; hauled ship to southeast and east to clear 

 it ; steamed slow all night, and received some damage to bows while clearing 

 the ice, ship making a little water in fore compartment ; 28th, 8 a. m., after 

 three days' slow steaming, during which time the ship was at times completely 

 blocked, passed a small iceberg and the last of the ice." New York Herald, 

 March 7th. 



"Steamer 'Nevada' (Br.), Liverpool: April 12th, passed several large ice- 

 bergs, and great quantities of field-ice." Ibid., April 2Jfth. 



" Halifax, April 26th : The steamer ' Mark Lane ' left Dundee, . . . thirty- 

 six days ago. Three weeks ago the ice was sighted and every effort was made 

 to keep away from it, but without success, and the steamer was soon in the 

 midst of a vast field, with a very slight prospect of an early escape. From then 

 until last Monday, although clear water would sometimes be reached for a short 

 time, ice was never lost sight of. . . . Shortly after getting into the ice the coal 

 on board gave out. . . . All the wood available was then obtained and burned, 

 and at last the shipping (shifting?) boards had to be cut away, and even the top- 

 mast broken up for fire-wood." IMS,., about April 27th. 



" Steamer ' Daniel Stienmann ' (Belg.), Antwerp, April 12th : Had strong 

 southwest winds to longitude 40; thence variable winds, foggy and misty 

 weather. April 25th, passed a large iceberg; 28th, saw a large iceberg, and sub- 

 sequently passed fifteen others, also an ice-field ten miles long ; steered one hun- 

 dred miles southwest by west one half west (south 37 west true?), when the 

 last iceberg was passed." Ibid., May 2d. 



"Boston, May 1st: The British steamer 'Glamorgan,' of the Warren line, 

 arrived here this morning from Liverpool. . . . About four o'clock on the morn- 

 ing of the 26th (April), while going eleven knots an hour, she ran into a field of 

 pack-ice and icebergs ; . . . a run of twenty miles was made to the southeast, 

 when the ship was put on her course again. She steamed one hundred and 

 sixty miles on the southern edge of the field-ice, and during that time passed 

 fully one hundred large icebergs. . . . The course of the vessel was changed, as 

 the presence of the ice made it necessary, and a long passage was the result." 

 Ibid., May 2d. 



" Steamer ' Jason ' (Dutch), Amsterdam, April 20th : May 1st, fell in with 

 ice, and remained in it three days ; passed numerous very large icebergs ; had a 

 hole stove in fore-peak." Ibid., May 12th. 



