DERELICTS AND ICEBERGS 49 



as icebergs. Fortunately for mariners bergs 

 are confined to the far north and far south and 

 the adjacent seas. In the southern oceans 

 there are so few vessels that bergs and float- 

 ing ice are no serious menace, but in the North 

 Atlantic the masses of ice drift across the 

 lanes of travel of transatlantic steamers and 

 are exceedingly dangerous. Nearly every 

 season some ship runs into a berg, while others 

 have very narrow escapes and oftentimes such 

 collisions result in a tremendous loss of life, 

 as in the case of the Titanic disaster. Al- 

 though so dangerous, yet, like derelicts, ice- 

 bergs have enabled our Government to deter- 

 mine many valuable facts and to obtain much 

 interesting data in regard to ocean currents. 

 Ever since the Titanic catastrophe a strict ice- 

 patrol has been established and two United 

 States cruisers, or revenue cutters, as well as 

 British ships, are detailed solely for this duty, 

 so that the danger of ships striking bergs has 

 been greatly decreased. 



In clear weather icebergs are not particu- 

 larly dangerous, even at night, for they may 

 be seen for a long distance — on ordinary days 



