INTERNATIONAL ICE OBSERVATION AND ICE PATROL SERVICE. 39 



of 73° F. and was above 50° F. for a distance of 90 miles to the north- 

 ward. All efforts to verify this report were unsuccessful. At 2.30 

 p. m., while in lat. 41° 20' N., long. 51° 20' W., a large passenger 

 steamer of the Compagnie G6n6rale Transatlantique, westbound, 



gassed us. She was about 50 miles north of her prescribed track. 

 >urin^ the night, a Leach petrel flew on board, havm^ been stunned 

 by flymg into something in the fog. It was identified and released. 



Special ice information was furnished to the steamship West 

 Quechee. 



June 20. Light E. to SE. airs and winds; partly clear over the 

 warm water area and thick fog over the cold water. As thick fog pre- 

 vailed during the night and early morning, we ran down into the 

 clearer weather of the Gulf Stream, in order to check our position by 

 latitude and longitude sights. Ascertained that our latitude was 41° 

 00' N., longitude 49° 49' W., and then headed for a small berg re- 

 ported by the steamsliip West Quechee as in lat. 41° 30' N., long. 50° 

 42' W. The berg (berg "N," chart "G") was located in lat. 41° 50' 

 N., long. 50° 22' W. ft consisted of three separate ice masses united 

 imder water into one berg. The temperature of the surface sea water 

 in its vicinity was 55° F. and that of the air 59° F. The temperature 

 of the surface water was 66° F. 10 miles distant from the berg and 

 dropped quickly to 55° F. This did not indicate the presence of ice, 

 but tliat the berg was in the belt between the Labrador Current and 

 the Gulf Stream. The following temperatures were taken at various 

 depths in the vicinit}^: At surface, 55° F.; 50 meters, 36° F.; 125 

 meters, 34° F.; 250 meters, 32° F.; 400 meters, 40° F., and 750 

 meters, 34° F. These temperatures would show that the Gulf Stream 

 water was at the surface, while the cooler water was below. This 

 berg was melting rapidly, and drif tmg to the eastward at about 1 mile 

 per hour. After darK a dense fog prevailed, and we lay to and drifted 

 near the berg. At 3.30 p. m., lat. 41° 25' N., long. 50° 32' W., we 

 passed the large eastbound passenger steamship Van DycJc, which 

 was about 115 miles to the northward of the prescribed track. 



June 21. Light SE. to ENE. airs and breezes; clear over the warm 

 and foggy over the cold water; smooth sea. About 6 a. m. we heard 

 the fog signal of a passing steamer and tried to warn her by radio 

 that she was very near the berg by which we were lying, but could 

 get no response. At 9.50 a. m. the fog lifted in our locality, but held 

 over the colder water to the northward all day. We drifted with the 

 berg, which now bore no resemblance to the one we saw the night 

 before. Its drift was 126°, true, 1.3 miles per hour. When in its un- 

 mediate vicinity, a constant crackling sound could be heard, and all 

 exposed parts showed many surface cracks. By nightfall several 

 large pieces had broken from the berg, and it was plain that it would 

 break up and melt in a few hours. 



June 22. Gentle breeze to light airs, E. to SE., fog banks on the 

 horizon to the northward and eastward; smooth sea. At daylight, 

 our berg of the day before, when seen at a distance of about 2 miles, 

 looked no larger than a ship's boat, and had almost ceased to be a 

 menace to navigation. (See Plate 6.) At 11.40 a. m. sighted a 

 berg (berg "P"), and at 1.05 p. m. passed it, in lat. 42° 26' N., long. 

 50° 36' W. This was a very large berg, shaped like a pjrramid, and 

 was about 150 feet high and 250 feet through at its waterline. It 

 could be seen from the crow's nest (height 90 feet) about 15 minutes 



