are designated by letters, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Tracks A, B, C, 

 and D refer to routes between the United States and Europe, and 

 they all run near, or south of, the Tail of the Grand Banks. Tracks C 

 are known as winter- time courses, and they are in force from the 

 1st of September to the 1st of February, when the United States- 

 Europe tracks are shifted southward to letter B, where in turn they 

 remain during a normal ice season until September 1. If ice, how- 

 ever, drifts far south during the danger season it is customary, upon 

 recommendation from the International Ice Patrol, to shift tracks B 

 to tracks A, "extra-southerly" for a month or two. The dates of 

 shifting are subject to changes depending mainly upon ice conditions 

 of the particular year. 



Tracks E, F (Cape Race track), and Belle Isle tracks refer to routes 

 between Canada and Europe. Tracks E are in force normally 

 from April 11 to May 15. Tracks F are in force from May 15 till 

 opening of the Strait of Belle Isle, about July 1, and these latter 

 continue in effect until the closing of navigation on the Gulf of 

 St. Lawrence. 



It is clearly seen from the foregoing that prior to April 11 all 

 prescribed steamship tracks cross the ice regions near or south of the 

 Tail of the Grand Banks, but after that date the Canadian-European 

 routes separate from those of the United States-Europe, so that 

 during the season when bergs menace navigation in greatest numbers 

 there are two paths of ocean travel separated by a distance of about 

 400 miles. It ought to be mentioned that since the ice patrol was 

 originally established the volume of traffic on the Canada-Europe 

 routes (those are the ones that cross the ice regions during the ice- 

 berg season) has increased many fold. 



