25 



On May 30th the visibility was good until 5 p. m. Just before 

 that time, thanks to a report from a passing steamer, the berg of the 

 17th was found in 41° 10' N., 48° 17' W. It was drifting southeast 

 36 miles per day and was in a cold finger of arctic water that still had 

 subf rigid temperatures 50 meters below the surface. Only a few 

 miles away to the south was 72° Gulf Stream surface water. 



West-southwest winds and fog prevailed over the cold tongue of 

 Labrador water on the morning of May 31. A station was taken at 

 8 a. m. that was most disastrous. Seven bottles were sent down on 

 the line. They had all been tripped and were being hauled up. As 

 the first bottle approached the working platform the chief electri- 

 cian's mate operating the winch made a move to stop the motor, 

 but his hand slipped from the operating lever, and, before he could 

 grab hold again to move it to the stop position, the upper water 

 bottle had risen to the fair-lead block on the span near the davit 

 heads. When it struck this block the strain immediately became 

 so great that the wire parted and 7 Greene-Bigelow bottles, 14 re- 

 versing thermometers, 2,400 feet of ^32-inch wire rope, one 300-pound 

 weight, and 7 "messengers" were lost. As all of the Mojave's best 

 equipment was on the wire, station work was much hampered until 

 the arrival of the Modoc on patrol. 



It was noted that vessels but 20 miles to the south were enjoying 

 fine clear weather, so a course of 200° true was laid for the warm 

 water of the Gulf Stream. After running slowly for a few minutes 

 a large growler was sighted in the fog. A little farther to windward 

 the main berg of the 17th was found. It was seen from aloft over 

 the low fog when 3 miles off. From the bridge it could not be seen 

 when only 1 mile distant. 



This berg was positively identified as the same one that had been 

 trailed so long. It had rolled until its characteristically curved top 

 now formed a perpendicular side. It looked while being approached 

 lilve a great white submarine with a central cunning tower and sloping 

 tapered ends. Clouds of vapor were being rolled from the ice by the 

 warm wind. About 5 miles south of the berg there was no fog. 

 There the patrol vessel drifted all afternoon, keeping watch on the 

 berg that could be dimly seen until 6 p. m. through the mists that 

 continued to hang low over the cold water. 



Good sights taken during this time showed that the berg had drifted 

 no less than 54 miles on a course of 80° true during the past 24 hours. 

 As was the custom during foggy weather recently, special broadcasts 

 were sent out every hour that gave the changing positions of the 

 southernmost known ice, and warned vessels on the B tracks to 

 proceed cautiously on the lookout for unknown bergs that might 

 be coming down from the north unseen in the fog. 



