8 miles east of Cape Percy. It was not reported a second time, 

 however, and was appraised as a very heavily rafted floe. On 17 

 February loose strings of thin ice were reported in the vicinity of 

 latitude 44° N., longitude 57° W. Slush and pancake ice was form- 

 ing quite generally at that time in coastal waters east to Cape Race. 

 This ice was formed only during a cold snap and was light and 

 short-lived compared to the heavier pack drifting from the gulf. 

 Local ice rarely lasted more than a day or two in offshore waters. 

 The prevailing westerly winds during February prevented ice from 

 moving westward along the south coast of Cape Breton Island and 

 Nova Scotia. 



In March heavy ice continued to push out of the gulf through 

 Cabot Strait. During the first half of the month the ice remained 

 mostly north of a line from a position at latitude 45° N., longitude 

 60° W., to St. Pierre, but occasional patches were blown almost to 

 the Miquelon Islands, and to within a short distance of the New- 

 foundland south coast. On 17 March loose stringy floes were 

 observed extending from the direction of Cabot Strait to a position 

 of latitude 46°15' N., longitude 56° W. This ice lasted at least 3 

 days and was probably the beginning of the major ice movement 

 from the gulf during March, which culminated in patches of field 

 ice reaching a position of latitude 44°20' N., longitude 56°45' W., 

 on the 26th. A short distance northwest of this position the ice 

 pieces averaged 2 to 5 feet thick with hummocks to 6 feet above 

 water. On 28 March a vessel ran into heavy ice at latitude 45° 10' 

 N., longitude 56°50' W., and suffered considerable ice damage. The 

 ice was reported as tightly packed and up to 30 feet thick. This 

 heavier ice is believed to be remnants of a huge rafted floe, one such 

 as had been sighted off the east coast of Cape Breton Island on 13 

 February. In March, as in February, the westerly winds kept the 

 ice from drifting west along the south coast of Cape Breton Island. 



During early April the ice outside Cabot Strait slowly receded 

 from its maximum extension of March but it opened up consid- 

 erably. By the 19th the outer limits were again inside a line extend- 

 ing from a position of latitude 45° N., longitude 60° W., to St. 

 Pierre. By the end of the month no ice remained in Cabot Strait 

 outside a line from Cape North to Cape Ray. 



The Gulf of St. Lawrence proper which had been blocked from 

 shore to shore from January to March opened up in April. (For 

 details please refer to the summaries of the Gulf of St. Lawrence 

 ice conditions given in the table entitled "Table of Ice Reports, 

 Newfoundland Area".) By 1 April a channel was broken but not 

 navigable in the St. Lawrence River from Montreal to Quebec. 

 Local navigation was possible from Quebec to Cape Chat. Pack 

 ice filled the gulf. On 16 April navigation was possible through the 

 Gut of Canso into Northumberland Strait. The gulf was still 



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