may have moved past 48° N, during the month. As in March there 

 was no movement of bergs west through the Strait of Belle Isle. 



In early May the rapid receding of the field ice south of the 50th 

 parallel continued. On the first a few very scattered strings of 

 heavy pack were present to over 60 miles off the Newfoundland 

 coast north of 47° 10' N. Individual pieces of the heavier pack 

 and growlers, characteristic last remnants of a rapidly melting 

 ice field, extended approximately to the limit of sea ice shown on 

 the monthly ice chart. By the third these scattered pieces had al- 

 most all, if not all, melted and the main field had receded to the 

 north of 49° 40' N., with its eastern edge west of the 53d meridian. 

 Most of the arms emptying into Notre Dame Bay were broken 

 out on this date but shifting ice north of the off-lying islands 

 blocked the seaward approaches for larger vessels. Compact 

 heavy pack with sheets up to a mile and more in diameter extended 

 through the Strait of Belle Isle to a latitude of approximately 

 50° 50' N., in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. A strip of open water up 

 to 10 miles wide extended along the Labrador coast between 51° 50' 

 N., and 52° 40' N. Except for open ice near the eastern edge the 

 main field was compact but broken north past 53° N. By 10 May 

 deep vessels had reached the ports of Botwood and Lewisport and 

 some open water was present inshore along the Newfoundland east 

 coast north to Hare Bay at 51° 15' N. The area of open water along 

 the Labrador coast at the eastern approaches of the Strait of Belle 

 Isle extended past Bell Isle itself. The outer edge of the pack had 

 moved east past the 53d meridian. On the 20th and 21st the south- 

 ern edge of the field was at 50°20' N. The Strait of Belle Isle was 

 clear and open water was appearing inshore along the Labrador 

 coast as far as 55° N. The eastern edge of the ice continued to 

 move off shore with heavy ice extending as far as longitude 50° 55' 

 W., at a latitude of 53° 16' N. Although in February light ice had 

 been formed to about that position, this appeared to be the season's 

 greatest extent of heavy ice to the east near that latitude. During 

 the remainder of the month heavy ice continued to push south from 

 the main pack area from time to time. A peninsula of the field 

 extended from the northwest to a position of 49° 56' N., 53° 05' W., 

 on the 29th. The curve depicting the minimum limit of heavy 

 field ice on the monthly ice chart, encloses the approximate mean 

 position of the core of the heavy field. The actual position of this 

 core changed from time to time depending largely on the winds, 

 but heavy ice persistently remained in the general area, and at no 

 time was an open route observed entirely through the pack from 

 the Strait of Belle Isle eastward. It is believed, however, that an 

 ice-protected vessel could have made the passage at certain times 

 in the latter part of the month. 



In the pack area east of Newfoundland and Labrador icebergs 



53 



