tude of Cape Egmont and eastward to a point about midway be- 

 tween St. Paul Island and Burgeo Bank. At no time during the 

 month did the ice menace the shipping routes inside of Sable Island 

 nor block any of the ports south of Scatari Island. The south coast 

 of Newfoundland was clear and a shore lead past Capes Ray and 

 Anguille probably was present throughout the month. The Strait 

 of Belle Isle, which had cleared to less than five-tenths cover in mid- 

 March, was reported to be blocked on the 31st by ice moving south- 

 ward along the Labrador coast. 



APRIL 



A reconnaissance flight on 1 April scouted the area along the 

 northeastern slope of the Grand Banks from 60 miles inshore to 

 75 miles seaward of the 100-fathom curve. Weather conditions were 

 favorable, permitting a thorough search, and it was considered im- 

 probable that any area of field ice would have escaped detection. 

 The only field ice observed during this flight was a patch or small 

 field, the southeastern extremity of which was about 50 miles east 

 of Baccalieu Island. The area searched was extended northward 

 past the Gray Islands by two flights on the 2d and (except where 

 snow squalls obscured an area adjacent to the Newfoundland coast 

 from Notre Dame Bay past Funk Island) the weather again en- 

 abled the observers to make a thorough visual search of the surface 

 to over 150 miles oflTshore. Scattered patches were observed in the 

 area east of Cape Bonavista to almost 90 miles oifshore, but no 

 extensive fields were found south of Cape Freels. That field re- 

 ported on 31 March as extending along the beach south into Notre 

 Dame Bay had shifted seaward. The western edge extended east- 

 ward from Cape Bauld for about 12 miles then curved and extended 

 almost due south leaving an area of clear water south of Cape Bauld 

 from the shore seaward past the Gray Islands and St. Barbe Islands. 

 The field was closely packed at the extreme western edge, but the 

 cover decreased to six-tenths within a mile or two of that edge then 

 to two-tenths within 15 to 20 miles and to one-tenth or less near 

 the eastern limit, which was about 60 miles east of Cape Bauld, 90 

 miles off Bell Island, and 20 miles northeast of Funk Island. The 

 southern and southeastern limits of the field were obscured, but 

 the field ended before reaching the latitude of Cape Freels. 



On 3 April a short flight was made covering the area up to about | 

 110 miles offshore eastnortheast of Baccalieu Island and the coastal 

 area south to Cape Race. A small field about 25 miles long and 15 

 hiiles wide was sighted about 40 miles east of Cape Bonavista. Light 

 broken strings were scattered to about 100 miles offshore along a 

 line eastnortheastward from the outer edge of this field. The south- 

 ern edge of another small field extending northward of a point about 



14 



