11 



days of this month when vessels began to attempt to cross this area 

 again. St. Lawrence ice was reported throughout the month in heavy 

 floes drifting past Scatari Island, Cape Breton Island. The St. 

 Lawrence Ice Patrol was started April 8 and discontinued May 1, 

 when all the heavy floes had disappeared. April brought the widest 

 distribution of ice for the year through not the greatest number of 

 bergs. It is estimated that 124 bergs drifted south of latitude 48° N. 

 during this month and the distribution of the ice is graphically shown 

 on the April Ice Chart. (See fig. 5.) 



MAY 1937 



Bergs continued to enter the area along the eastern coast of New- 

 foundland in good numbers throughout this month. By May 7 all 

 the bergs had disappeared from the eastern edge of the Banks and no 

 further menace to the United States-European lane routes existed 

 this season. The distribution of bergs was therefore restricted almost 

 entirely to the area around Cape Race between longitude 51° W., and 

 55° W. and north of latitude 46° N. There is one notable exception 

 to this general picture. As happened early in the season, namely 

 February 23 and 24, several bergs w^ere reported on May 1 and 4 in 

 vichiity of latitude 44°30' N., longitude 54°30' W., and one in latitude 

 43°50' N., longitude 55°47' W., on May 5. This is a most unusual 

 locality for bergs. In the last days of May a few bergs in scattered 

 positions were reported along the north and n.ortheastern slope of the 

 Banks, all north of latitude 48° N. On May 25 a group of four bergs 

 was reported in latitude 47°31' N., longitude 46°55' W. The Straits 

 of Belle Isle and the immediate vicinity were reported clear of ice on 

 May 20. Subsequent reports, however, showed that tliis route was 

 blocked by heavy impassable field ice to the eastward. On May 23 

 and 29 heavy field ice was reported in approximate longitude 53°30' 

 W., extending as far as can be seen to the north from latitude 51°30' 

 N. Also on the 29th numerous bergs and strings of field ice were re- 

 ported, extending 120 miles east northeast of Belle Isle. These reports 

 continued to the end of the month indicating that although the coast 

 of Newfoundland and southern Labrador in vicinity of the Straits of 

 Belle Isle were remarkably free of ice for May, that the field ice and 

 bergs were still moving southward in quantity off-shore. However, 

 in the Cape Race region, where for so long the unusual concentration 

 of bergs had made track F hazardous in fog or darkness, the bergs were, 

 by the end of May, constantly diminishing in number and showing 

 signs of disintegration. By the last day of May not more than 40 

 bergs remained in this area. It is estimated that 137 bergs drifted 

 south of latitude 48° N. this month. The distribution of ice for this 

 period is graphically shown on the May Ice Chart. (See fig. 6.) 



81041 — 38 2 



