edge of the Banks. The ice lying to the east of the Avalon Peninsula, 

 Newfoundland, continued to make the approach to St. John's from 

 the east dangerous and caused much delay. Heavy close packed 

 ice was always present and with east or southeast winds would move 

 tight against the coast making St. John's inaccessible. There was no 

 danger from ice along track B during this period but track D, the 

 Canadian route, was menaced constantly by scattered growlers 

 between longitudes 48° W., and 51° W. 



The fourth cruise, April 5 to 21, brought a real change in ice con- 

 ditions. The scarcity of bergs, noted in the third cruise, no longer 

 existed. If this apparent increase in the number of bergs had not 

 occurred coincidentally with the shift of Canadian traffic from track D 

 to track E (see fig. 1) on April 11 it would be difficult to explam the 

 sudden appearance of large numbers of bergs. The facts show, 

 however, that the masses of field ice stretching along the 100 fathom 

 curve from latitude 48° N., to latitude 45° N., until March 28 acted 

 as a shield and kept ships from crossing the Banks north of 45° N. 

 Consequently ice conditions were largely unknown in that area. The 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence was opened to traffic almost simultaneously with 

 the shift from track D to E and provided an added inducement for 

 vessels to try the shorter route. The resulting reports revealed many 

 bergs strewn along tracks E and D, making track F unsafe and track E 

 passable only in clear weather during daylight hours. In other words, 

 bergs had probably been drifting onto the northern edge of the Banks in 

 small but increasing numbers ever since the middle of March and 

 were only discovered when ships began to pass through that region. 



However, the above discussion does not explain the small number 

 of bergs moving south in strength of Labrador Current just east of the 

 Banks. The current chart delivered April 12, by the General Greene, 

 shows a southerly current about 15 miles wide running 1.4 knots at 

 latitude 46° N., and from latitude 45°45' N. to the Tail it shows a 

 broad slow moving stream averaging about 0.3 knot. (See fig. 46.) 

 This is slower than usual but no bar to southward drift, and surface 

 temperatures did not indicate any lessening of the current since that 

 date. Seven bergs, sighted by the patrol vessel on April 12 and 13, 

 did actually drift south of latitude 45° N. in this current and their 

 movements were in agreement with the direction and velocity shown 

 on the current chart. It must not be assumed, however, that all of 

 these seven came south via the usual route, the eastern branch of the 

 cold current. It is definitely known that one did not come by this 

 route and it is only sure that one of the remaining did ; the others are 

 doubtful. Reports from other areas indicate no lack of ice, so current 

 conditions to the north must be unfavorable for bergs entering the 

 eastern branch. As a usual corollary to this effect there was increased 

 congestion around and south of Cape Race, due to both field ice and 



