20 



Banks and on March 25 and 26 extended east by south from Cape 

 Spear for 235 miles to the eastern edge of the Banks; heavy ice was 

 reported extending 120 miles southwest from Cape Race and the ice 

 on the eastern side of the Banks had moved southward in patches and 

 strings to latitude 43°20' N.; the small bergs and growlers contained 

 in this ice drifted south with the current and were found in scattered 

 positions from latitude 46° N., south to 42°50' N., just south of the 

 Tail; a few bergs were reported from time to time along the New- 

 foundland coast but the main danger there, throughout the month, 

 was field and slob ice which lay off the coast continuously and with 

 east or southeast winds moved tight against the shore making the 

 coast inaccessible; conditions north of Sable Island and in Cabot 

 Strait improved during the month but heavy rafted pan ice was still 

 moving out of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and this route was still closed. 

 The only outstanding feature of this month would be the absence of 

 any great number of bergs and the very small size of those that were 

 found. It is estimated that 38 bergs drifted south of latitude 48° N., 

 during this month. The distribution of the field ice and bergs is 

 graphically shown on the March Ice Chart. (See fig. 7.) 



APRIL 1938 



Soon after the first of April bergs began moving into the area 

 from the north in large numbers and by the middle of the month were 

 being reported generally over the northern and eastern edges of the 

 Banks, north of latitude 45° N. At the same time large areas of field 

 ice began to appear along the east coast of the Avalon Peninsula, 

 Newfoundland, and everywhere south of Cape Race, to latitude 46° N. 

 This ice extended in broken fields east to longitude 49° W., along 

 the northern slopes of the Banks. Conditions remained substantially 

 the same thoughout the remainder of the month and may be sum- 

 marized as follows: A general spreading of field ice and bergs over the 

 northern edge of the Banks and south to latitude of 46° N., an exten- 

 sion of tliis ice south to latitude 45° N., on the eastern side of the 

 Banks and scattered bergs and growlers south to latitude 43° N. 

 Three bergs and some growlers drifted south of the Tail of the Banks 

 tliis month. The St. Lawrence Ice Patrol began about April 6 and 

 the route through the gulf was open for traffic April 8. Heavy 

 floes of rafted ice, however, continued to move out on the southern 

 side of Cabot Strait throughout the month and extended east of 

 Scatari Island, Cape Breton Island, at least 55 miles. Ships entering 

 the gulf passed close to Cape Ray, Newfoundland, in order to avoid 

 ice which was repeatedly reported south of that point and open pans 

 of ice existed witliin the Gulf of St. Lawrence along the track from 

 Cape Ray to Anticosti Island during most of the month. The field 

 ice and bergs extended east to longtiude 47° W., and bergs south to 

 latitude 41°50' N. One isolated berg was reported in latitude 



