65 



pied running along this ridge and across Great Hellefiske Bank to 

 tlie Greenland coast. This last oceanographic section was com- 

 pleted at 1350, August 2, 1938. 



The General Greene now proceeded to Holsteinsborg, Greenland, for 

 fuel and water arriving there at 1535 August 2, 1938. The resident 

 governor of the district of Holsteinsborg very kindly dispatched a 

 motorboat to guide us into port. This was most helpful as no ade- 

 quate profile sketches of that particular coast were on hand and in 

 any event low-hanging clouds obscured most of the prominent peaks 

 making the proper entrance difficult to pick out. However, once the 

 correct opening is identified the harbor is comparatively easy of 

 access as there are relatively few known outlying dangers, and promi- 

 nent beacons on the surrounding islands mark the entrance. The 

 charts of the harbor itself were found to be accurate and adequate, the 

 directions in the pilot book clear and correct, and no difficulty need be 

 experienced. Ample water exists everywhere in the prescribed chan- 

 nel and the harbor itself is deep and safe. 



Upon our arrival Governor A. C. Rasmussen called and the usual 

 courtesies were exchanged. The fuel oil was delivered alongside by a 

 Diesel schooner the next morning, August 3, at 0600, and the fuel was 

 all aboard by 0900. It was necessary to boat the water, however, 

 and this consumed 10 hours and was completed at 1600. At 1700 the 

 General Greene departed Holsteinsborg and set course southwesterly 

 for the western end of the last line of stations in the middle of Davis 

 Strait Ridge. From this point it was intended to run a section west- 

 ward along the ridge toward Cape Walsingham, Baffin Land. This 

 contemplated section had to be abandoned entirely, however, as 

 heavy pack ice was encountered preventing further approach to the 

 coast of Baffin Land. This concluded the oceanographic program of 

 the cruise. A total of 39 oceanographic stations were occupied in the 

 three sections described above and 107 samples for determination of 

 dissolved oxygen and 83 samples for determination of dissolved helium 

 were collected. In general the oxygen samples were taken from 100 

 meters down and the helium samples, only in the deeper layers, from 

 400 meters down. 



The next part of the cruise consisted of ice observation and in run- 

 ning a continuous line of soundings, approximately along the 

 100-fathom curve, from Davis Strait to the Straits of Belle Isle. The 

 purpose of this sounding program was to determine whether any sub- 

 marine caverns existed cutting into the continental shelf of Labrador. 

 Continuous soundings were taken all along this route and soundings 

 recorded every 3 minutes up to 125 fathoms (red light method) and 

 every 5 minutes in deeper water (white light method). For this work 

 or for any similar program, and also for the mapping work during the 

 Ice Patrol season, it would be of great advantage to have a more 



