St, Mary to 45°50' N., 54°00' W. to 45°10' N., 52°15' W. to 47°20' N., 

 51°30' W. to 48°00' N., 51°50' W. Shipping bound to and from St. 

 John's, Newfoundland, was severely hampered or interrupted during 

 most of the month. 



Although only 41 bergs drifted south across the 48th parallel in March, 

 there was a wide geographical spread in the reported positions of these 

 bergs, the most westerly on 16 March in 45°44' N., 54°51' W., the most 

 southerly on the same day in 41°37' N., 49°20' W., and the most easterly 

 on 8 March in 43°19' N., 45°10' W. The majority of bergs reported 

 early in the month were distributed along the east slope of the Grand 

 Banks, but during the latter half of March most of the bergs lay in the 

 western half of the Grand Banks. The Flemish Cap sector remained 

 clear of bergs in March. 



A considerable area off the east coast of Nova Scotia remained covered 

 with field ice throughout the month. The offshore limits of this pack 

 generally lay within 75 miles south, east and north of Cape Breton. The 

 steamer track from Cabot Strait to Gaspe Passage was not navigable 

 in March. However, the northwestern half was almost clear of ice by 

 the last of the month, and the pack in the remainder of the track was 

 breaking up rapidly. 



The distribution of ice reported in March is shown graphically in 

 figure 13. 



APRIL 



Easterly winds kept the field ice on the Grand Banks in the western 

 sector during the first week of April. On 5 April the southern limits of 

 field ice ran from Cape Race to 45°00' N., 52°40' W. to 45° N., 52° W. to 

 48° N., 52° W. Later in the month the winds became westerly, and 

 this condition, coupled with a fresh incursion of field ice from the north, 

 enlarged the area encumbered by field ice and shifted the limits eastward. 

 On 30 April these limits ran from Cape Race to 46 °45' N., 50°15' W. to 

 46°10' N., 49°00' W. to 45 °20' N., 49°55' W. to 45°10' N., 49°25' W. to 

 47°10' N., 46°00' W. to 48°00' N., 46°50' W. 



The month of April began with two small bergs in 42° N., 49° W. and 

 about a dozen others scattered along the western slope of the Grand 

 Banks from the Tail of the Banks to Cape Race. The two southernmost 

 bergs broke up and melted on 2 April in position 41°38' N., 48°09' W. 

 The distribution of bergs changed markedly as time progressed. West- 

 erly winds drove the bergs on the western slope of the Banks to the east, 

 and the Labrador Current brought 172 additional bergs across the 48th 

 parallel into the area between Flemish Cap and the eastern slope of the 

 Banks. By the end of the month the southern berg limits were a line 

 running from Cape Race to 44°40' N., 49°45' W. to Flemish Cap, with 

 the heaviest berg concentration just off the northeast shoulder of the 

 Banks. 



8 



