SOUTHERN ICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13926, 7 December 1908, Page 8

SOUTHERN ICE.

The British Meteorological, Office chart for October of the Indian Ocean and Red Sea details the icebergs of the southern hemisphere for the months of October, November, and December, based upon reports of ice sighted during those months from 1885 to 1907, -both, years inclusive. On a chart covering the" whole southern hemisphere poleward of 30 S. there are laid down in geographical position, by the aid of clearly defined symbol*, the ice observed throughout the above-mentioned period by about 300 ships, and, in addition, there are given the equatorial limits of icebergs reported since the beginning of last century. As a different symbol is used for each month, and a different kind of line to express the northern limits, the information with respect to any three months is readily grasped. This chart, together with two - previously published on the backs of previous issues of this series, brings the information as to southern hemisphere icebergs and loose ice right up to the end of 1907. From 1891 to 1895 icebergs were exceptionally numerous and of enormous dimensions nearly all over he lone Southern Ocean, but" the October chart shows that these dangers during the three months embraced by • it, did not get so far from the South Pole as in the previous three months. South ol 40 S., however, all rounds the globe, with the exception of a small area bounded. by the meridians of 130 E. and 170 E., ice was sighted in October, November, and December. Near New Zealand ice is very rarely seen, but in that prolific period, 1891 to 1895, bergs were numerous there. In October. 1892, several were observed from the Chatham Islands. A few stranded there, and one of them was 500 ft high and half-a-mile long. It is sometimes rather emphatically asserted that a vessel Homeward bound round Cape Horn may avoid the risk of collision with ice by passing between the Falklands and the continent of South America. Such general statements have a tendency to lull a shipmaster into an erroneous inference of absolute safety, and the ice-chart shows how very dangerous the suggested passage actually is at times. In 1906, for example, steamers proceeding to and from the Strait of Magellan fell in with bergs from 40 S. almost to Cape Virgins. These dangers were also numerous between 55 W. and 60 W., south of the same parallel, and thus right in the way of ships under sail had they ventured to adopt the route between the Falklands and South America. Eastward of the Falklands there is plenty of sea-room in the South Atlantic. Westward of that group the seaman has the land fairly close aboard on either hand, and squally ' winds, and he may have icebergs, whichever route is chosen, with the important addition that he does not expert them on the inshore route.