1876 Season
Gulf or Northern ice only twice in Fortune Bay for the last 30 years (1857-1887), 1875 and 1876. (GR).
Nov 23 Local ice formed Bonne Bay. (GR p.85)
Dec Saint John, NB, April 27- The tug “Hercules” has left for Nappan River, NS, to tow the ship Pretty Jamma, caught in the ice last fall, to Shviee [sic]. (NYMR 3 May 1876)
Dec 4 Issue: The buoys in this harbour were not taken up this fall, and we believe they have drifted, goodness knows where. Mr. Campbell, Harbour Master, is not to blame for this, as he had men and a vessel hired to go out and lift them the first opportunity that offered, but in the meantime the harbour froze up – an event which has not taken place so early for twenty years. (Pat 4 Dec p2#4)
Dec 9 Issue: A number of persons anxious to get off the Island last week, chartered a schooner at Georgetown, for Pictou, N.S. The vessel could not get to her destination on account of the ice. Several of the passengers landed on Pictou Island, and the rest were brought back to Georgetown. (Pat 9 Dec p2#3)
Dec 11 The weather has been quite mild of late. If the fine weather continues a few days longer, the ships laden with oats in Charlottetown and Summerside harbours, will in all probability be cut out. The attempt will, we understand, be made in both places on Monday. (Pat 11 Dec p2#3)
Dec 13 On Monday last, Angus McMillan, Esq., commenced cutting out his vessels, and through that day got on very well indeed. On Tuesday, however, on account of the change in weather, he had to suspend operations, and we doubt if his vessels will float in clear water this winter. (Pat 18 Dec p3#1)
Jan 6 Ice arrived La Poile. (GR p.35&92)
Jan 7 Local ice formed Bay of Islands. (GR p.88)
Jan 7 Sydney: Navigation here is closed by ice. (LL).
Jan 8 Northern ice arrived Bonne Bay. (GR p.85)
Jan 19 A vessel was damaged off the coast of P.E.I. due to ice. (LL).
Feb Gulf ice arrived St. Pierre. Left April 20. (GR p.29)
Feb Northern ice arrived at Bay of Islands. (GR p.88)
Feb 1 Some mention of 150m of ice between St. John’s and Halifax but appears to be slob. (PL).
Feb 2 Ice arrived Burgeo. (GR p.35&94)
Feb 8 Gulf ice arrived Gaultois. (GR p.35&99)
Feb 17 Issue: Ice hindering access to St.Peter’s and Harbor Breton and southern shore and bays. Residents of Placentia Bay say that this and last year are the coldest they ever knew. (PL).
Feb 18 A good deal of ice in the Gulf. (GR p.33)
Feb 24 Channel blocked. (GR p.33)
Feb 24 From New York ” Advices from Arichat, C.B., report a large schooner bound to St. Pierre, ashore in the harbour after having to run ashore to save ship and cargo.” (LL).
Feb 25 SS “Newfoundland” arrived 3 days from Halifax. Some slob ice passed through near Sable Is. but not much on this coast. (However, SS “Hawk” and SS “Nova Scotian” had a harder time). (PL)
Feb 27 Off Sable Island, was detained 16 hrs by a field of ice.
Mar — 40m south of Sable Island, navigation obstructed by ice fields. (MWR).
Mar 1 Gulf ice arrived Harbour Breton. (GR p.35&100)
Mar 2 Schooner “Finback” put in to Halifax from Boston getting no closer than 80m to St. Pierre and sustained some damage. (NYMR)
Mar 2 The [Halifax] harbor is now nearly free of ice, and we may hope now to see no more obstruction this season. (HER 02/03/1876 p2 #7)
Mar 2 Pictou harbor is strong enough to bear a coal train, and will last well into the spring. The ice on the rivers is also very good and much communication is carried on between New Glasgow and Pictou by that means. Very few accidents have been reported this winter. (HER 02/03/1876 p2 #7)
Mar 3 The French schr “Finback” which left Boston, February 4th for St. Pierre Miq., and arrived at this port yesterday, could not reach her destination on account of ice. At one time she was within 80 miles, and another 120 miles of St. Pierre, and was frozen in the ice. The crew ran short of water and had to take the snow on the ice around them and melt it. (HER 03/03/1876 p3 #3)
Mar 5 SS “Newfoundland at Halifax reports: left St. John’s on Tuesday evening at 7pm and got into heavy ice off Cape Race the same night. Wind jammed her in the ice for 24 hrs; jammed again on Thursday; Friday resumed – very heavy ice all the way from C.Race to the southward of Sable Island when got into open water. From there sloppy ice to Nova Scotia coast. On Thursday saw a vessel fast in the ice. (NYMR)
Mar 6 The “Newfoundland” arrived yesterday morning from St. John’s, Nfld. She encountered very heavy ice on the passage from this port to St. John’s, also on the passage back, and was stuck in the ice twice -at one time for 24 hours. (HER 06/03/1876 p2 #6)
Mar 7 Ice departed Gaultois. (GR p.35&99)Mar 10 Government SS “Lady Head” arrived Halifax unable to reach Sable Island, ice preventing getting within 20 miles. (NYMR)
Mar 14 Schooner “Satagawa” from Boston for St. Pierre arrived Halifax unable to get there because of ice. (NYMR)
Mar 15 Three American schooners arrived from Fortune Bay, Nfld, yesterday afternoon, having encountered a great deal of ice on the passage to this port. (HER 15/03/1876 p2 #7)
Mar 18 The “Lady Head” arrived here at eleven o’clock this morning, after an unsuccessful attempt to get to Sable Island with provisions and coal. She left her on Sunday, 5th inst., and from the time of leaving here until reaching Whitehead encountered ice all the way. She remained there a week and then proceeded to Torbay. She was subsequently unable to get within twenty miles of the Island on account of the ice, many of the ice-floes being as large as the steamer, and Capt. Watson, determined to come back to prevent getting frozen in. (HER 18/03/1876 p2 #5)
Mar 19 The brigantine “L’Edouard”, 15 days from New York, arrived at St. Lawrence with port bow stove having met ice 100m SW of Sable Is. (PL).
Mar 20 Ice departed Harbour Breton. (GR p.35&100)
Mar 20 Northern ice departed Bay of Islands. (GR p.88)
Mar 20 The Louisburg harbor is clear of ice. (HDR&T 20/03/1876 p2 #6)
Mar 21 Ice departed Burgeo. (GR p.35&94)
Mar 25 SS “Newfoundland” at Aquaforte from Halifax encountered ice throughout her passage from 20m SW of Sable Is to Cape Broyle where a tight jam prevented further progress. (PL).
Mar 28 St. Pierre (Miq) announced that the ice on the banks extended out as far as 43°N 47°W but the strongest in 44°N 54°W, the sea was covered with a mass of ice. (LL).
Mar 28 The “Therese” of Grainville arrived at St. Pierre from the West Indies, had passed between N.S. and Sable Island, and had been 25 days getting through ice. (LL).
Apr 3 “Lady Head” arrived after an ineffectual attempt to reach Sable Is., the ice preventing her from getting within 20m of that place. (LL).
Apr 6? SS “Newfoundland” left Halifax; 9th, Sable Is. sighted’ 10th, loose strings of ice were met; 11th, met field ice, ship got jammed in very heavy ice; 12th, land was made, Cape Pine E by N 8m and later jammed again. 27 icebergs sighted; 13th, some progress Cape Race N 10m; 14th, no progress could be made, 4 vessels sighted at edge of ice 5m distant. Ice all around except to S; 15&16th, no progress. Eventually arrived St. John’s 19th, 13 days from Halifax (from PL, supposedly). (Newf.).
Apr 8 SS “Othello” from Hull to New York 44°N 55°W passed 2 bergs. (LL).
Apr 9 SS “Gellert” from Hamburg to New York 43°N 56°W passed some bergs. (LL).
Apr 11 A number of bergs were passed in lat. 42N lon. 55W by the “Abbie B.” arrived in New York from Rotterdam. (LL).
Apr 16 Northern ice departed Bonne Bay. (GR p.85)
Apr 17 A telegram from Newfoundland states ” The first ship passed West Point on the 16th no ice here; reports plenty from the Birds Rocks to Cape St. George.” (LL).
Apr 17 Ice departed La Poile. (GR p.35&92)
Apr 18 A telegram from Watertown, New York states that the St. Lawrence is free for 100 miles from its mouth and navigation may be resumed. (LL)
Apr 18 North Sydney, the harbor is clear of ice and a schooner has arrived to port today. (HDR&T 18/04/1876 p2 #5)
Apr 19 Brig “Constantine” from Sydney to St. Pierre caught in ice and lost on Salmon Head 2m east of Port aux Basque. (NYMR)Apr 20 Gulf ice left St. Pierre. (GR p.29&35)
Apr 20 The ice in the harbour is breaking up rapidly. The vessels frozen in at the three tides have made their way back to the wharves, and are being discharged. The ferry steamers are about ready for work, and we believe a few more days will see them plying regularly. (Pat 20 Apr p2#4)
Apr 22 The “George Washington” arrived here from Newfoundland at 9:15 o’clock this morning. She started from this port five days later than the R M S “Newfoundland” and fortunately escaped the ice blockade which the latter experienced, and arrived at her destination six days earlier. She sails for New York at six o’clock this evening. (HDR&T 22/04/1876 p2 #5)
Apr 24 Ice is moving around Montreal and Cape Rouge efforts are being made to blast it with gun cotton. (LL).
Apr 24 The SS “Albert” arrived at Pictou, today from Georgetown, P.E.I. and reports heavy ice in the strait, but that it is scattered in the Eastern and Southern parts. (LL).
Apr 25 The schooner “Thetis” was forced ashore by ice on Cherry Valley Bar. (LL)
Apr 26 The “Acadian” sailed for Pictou yesterday afternoon. The “George Shattuck” arrived here last night at half-past nine from St. Pierre, Miquelon. She was unable to get into Sydney on account of the ice, which was fast closing in. (HDR 26/04/1876 p2 #6)
May Reports of Gulf blocked with ice. (NYMR)
May 2 The SS “Lake Champlain” reported passing Cape Ray on the 1st and seeing upwards of 50 ships in the ice, the ice was very heavy below Cape Rozier. (LL).
May 5 Capt. Smith, of the steamer “M A Starr” reports that the ice between Charlottetown and Pictou is pretty well broken up, and there will not probably be any further obstruction to navigation this season. (HDR&T 5/05/1876 p2 #7)
May 6 The “Albana” from Halifax, N.S. arrived at Pictou, N.S. and reported having passed large fields of heavy ice off Cranberry Island and North of Cape George. (LL).
May 6 The “Polynesian” which arrived in Quebec from Liverpool reported having passed through immense fields of ice from St. Paul’s to Cape Magdalen she steamed through the ice for 80 miles and saw upwards of 50 vessels ice bound in the Gulf. (LL).
May 6 Many ships are reporting sightings of ships caught in the ice fields. (LL)
May 6 The “Alhambra” hence, arrived at Pictou Saturday morning. Heavy ice off Cranberry Island and near Cape George. (HDR&T 08/05/1876 p2 #7)
May 7 Heavy ice off Cape Rozier. (LL).
May 8 The “Sardinian” from Liverpool to Quebec passed Father Point yesterday and reported that about 5 miles East of Cape Rozier she passed the “Ocean Phantom” and some 60 sails in ice. (LL).
May 8 The “Sardinian” passed through a heavy field of ice 30 miles above Cape Rozier. (LL).
May 8/9 The “Thames” to Quebec from London reports passing numerous bergs in the vicinity of Cape Race and up to Cape St. Mary’s between Bud [Bird] Rocks and Cape Rozier [sic] she passed through 70 miles of thick field ice at 6am on May 9 she cleared the field ice and sighted Cape Rosier. (LL).
May 9 The “Sardinian” arrived in Quebec from Liverpool, reports having steamed through ice for 15 hours. (LL)
May 9 The “Shutuck” for Halifax, yesterday morning quite a number took passage on the “Shuttuck,” who were waiting to go by the Iron SS “Delta” which as yet remains in port, blocked by ice. (The North Sydney Herald, May 10, 1876 from Early Cape Breton Newspapers 1994 p47)
May 11 The SS “Quebec” from Liverpool to Quebec reported having seen a few icebergs. Had fine clear weather until 20 miles above the Bird Rocks then the ship got into field ice and steamed 120 miles through it. On the 9th 15 miles off Cape Rozier, the ship passed two Norwegian barques below the Bird Rocks and saw 11 sails in the ice. (LL)
May 11 A telegram from Quebec states that the masters of the steamers are reporting large amounts of ice in the Gulf and a considerable amount of fleet vessels fastened in it. (LL)
May 11 The “George Shattuck” arrived here from St. Pierre, Miquelon via Sydney, at 9:30 o’clock last night. She left St. Pierre on Sunday at noon. On Monday from 10 am to 6 pm she steamed through thirty miles of ice east of Low Point. Dense fog all day. Arrived at North Sydney at 6 pm. Left North Sydney on Tuesday at 6 am in dense fog; steamed through ten miles ice ESE of Low Point. (HDR&T 11/05/1876 p2 #6)
May 12 According to the latest reports the ice in the Gulf St. Laurence is in vast quantities. The steamers report some 80 – 100 vessels icebound. In recent telegrams from points in the Gulf and lower St. Lawrence the vessels appear to be gradually getting clear. (LL)
May 12 Local ice cleared Bonne Bay. (GR p.85)
May 12 Local ice cleared Bay of Islands. (GR p.88)
May 12 The “Acadian” from Pictou for Montreal, struck ice in the Gulf, had her bow stove in, and had to return to Pictou, where she arrived on Wednesday. (HDR&T 12/05/1876 p2 #6)
May 14 Cabot Strait full. (GR p.31,33&35)