Above normal +1. (M).
A considerable volume. (GR).
Northern Ice at St. John’s arrive Mar 26, depart Apr 20. (GR).
At Ferryland, harbour ice went out on Feb 18th, drift ice in the offing. Apr 1st, drift ice came into all the harbours and on Apr 6 cleared out for the season. (JW in GR).
No mention of ice in SCL.
Most of March and April missing from Twillingate Diary but there seems to be regular arrivals and departures with seals being taken as early as February. (#492).
January/February
Feb 3 SS “Damascus” at Portland from Liverpool 48N 48W passed a field of ice. (LL).
Feb 8 The weather sever in the extreme, not for 20 years have we had such vast quantities of snow. (Newf.).
Feb 9 St. John’s: The barque “Fleetwood” from Liverpool to Harbour Grace and the brig “Ariel” from this port to Trinity, appeared ~8m off the harbour yesterday in a large jam of slob ice, and are drifting along to the southward today. Today the wind is east and the ice is close into the Narrows. (LL).
Feb 12 St. John’s: Wind SW, ice moving off, brig “Ariel” passed north. (LL).
Feb 23 SS “Arago” for New York 48N 48W came up with an immense field of ice with many bergs. She coasted along it to 47N when she got clear, leaving a field to the eastward as far as the eye could see from the masthead. (LL).
March
Mar 5 The steamers have left and only the sailing vessels remain awaiting a change in the NE winds. (Newf.).
Mar 14 “Lydia” from Deal to New York 46N 27[!]W passed 3 large bergs and several large pieces of ice. (LL).
Mar 17 “Giraffe” wrecked near Cape Freels. (LL).
Mar 25 “Elizabeth” lost at Gull Is. (#511).
Mar 25 SS “Washington” from Havre to New York 50N 46W passed 5 large bergs. (LL).
Mar 25 Schooner “New Times” from Fogo to the seal fishery was lost in the ice near Bird island Cove, Bonavista Bay. (LL).
Mar 26 Ice in to the Narrows. (#704).
Mar 27 SS “Hibernian” from Portland to Liverpool passed several bergs. (LL).
Mar 30 Issue: Three Green Bay sealers put into Harbour Grace, left Exploits on the 10th. Ice in the Bay carried them 100m off eastward – no chance of getting north, then drove along outside the Funks. (PL).
April
Apr 2 St. John’s: Tug “Diamond” hence to the mouth of Fortune Bay to protect the herring fishery sailed Mar 29, but put back the same night, having met with ice along the coast; she left again on the 30th. (LL).
Apr 4 “Advance” arrived from the ice. “Giraffe” said to be lost. Seems to be regular arrivals in early April. (#704).
Apr 5 From Harbour Grace Apr 2: About 50 vessels taking seals to the eastward of Quirpon and Groais Islands. Reports seem to be fair. (Newf.).
Apr 6 Issue: seal fishery doing well, seems to be a lot of seals and ice around Northern Horse Is., Quirpon and Groais Islands, Bonavista Bay and the Funks. Brigantine “Garffae [Giraffe !]” lost on Stinking Island and 3 other schooners reported lost at the same time. (PL).
Apr 8 “Gazelle” of Harbour Grace at the seal fishery lost near Bacalieu. (LL).
Apr 9 “Retriever” reports getting seals from: off Quirpon, off Belle Isle, off Battle Harbour and Horse Islands. Some 40 or 50 vessels jammed on the north side Bonavista Bay. (Newf.).
Apr 14 Ice jammed close to Narrows. (#704).
Apr 16 Mail steamers arrived off the harbour, put into the ice but as it was too tight into the land and close – put out of it again at sunset. (#704).
Apr 17 Issue: The Halifax mail steamer was off the Narrows last evening but couldn’t get in because of ice. Also: About 35 vessels stuck in Bonavista Bay. (PL).
Apr 17 “Johannes” at New York from Bremen 42N 50W saw several bergs. (LL).
Apr 18 Steamer got in, ice moved off shore. (#704).
Apr 18-23 “Shandon” from the Clyde to Quebec entered ice 45N 57W, sailed along the edge of it on the 19th and 20th, worked through it 21st and 22nd and got clear of it on the 23rd [Quebec, dated May 4]. The master thinks all the early spring ships will be detained off the Banks by ice. (LL).
Apr 19 SS “Merlin” detained 2 days in the ice between here and Petty Harbour. (Newf.).
Apr 20 The RMS “Merlin” was detained 2 days in the ice. (PL).
Apr 24 The “Commodore” lost in the ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. (LL).
Apr 28 “J. Steele” for Boston 43N 50W saw large quantities of ice. (LL).
May 3 Vessel struck ice off the Magdalen Is. and sank. (LL).
May 4 SS “William Penn” at New York from London saw a great quantity of icebergs and fields to the northward of Cape Race. (LL).
May 8 Greenock: Accounts from St. John’s state that upwards of 30 sailing vessels had been jammed up in the heavy ice in Buenavista Bay, and were clean. (LL).
May 16 “Orient” lost at Fortune Bay. (#511).