Charts 1897

Normal amount 0. (M).
NYMR (except as noted):

January/February

Jan 17 SS “Govina” 60m NE of Virgin Rocks saw large quantities of detached ice, also several icebergs.
Jan 23 SS “Bangor” from Penarth to Baltimore 4645’N 4707’W steamed through miles of field ice.
Jan 24 SS “Sibyl” from Fowey to Philadelphia 4648’N 4701’W passed a thick field of ice.
Jan 25-27 SS “Mantinea?” at St. John, NB 47N saw large fields of ice and had to run south to 4430’N before she got clear of it on the 27th. There seemed to be no large bergs in the field.
Jan 26 Schooner “Ellen” crushed by an ice floe and sunk at Harbour Grace.
Jan 26 from St. John’s: Owing to the ice blockade the northern mail service has been abandoned for the season.
Jan 27 SS “Guy Colin” from Penarth to Baltimore 4746’N 4650’W entered a field of ice which was 28m long and 5m wide; also the same night passed through another smaller field.
Feb — SS “Lord Londonderry” 4323’N 4847’W to 43N 5053’W large blocks of ice.
Feb 2-4 SS “Tabasco” from Sunderland to Baltimore 49N 47W passed a berg 100′ high; 3rd, 4820’N 4815’W passed a berg ~70′ high, also met a field of heavy pack ice with a berg in its midst; 4th, 4704’N 4922’W passed a medium sized berg.
Feb 3 SS “Aloedene?” at Baltimore from Shields 48N 49W entered fields of heavy ice and cleared them in 56N 48W.
Feb 3 SS “Virginian” from London to Boston 46N 4717’W fell in with a field of ice which was avoided by steering a southerly course for 3 hours.
Feb 6 SS “Carthaginian” passed Cape Race. She did not touch at St. John’s as the port was blockaded by ice.
Feb 6-8 SS “Beechdale?” from Hamburg to New York 4412’N 4950’W passed through heavy field ice and was obliged to steam to the southward to clear it. Also saw 2 other steamers entangled in the ice but was too far away to identify them.
Feb 7 SS “State of Georgia” fast in the ice off Cape Race. Unknown steamer frozen in the ice 20m off Ferryland (could be same ship).
Feb 7 SS “Venango” 49N 49W met a heavy pack of ice and 3 large bergs. Had to run 200m south before getting clear. Feb 9th, 4330’N 4950’W met another ice field.
Feb 7 SS “Ailsawald?” from Cardiff to Baltimore 4745’N 4830’W field of ice [unusually hard .. ?] extending as far as could be seen from the mastheads.
Feb 7 SS “Forest Brook” from Cardiff to Baltimore 44N 48W passed through heavy ice fields.
Feb 7 SS “Tampico” from Cardiff to Baltimore 4405’N 4920’W met large patches of ice.
Feb 7-8 SS “Neras?” from Sunderland to Baltimore 46?40’N 4945’W met large fields of ice which she did not get until the 8th in 4840’N 4945’W
Feb 9? SS “Barcelona” at St. John’s from Glasgow reports when 300m off the coast of Newfoundland sighted ice which extended 150m south. The floes were unusually heavy and very dangerous to transatlantic shipping.
Feb 10 SS “Elise Marie” from Hamburg to New York 4640’N 4836’W passed large quantities of field ice; 11th, 4530’N 4940’W passed through heavy ice fields and had to go 40m to the south to get clear of it.
Feb 14 SS “La Bourgogne” from Havre to New York from 4528’N 5039’W to 4524’N 5104’W was passing through field ice.
Feb 16 SS “Christiana” 4736’N 4858’W from a.m. on 16th to 5pm on 17th was in large ice fields, went only slow ahead.
Feb 17 Issue: The ice blockade at St. John’s was raised Feb 10 [? document barely legible] and many steamers which had been detained there for a week started out. The “Portia”for New York left Trepassey at daylight 11th and arrived St. John’s 12th. She reports that the sea is covered with ice floes as far south as Cape Race as the eye can see. SS “Nimrod” which was out in search of the “State of Georgia” was still fast in the ice and drifting south. She would probably get clear soon. A schooner which arrived at Trepassey evening of the 12th reports meeting ice floes 160m southeast of the Newfoundland coast, right in the track of ocean shipping.
Feb 17 SS “Norseman” 4550’N 4745’W met heavy field ice and steamed 30m south to clear it.
Feb 21 SS “Westhall” 4514’N 4831’W met with a large quantity of field ice.
Feb 22 SS “Ohio” 4641’N 4703’W saw an unbroken mass of field ice extending northward and southward as far as the eye could see.
Feb 22 SS “Beechadine(?)” at Erie Basin, seams loosened up by ice on voyage from Hamburg.
Feb 27 SS “Terra Nova” which arrived at St. John’s reports seeing an ice floe 150m off the coast of Newfoundland.

March

Mar 6 SS “Scotia” passed through 100m of ice on the Banks, from Dantzig to Halifax.
Mar 8 SS “Island” off Trepassey, could not get into St. John’s on account of the ice.
Mar 11 SS “Philadelphian” 44N 49W fell in with an icefield, stopped 4 hours and then steamed 40m south to clear it.
Mar 12 SS “Halifax City” met heavy field ice and ran south until Mar 14 to clear it (no position).
Mar 12 SS “Normandie” 4405’N 4225’W passed an icefield.
Mar 14 SS “Patapsco” 4413’N 4830’W saw heavy fields of ice and had to change her course to SW to avoid them. Mar 18 SS “Scotsman” from Liverpool to Halifax 4416’N 5615’W passed a small berg; 4440’N 5730’W met field ice extending north and south as far as could be seen.
Mar 19 SS “American” at Boston from Liverpool passed a small iceberg on eastern edge of Grand Banks.
Mar 20 SS “Finsbury” at Boston from Rotterdam damaged by heavy pack.
Mar 21 SS “H.H. Meier” from Bremen to New York 4345’N 4553’W passed a berg ~400′ high and 700′ long; 4342’N 4540’W passed another berg ~500′ high and 1,000′ long.
Mar 21 SS “Hestia” from Glasgow to Baltimore 4330’N 4550’W saw 3 small bergs.
Mar 21 SS “Lancastria” from Liverpool to Boston 4349’N 4831’W fell in with an ice field and had to steam 52m on a southerly course to avoid it.
Mar 22 SS “Tabasco” from Rotterdam to Baltimore 4350’N 4615’W passed a berg fully 100′ high; 4343’N 4645’W another large berg was seen and later saw ice field.
Mar 22 SS “Trave” from Bremen to New York 4344’N 4618’W passed 4 large pieces of ice and a berg; 4339’N 4652’W passed a berg ~100′ high and 400′ long and from 4240’N 5005’W to 4235’N 5008’W passed 2 large bergs and large fields of ice.
Mar 24 SS “La Hesbaye” from Belfast to New York 4310’N 4520’W passed a berg 400′ high.
Mar 25 SS “Elise Marie” from Rotterdam to Baltimore ~42N 50W encountered large patches of field ice.
Mar 26 SS “Baltimore” from London to Boston 4230’N to 4250’N 50W encountered heavy field ice; steamed 15m to clear it; same time between 5020’W and 5110’W sighted 6 bergs of various sizes.
Mar 26 SS “Eugenie” from Dantzic to Boston 45N entered field ice and cleared it same day in 42N; 27th, steamed 45m southwesterly to clear ice; 28th, east of Grand Banks passed 12 large bergs and field ice.
Mar 26 SS “Kittie” from West Hartlepool to Baltimore 4225’N 5030’W ran into field ice; 4020’N 5120’W a large and a small berg were seen, the larger was ~200′ long.
Mar 27 SS “Bovic” from Liverpool to New York 4247’N 5127’W to 4241’N 5127’W passed 2 large bergs; 4234’N 5152’W passed 2 small bergs.
Mar 27 SS “Stuttgart” at New York from Bremen 4317’N 4850’W to 4240’N 50W passed 6 large bergs from 100′-300′ high, also an ice field ~70m long.
Mar 27 SS “Hibernian” from Glasgow to Boston 4225’N 5033’W sighted a large field of ice and 3 bergs ~100′ high and 200′ long.
Mar 29 SS “Govino” at Baltimore from Sunderland 4250’N 4910’W saw large fields of ice.
Mar 29 SS “Lahn” from Bremen to New York from 43N to 49N 4930’W passed heavy pack ice and ice fields.
Mar 29 SS “Thingvalla” from Stettin to New York 4305’N 4855’W to 4230’N 5020’W passed a quantity of field ice; 4230’N 5030’W passed a large berg.
Mar 30 SS “Menemsha” at New York from Bristol 4407’N 49W ran into immense ice fields and had to steer southwest 100m to clear them; also at same time passed several bergs.
Mar 31 Issue: Report from St. John’s, worst record in a hundred years for seal catch.

April

Apr — SS “Sedgemore” 4330’N 4347’W a large berg.
Apr 1 SS “Brooklyn City” 4355’N 4823’W was in collision with a large iceberg and had her bows stove in.
Apr 1 SS “Lord Londonderry” from Penarth to Halifax 4421’N 4815’W sighted field ice extending from north to south as far as could be seen. She ran southward for 125m to 4216’N 49W and steamed west 60m, when the last ice was seen. Hundreds of seals were seen in the field ice.
Apr 1 SS “Rossmore” from Liverpool to Baltimore between 4930’N and 4220’N in 5030’W sighted large quantities of broken ice and several small bergs.
Apr 1-2 SS “Brooklyn City” from Bristol to New York 4355’N 4824’W ran into a large field of ice, from 6′ to 60′ high and cleared it on the 2nd in 4322’N 5040’W, passed 3 large bergs [also, see above for injuries].
Apr 2 SS “Durango” from Rotterdam to Baltimore 4248’N 4850’W saw heavy packed ice; 42N 5830’W saw a very large berg.
Apr 2-3 SS “Amsterdam” from Rotterdam to New York 4350’N 4750’W to 4228’N 5020’W sighted several bergs and heavy pack ice, and stopped engines for 10 hours; had to steam to southward to get into clear water.
Apr 3 SS “Sylvania” from Liverpool to Boston 4256’N 4858’W passed a heavy field of ice mixed with small bergs and hummocks; 4224’N 5004’W passed the western limit of the ice when there were 11 bergs in sight.
Apr 4 SS “Cestrian” from Liverpool to Boston 4346’N 4722’W passed the edge of a heavy field of ice; same day passed 2 large bergs with pinnacles on each corner.
Apr 5 SS “Beacon” from Shields to Baltimore 4230’N 49W passed 7 large bergs; also 30m east saw another large berg.
Apr 5 SS “Georgia” from Stettin to New York 4210’N 5055’W saw a berg ~200′ high.
Apr 6 SS “Llandaff City” from Bristol to New York 4315’N 4830’W passed 7 bergs and a field of ice. 2 of the bergs were 400′ high and 1,000′ long.
Apr 7 SS “Ulstermore” from Liverpool to Baltimore 4248’N 4950’W passed a berg 40′ high and 150′ long.
Apr 9 SS “British Crown” at Boston from London crossed 50W in 4230’N and from 47W to 5030’W sighted 80 medium sized bergs; they were scattered along the track of outward bound steamers. Apr 9 SS “La Normandie” from Havre to New York 4235’N 5209’W passed 3 very large bergs.
Apr 10 SS “Amarynthia” at Baltimore from Glasgow between 4350’N and 4340’N and 4750’W and 4850’W saw several pieces of ice and small bergs.
Apr 11 Bark “Cordelia” at St. John’s from Barbados has been in collision with an iceberg and bows stove in.
Apr 11-12 SS “Parkmore” from London to Boston 4352’N 4510’W saw a berg 100′ long and 25′ high; 12th, 4245’N to 4225’N and 4910’W to 5040’W saw 3 large bergs, one of them ~200′ high.
Apr 12 SS “Philadelphia” from Liverpool to Boston 43N 49W saw 4 small bergs.
Apr 12-15 SS “Bohemia” from Hamburg to New York 4830’N 4850’W encountered a field of heavy ice and had to steer to the southeast for 3 hours to clear it; 15th, 4240’N 4858’W passed 2 bergs.-See Casualties. [Under “Abstract of Logs” – position on 13th given as 4748’N 4934’W Passed much pack-ice, moderate sea.]
Apr 13 SS “Lord Charlemont” from Barry to Baltimore 4246’N 4845’W passed a berg of moderate size with a sharp peak.
Apr 14-15 SS “Inchdune” from Shields to Baltimore 4331’N 4710’W passed 2 large bergs; 15th, 4324’N 5243’W passed another.
Apr 17 SS “Barcelona” at St, John’s from Glasgow for Halifax ran south 400m to get around an ice floe and ran into heavy Arctic ice 200m south of St. John’s. See Casualties.
Apr 18 SS “Buckingham” from London to Boston 4217’N 5106’W passed a berg ~150′ high and fully 1/4m long.
Apr 18 SS “Volturno” from London to Boston 4330’N 5247’W saw a berg, which was ~ 60′ high and 800′ long.
Apr 19 SS “Georgian” from London to Boston between 4225’N and 4223’N and 4930’W and 51W passed a large berg and much loose ice, also 3 smaller bergs.
Apr 19 SS “Armenian” from Liverpool to Boston 4225’N 51W saw a berg ~300′ long and 200′ high with a distinct peak at each end.
Apr 22 SS “Ottaman” from Liverpool to Boston 4230’N 49W passed 8 large bergs.
Apr 23 SS “Cyprus” from Antwerp to Boston 4324’N 47W saw a large berg with much detached ice in the vicinity. Later 6 large bergs were in sight and a couple of hours later she was surrounded by huge bergs and had to stop for safety until daylight next day. In all she sighted 15 large bergs the last of them in 4210’N 51W being fully 300′ high and 1,000′ long.
Apr 23 SS “Templemore” from Liverpool to Baltimore from 4205’N and 4156’N and 4950’W and 5033’W passed patches of field ice and several small bergs.
Apr 23-24 SS “Batoum” from Shields to Batoum between 43N 47W and 42N 5130’W saw 13 bergs.
Apr 26 SS “Knight Bachelor” in sinking condition after collision with iceberg in 42N 48W.
Apr 26 SS “Mab” at Boston from Hamburg damaged after encountering heavy ice on the Banks.
Apr 27 SS “Strathnairn” 4245’N 51W large quantities of field ice in patches.
Apr 28 SS “Urbino” 4220’N 48W narrow escape with iceberg 500′ high and 2 – 3 miles long (!).
Apr 28 SS “Amaryllis” saw 7 bergs on the eastern edge of the Banks.
Apr 29 SS “Hungaria” at Boston from Bordeaux passed about 50 bergs extending almost to Sable Is.
Apr 30 SS “Bertie” at New York from Hamburg had her bow plates stove in by field ice off Grand Banks.

May — SS “Hope” propeller damaged in last sealing trip and also leaking very badly from squeeze in the ice. SS “Panther” damaged in ice. (looks as if many other steam sealers got damaged too). (#866).
May 3 Bark “Maggie” at St. John’s from Trepani with sides badly chafed by ice.
May 5 SS “Polino” at St. John’s damaged by ice in the Gulf.
May 8 SS “British Trader” 4147’N 5026’W passed a berg 80′ long and 25′ high.
May 9 Schooner “Samuel Moss” badly damaged by collision with iceberg 260m east of St. John’s.
May 10 SS “Cestrian” 4636’N 4716’W saw several bergs one of them apparently over half a mile long and 200′ high.
May 11 SS “Southwold” 4230’N 4830’W a berg.
May 14 SS “Aachen” at Baltimore 4244’N 4612’W passed a berg 75′ high and same day passed a berg 100′ high.
May 24 SS “Admiral” from Grimsby to Iceland sunk by ice off North Cape, CBI. (PR).
May 31 Barkentine “Laura” from Sydney, CBI to St. John’s cut through by ice and sank in ‘Connoir Bay”. (PR).