January/February
Jan 28 St. John’s: Arctic floes now blockade the northern coast of Newfoundland and extend far out toward mid ocean. The Grand Banks are covered. Coasting steamer “Virginia” has abandoned her northern trip after being imprisoned in the ice for 24 hours. Schooner “Talisman” (of Gloucester) is frozen in the ice in the northern arm of the Bay of Islands and will remain there until spring. The present is the worst season ever experienced in the herring fishery, as so far 8 vessels have been destroyed. (also caught in the west coast: Schooner “A M Nicholson” and the schooner “Fernwood”.
Feb 12 SS “Polynesia” towed to Harbour Breton NF(?) after being several days adrift in the north Atlantic with a hole in her bow due to ice (another report says underwater object). Will be towed to St. John’s.
Feb 12 SS “Pro Patria” from St. Pierre was holed by ice and reached Halifax on the 14th for repairs.
Feb 14 SS “Island” 4745’N 4720’W to 4840’N 4820’W steamed through closely packed ice.
Feb 22 St. John’s: The steamer “Coban” from Louisburg arrived having had a very bad passage and was obliged to steam south as far as Sable Island to escape the ice floes, which made her go 200m out of her course. She reports that the floes cover the Grand Banks and seriously endanger the passage of ocean steamers.
March
Mar 1 4735’N 4640’W heavy ice and 2 small bergs.
Mar 2 St. John’s: The heaviest Arctic ice floes of many years are now drifting south over the Grand Banks and blocking the entire eastern seaboard of Newfoundland. It is now almost impossible to leave or enter this port. Several sealing steamers, the first of the fleet which is to sail Mar 10th, will clear from other ports, where the ice floes are less threatening.
Mar 4 Between 4640’N 4650’W and 4421’N 4859’W field ice seen.
Mar 4 4612’N 4725’W a medium sized berg.
Mar 7 SS “Idaho” 4350’N 4812’W passed a large belt of ice stretching to the northward as far as the horizon, also 2 small bergs 3½m to the north.
Mar 12 SS “Pontiac” 442’N 4845’W met a large field of ice and had to steam 40m out of course to get around it.
Mar 12 “Aurora” reached the main patch 70m NE of Fogo. (BL).
Mar 14 SS “Barcelona” passed fields of ice from 47N 47W to 45N 62(?)W and 2 large bergs in 4630’N 62(?)W. (52W?)
Mar 16 Issue: Several steamers stuck in the ice off Canso. Schooner “Stella B” stuck in field 25m SE of Cape Race.
Mar 18 SS “Elliot” on sealing voyage crushed by ice off St. Paul Is, CBI. (PR).
Mar ~30 (St. John’s appears to be open to traffic).
April
Apr — 4201’N 4856’W a berg ~200′ high.
Apr 6 Seal catch 250,000.
Apr 6 SS “Austria” at St. John’s from Liverpool reports met ice floes for a great distance over the Grand Banks compelling her to go 100m south of Cape Race.
Apr 6 4402’N 4940’W a berg ~300′ long and large and small pieces of drift ice.
Apr 8 4510’N 4530’W an enormous berg.
Apr 8 4314’N 4852’W a large berg.
Apr 8 4310’N 4925’W considerable field ice.
Apr 9 4320’N 4750’W a moderate sized berg.
Apr 9 43N 4930’W field ice was seen.
Apr 9 4224’N 4854’W, 2 small pieces of ice.
Apr 9 [perhaps 19th] SS “Italia” from Naples to New York [23rd] 4224’N 4854’W passed 2 small pieces of ice.
Apr 12 SS “Calabria” from Marseilles to New York 4235’N 4944’W passed to the southward of 3 large bergs, 1 of which appeared to be ~200′ high and 1,000′ long; also encountered heavy field ice, steaming through it for 4½ hours.
Apr 12 SS “Exeter City” from Bristol to New York 4210’N 4910’W passed 7 medium sized bergs and a quantity of small ice ranging over a distance of 10m.
Apr 14-15 SS “Hellig Olav” from Copenhagen to New York 4607’N 4047’W passed a berg 300′ long and 120′ high; 15th, 4242’N 49W passed 3 pieces of ice from 25′ to 50′ long and 6′ to 12′ high.
Apr 15 Sealing steamer “Bloodhound arrived St. John’s crushed amidships by ice floes.
Apr 15 Sealing steamer “Leopard” arrived St. John’s with bows crushed by ice.
Apr 15 Sealing steamer “Ranger” arrived St. John’s with sheathing stripped off by ice.
Apr 15 4318’N 4845’W, 2 great bergs, each ~500′ long, 300′ broad and 300′ high.
Apr 15 SS “Cornishman” from Liverpool to Portland sighted 8 small bergs and several small pieces, spread over a distance of 50m E and W; computed position of most northeastern bergs 4234’N 4853’W and most southwesterly bergs 4226’N 4947’W.
Apr 17 4330’N 5740’W a small berg ~25′ high and 2 small pieces of heavy field ice; 4 hours later another piece of field ice was passed.
Apr 18 42N 4844’W several pieces of field ice. Apr 18 4205’N 4851’W a small berg.
Apr 24 SS “Loyalist” arrived Halifax from London via St. John’s. In 46W met heavy pack ice and had several plates dented. She had to steam 180m SE to escape it, losing 24 hours.
Apr 24 4810’N 4105’W a berg ~300′ high and 700′ long.
Apr 25 SS “Bonavista” from Louisburg for Montreal got as far as Summerside and finding heavy ice blocking the way returned to Charlottetown, PEI, night of 25th.
Apr 25 SS “Peter Jebson” arrived St. John’s from Bergen with bows damaged by ice.
Apr 25 SS “Olaf Kyrre” at Boston from Louisburg met large quantities of ice off Cape Breton coast; sighted a 3 masted steamer fast in the ice SE of Louisburg, but she was too far away to identify.
Apr 29 SS “Corinthian” at Halifax from Glasgow reported ice densely packed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence as far as the eye could reach, with no opening. Besides steamers “Salacia” and “Hibernian”, she saw another large steamer in the ice, thought to be the “Teutonia” or “Mexican”. A four masted steamer was seen fast in the ice on Cape Breton coast.
Apr 29 4206’N 5125’W a berg 145′ high.
May 2 St. John’s: SS “Bruce” from Sydney passed through the heaviest ice of the winter. The ice will seriously impede ocean steamers bound for Montreal.
May 3 4130’N 4754’W a large berg 100′ high and 1,000′ long.
May 4 4134’N 4701’W berg 8m distant.