Ice Charts and Reports 1871

Minimal amount -2. (M).
Very little. (GR).
Northern ice at St. John’s arrive Feb 1, depart May 6. (GR).
At Ferryland, no drift ice came in with the shore for the season. All clear Apr 1st, only icebergs. (JW in GR).
Jan 18th, bergs and heavy ice mouth of Trinity Bay. Jun 26th, a quantity of heavy ice between Catalina and St. John’s in meadows several miles long, 12 and 15′ in height. (GR).
Strait of Belle Isle free from ice late in June. At this date the field ice extended from Belleisle of the north to Belleisle of the south, and as far as the eye could reach toward the eastward, leaving a passage between Cape St. John all along the east coast of Newfoundland. (CH in GR).
No mention of ice in NYMR.

January/February

Jan 31 The steamers “Robert Lowe” and “Merlin” came in here yesterday from the northward. They encountered very stormy weather and large quantities of ice, and the former vessel had her bow stove in and other injuries. (Newf.).
Feb 16 “Alex Marshall” from Liverpool to New York 46N 47W encountered a field of ice and ran southwards for 9 hours to get clear of it. (LL).
Feb 19 SS “Anglia” from Glasgow to New York 46N 48W passed heavy fields of [missing]. (LL).
Feb 28 SS “Rhein” from Bremen to New York passed large fields of ice in 46N on the outer edge of the Banks.(LL).

March

Mar 1 Schooner “Mary and Ann” from St. John’s to the French Shore struck a pan of ice 5m WSW of Copper Is., near Fogo, and foundered; crew saved. (LL).
Mar 2 SS “Britannia” from the Clyde to New York 46N 46W passed field ice and a berg. (LL).
Mar 8 SS “Queen” from Liverpool to New York 43N 49W passed 2 bergs. (LL).
Mar 12 SS “Wyoming” from New York to Liverpool 45N 48W passed ~30 small bergs. ( LL).
Mar 16 SS “Denmark” from new York to Liverpool 44N 48W passed several bergs. (LL).
Mar 17 “Tweedsdale” from Pensacola to the Clyde 45N 48W passed a field of ice and had to run 15m S to clear it. (LL).
Mar 18 SS “Westphalia” from New York to Plymouth 44N 49W passed a large berg and much field ice. (LL).
Mar 19 SS “Donau” at New York from Bremen passed some ice and 1 berg on the South Spit of the Banks. (LL).
Mar 19 SS “Caledonia” from the Clyde to New York 46N 48W passed large quantities of field ice and a great many bergs. (LL).
Mar 20 “Monteagle” from Galveston to Liverpool 43N 50W passed between 2 bergs and several smaller detached pieces of ice. (LL).
Mar 21 SS “St. Laurent” at New York from Brest passed large quantities of ice on the Banks of Newfoundland in 44N. (LL).
Mar 21 “Walrus” first arrival from fishery having taken seals near the Funks. (Newf.).
Mar 21 “Omaha” from Savannah to Liverpool 43N 52W passed 2 bergs, one of which was very large. (LL).
Mar 22 SS “Thuringia” at New York from Hamburg 40N 44W passed several small bergs. (LL).
Mar 23 SS “Oceanic” from Liverpool to New York 46N 48W passed a great many bergs and a large quantity of field ice, extending from 40 to 50m . (LL).
Mar 24 Tel. from Harbour Grace: Good trips, seals in abundance many sailing vessels jammed south. (Newf.).
Mar 28 SS “Anglia” from Glasgow to New York 46N 47W passed numerous bergs and a large quantity of field ice during a dense fog and had to stop her engines for 10 hours. (LL).
Mar 29 SS “Wisconsin” from Liverpool to New York 43N 50W passed a small berg. (LL).

April

Apr 5 SS “Wyoming” from Liverpool to New York 45N 46W passed 3 bergs. (LL).
Apr 6 “Kosmos” from Hamburg to New York 48N 48W passed about 50 large bergs and a large quantity of drift ice.(LL).
Apr 6-9 “Forest King” from London to Halifax 46N 45W entered a field of drift ice and became surrounded; next morning it was found that the stern and cutwater were very much cut up, the port bow was stove and the vessel leaking badly; on the 9th, in 45N 49W she passed clear of the ice field [arrived Halifax Apr 17]. (LL).
Apr 8 Issue: Newfoundland Seal Fishery. The SS “Walrus” which returned to St. John’s on Mar 19 with 15,000 young seals, taken off Funk Island about a week before, reported that 30 vessels were in the ice in company with her, all of which were loaded and had borne up for home. The “Walrus” had been for days surrounded by seals as far as the eye could see, and the season, it is said, would be unusually prosperous, and the earliest ever know in Newfoundland. The weather was very moderate and the larger masses of ice lay along the shore, thus enabling the fleet to avoid dangers generally encountered there. (LL).
Apr 8-9 “Marco Polo” from Bremen to New York 47N 47W passed a quantity of bergs and field ice and was obliged to steer south to clear them. (LL).
Apr 9 SS “Cimbria” at New York from Hamburg 48N 50W passed a large berg and much field ice. (LL). Apr 9 “Athlete” from Port Talbot to Boston 47N 50W passed large quantities of ice and ran south to 41N to get clear of it. (LL).
Apr 9 “Hambersund” from Bristol to New York 50N 49W passed amongst ~50 bergs. LL
Apr 10 Schooner “Selina” of St. John’s bound to Conception Bay with lumber and firewood was driven ashore by the ice in Friday’s Cove and became a total wreck; crew saved. (LL).
Apr 12 SS “Austria” from Portland to Lough Foyle saw several bergs. (LL).
Apr 12 SS “City of Brussels” from Liverpool to New York 44N 45W passed a large berg. (LL).
Apr 13 Issue: Coast is ice-bound. Several vessels ice bound in Bay Bulls. (PL).
Apr 13 SS “Britannia” from the Clyde to New York 46N 49W passed a large number of bergs. (LL).
Apr 13 St. John’s: Seal fishery very successful. (LL).
Apr 16 “Queen of the Fleet” from Hamburg to New York 45N 49W was compelled to stand south to clear a number of bergs. (LL).
Apr 16 “Plymouth Rock” from London to New York 43N 42W passed a berg. (LL).
Apr 17 Ice off Bird Rocks. (LL).
Apr 19 Glasgow: Brig “Douro” from the Clyde, Mar 28, for St. John’s is reported, by telegram dated
Apr 15, as being off St. John’s icebound. (LL).
Apr 20 “Prinz Albert” at New York from Hamburg 49N 50W saw a number of bergs and much field ice by which she was surrounded for 4 days. (LL).
Apr 21-23 “Argonaut” from Bremen to New York passed a large number of bergs off the Grand Banks. (LL).
Apr 21-23 “Moses Rogers” from Messina to New York 43N 50W passed a large berg and much drift ice and another large berg on the 23rd in 43N 53W. (LL).
Apr 22 SS “Hanover” from Havanna to Southampton 44N 48W passed 2 large bergs. (LL).
Apr 22 SS “Europa” at New York from the Clyde 45N 50W passed several bergs and much drift ice. (LL).
Apr 22 Strait of Canso icebound. (LL).
Apr 22 Halifax: A telegram from St. John’s was received yesterday stating that the harbour and the Newfoundland coast generally were blockaded by ice. (LL).
Apr 24 “Patruus” at Arichat from Jersey passed large quantities of ice. (LL).
Apr 25 “Moneta” from Rotterdam to New York saw a large quantity of ice. (LL).
Apr 28 SS “Medway” from London to Quebec 47N 50W passed a large berg. (LL).


May 3 SS “Wolf” foundered by colliding with an iceberg near Gull Is., Cape John. (PL).
May 3 SS “Wolf” lost 6m E of Cape St. Lewis, Labrador. Crew brought to St. John’s by SS “Nimrod”. (NW).
May 3 Liverpool: SS “Hector” arrived at St. John’s from the seal fishery, reported that she had experienced heavy weather. (LL).
May 3 “Conquest at New York from Antwerp 50N 43W saw 2 bergs. (LL).
May 3 “Palo Alto” from Liverpool to New York 43N 50W saw 2 large bergs. (LL).
May 3 SS “City of Brooklyn” from Liverpool to New York 42N 50W passed a large berg. (LL).
May 4 SS “Silesia” from Hamburg to New York passed several bergs off Cape Race. (LL).
May 5 Sealing schooner “Emily Allen” abandoned by part of her crew in Green Harbour, Trinity Bay, being jammed in ice and out of provisions. (PL).
May 5 Dundee: According to telegram SS “Walrus” arrived at St.John’s reports that the coast is much blockaded with ice. (LL).
May 7 “Minnehaha” from Londonderry to New York 45N 50W passed a large berg. (LL).
May 9 Learn of the loss of SS “Wolf” in the ice in the vicinity of Green Bay. (Newf.).
May 9 SS “Ohio” at Southampton from Baltimore 44N 52W passed several bergs. (LL).
May 9 Greenock: SS “Wolf” has sunk near Cape John, in running the ice, and is lost; crew safe, the vessel was full. (LL).
May 9 SS “City of Brooklyn” at New York from Liverpool 4220’N passed a large berg. (LL).
May 9 New York: “Seadog” sailed from Cadiz Apr 5 for Newfoundland has sunk in the ice. (LL).
May 10 “N. Boynton” from Cardiff to New York came by the northern passage and had strong westerly gales to the Banks; 46N 53W passed a number of bergs. (LL).
May 12 & 17 “Michael” from Antwerp to New York 44N 48W passed 2 bergs and much field ice; 17th, 44N 49W another berg. (LL).
May 16 SS “Titan” at New York from Messina 34[!]N 50W passed a berg and 2 large pieces of field ice just awash. (LL).
May 19 The present is a late season. Up to this time the ice and east winds were upon us with little relenting for about 6 weeks during which the arrival of a large part of our spring importations was delayed. (Newf.).
May 19 SS “Medway” to London from Quebec passed a berg; passed 4 more same day off Cape pine, and 3 more on 20th in 46N 53W. (LL). May 20 Greenock: SS “Wolf” of St. John’s when returning from the fishing grounds with 330 tons of seals, met with a quantity of running ice, May 8, off Cape John, which swamped the vessel and caused her to founder; no lives lost. (LL).
May 20 “Gefian” from Cardiff to New York 46N 47W passed 3 bergs. (LL).
May 21-22 “New Wabeno” from Mirimachi to Liverpool 45N 53W passed several large bergs. (LL).
May 22 SS “Moravian” at Londonderry from Quebec passed several bergs. (LL).
May 25 “Westphalia” from Hamburg to New York passed 2 large bergs in 55W. (LL).
May 26-28 “Harriet” from Hamburg to New York 43N 52W passed some large bergs and a quantity of drift ice.(LL).
May 28 “H.L. Routh” for New York 48N 51W passed a berg. (LL).
May 31 “New Orleans” from Shields to New York saw large quantities of field ice and bergs on the western edge of the Banks. (LL).


Jun 1 SS “Holsatia” from Hamburg to New York between 47N 46W and 48W and 54W passed a great number of bergs. (LL).
Jun 3 Intelligence received yesterday by the Newfoundland mail, states that the ice on the coast is still very thick. (LL).
Jun 7 “Cornelius Grinnell” at New York from London 46N 49W passed a berg. (LL).
Jun 5 Telegram from Heart’s Content, “The repair of the 1865 cable will be delayed for a few days on account of the ice”. (LL).
Jun 9 Quebec: Brig “Edouard” from Montreal to St. John’s with provisions struck the ice in the gulf and suffered considerable damage to vessel and cargo. Now undergoing repairs at St. John’s. (LL).
Jun 9 “Constance”, Lord, from Liverpool to Quebec 47N 49W passed a great number of bergs. (LL).
Jun 15 “Crusader” at New York from Liverpool 46N 48W saw several bergs. (LL).
Jun 16 SS “Ospray” arrived from the northward. Struck a berg near Trinity and lost bowsprit. Newf
Jun 20 A telegram from the superintendent at Valentia states that the 1865 Atlantic cable is now repaired. (LL).
Jun 21 “Lady Westmoreland” from Quebec to Warrenpoint, UK passed several bergs on the eastern edge of the Banks of Newfoundland. (LL).
“Confederate” lost at the seal fishery. (#511).
Sailing sealer “Sea Nymph” lost at seal fishery. (NW).