A REMARKABLE SIGHT.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2296, 12 August 1881, Page 3

A REMARKABLE SIGHT.

The remarkable pack of icebergs reported as having been passed by the Jasper on her voyage to Cape Town is thus described by an "old salt ” now on board tho barque Elizabeth. The Elizabeth fell in with the same pack a few days before the Jasper, Me says : —“ On tho morning of tho 19th of April, when in lat. 49 S. and long. 26 W., at about seven o’clock, the startling cry of ** Land, he !” from tho look-out resounded through the ship. In an instant every one was on the qui vive, and every eye strained to catch a sight of what to ns appeared somewhat paradoxical, as we knew that we were many hundreds of miles from any known land or rocks. Bat there sure enough, plain to view, was a beautiful islet of the form of a parallelogram, with a surface of a gentle incline, the sun’s rays giving it the appearance of a beautiful verdant and neatly trimmed lawn, most ' tantalising to a lover of croquet. All round its 1 base was fringed with white, resembling the 1 wash of the waves, which tended to confirm the * impression of its being an island, but which i in reality was small pieces of detached ice. i The captain, who quickly made his appearance ) on deck, laconically observed to the mate, . “ ’Tis ice,” and the fog, which hitherto had enveloped everything, rose and disclosed to tho • view of the astonished beholders one of the most 3 grand and awe-inspiring panoramas conceivable, j Icebergs to the right ! Icebergs to the loft ! Icebergs in front ! Tier above tier, A gorgeous collection of tho purest marble and 1 alabaster, sparkling in tho sunshine, all of the e most irregular and fantastic shapes^ —arches. a columns, towers, pinnacles, great massive buildi inga,fortresses, temples, palaces, ruins, assuming Y all the shades and hues of the rainbow-held everyone literally spellbound with amazement

and admiration. A gentle breeze enabled ns to steer safely through, and to note at leisnre the endless variety of shapes these dangerous neighbors assumed. By a simple problem in plain trigonometry the height of any could easily bo ascertained. One of the bergs exceeded 300tt, and as it is generally supposed that at least twothirds are submerged, some idea may be formed of their immensity, and the depth of water required for the navigation of these “ monsters of the deep ” in their periodical voyages from their frozsn home to a more genial climate, which, however, proves their destruction. And thus while daylight lasted wo aped on our way ; but at night we hove-to under small sail, and used every precaution which suggested itself to the mind of our careful commander, such as a vigilant look-out and a frequent use of the “ ice lead.” This is simply testing by a thermometer the temperature of the water drawn from over the side every half-hour, which will invariably indicate the close proximity of a berg by a sudden fall of the mercury. At last, on the third day, wo were glad to bid adieu to our grand yet terrible neighbors, whose icy embrace would have been death.”