From 6 p. m. onward to the time of the collision the weather was
perfectly clear and fine. There was no moon, the stars were out, and
there was not a cloud in the sky. There was, however, a drop in
temperature of 10° in slightly less than two hours, and by about 7.30 p.
m. the temperature was 33° F., and it eventually fell to 32° F. That
this was not necessarily an indication of ice is borne out by the
sailing directions. The Nova Scotia (S. E. Coast) and Bay of Fundy Pilot
(sixth edition, 1911, p. 16) says:
No reliance can be placed on any warning being conveyed to a
mariner by a fall of temperature, either of the air or sea, on
approaching ice. Some decrease in temperature has occasionally been
recorded, but more often none has been observed.