Normally the Chesapeake Bay is free from ice, but occasionally a severe winter belies its location below the Mason-Dixon Line. This happened last in 1936. The Bay itself iced over completely for about 80 of its 195 miles--almost down to the Patuxent River. Its tributaries right on down to the James froze up. Fields of ice drift lay between the Virginia Capes. The dredge boats, framed by a necklace of icicles, sought shelter in Spa Creek in Annapolis. They were immobilized for weeks.
