The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-09-12

Ia the recent work Of Sir X. j. Murchison,
on the geology of Russia, he mentions re
narkable ice cave situated not far from Oren-
burQh. II Is at the base of hilIock of Gyp-
sum, Mt the eastern end Of village connected
with the imperial establishment, and is one of II
series Of apparently natural hollows used by the
peasants for cellars or stores. 1t possesses the
remarkable property OF being partly filled with
ice in summer, and totally destitute thereof in
soinfer. standing" says the author, :" on the
heated ground and under broiling sun, | shall
never forget my establishment when the woman,
to whom the cavern belonged, opened frail
door and volume of air 80 piercingly keen
struck the legs and feet that we were glad to
rush into a cold bath in front of us, in order to
equalize the effect! We afterwards subjected
the whole body to the cooling process by enter
ing the cave, which is on level with the street
At three or four PAGES from the door, on which
shone the gIaring sun, we were surrounded by
half-frozen quass and the provisions Of the ma
tiyes. The roof of the cavern hung with solid
undripping icicles, and the floor might be called
n stalagmite of ice and frozen earth We were
glad to escape in few minutes from this ice
bound prison, so long had our frames been ac-
customed to powerful heat"
The cold in this cavern is invariably the
greatest inside, when the air is hottest out
side. As soon as winter sets, in the ice dis
appears, and in mid winter the peasants as
sured the travellers that the cave was of so
genial a temperature, that they could sleep in it
without their sheep-skins. At the very period
when Sir R. j. Murchison visited it, the Their
mo meter was 80 in the shade; yet single
plank was the division between burning sun
and freezing vault.
The cave is about 10 PAGES long and 10 feet
high. 1t has a vaulted roof in which grea. fis-
sufes opeD which appear to communicate with
the body of the hiock. Sawsure, long ago,
gave the clue to the real exposition of this par
adoxical phenomenon; and Professor Pictet,
following it out, has satisfactorily demonstrated
that it is beautiful example of practical Illus
tration in nature of that first principle in chemis
try--epaporafion produces cold 1t is well known
to the geological student, that in certain mines
which have horizontal gallery terminating in a
vertical air in summer descends the vertical shaft
and energies from the horizontal; while in win
ter the current of shaft communicating with the
atmosphere, a current SETS in at the horizontal
and issues from the vertical shaft. The ar
rangement of this cave is very similar. Thus
the cave is the horizontal, and the vertical shaft
lies in the mass of the hill. Suppose then, tie
mean temperature of hill to be about 48 or 90
degrees. The descending summer current pass
ing through the channels of the hill evaporates
the water it meets within its progress so rapidly
az to become colder in the descent; until reach
ing the cave it is even below 32 degrees, and
there freezes the water collected in it. The hot
ter the ir outside the greater the destruction OF
equilibrium between the interior and exterior
columns, which communicate at their bar G in the
cave consequent, the more rapid and intense
the evaporation, the more severe the measure OF
cold produced "This view," says Sir r. j.
Murchison, " is supported by reference to the
climate of the plains of Orenburgh, in which
there is a great wetness of the spring, caused
by the melting Of the snow, succeeded by an in
tense and dry Asiatic heat."-Annpal Of Scien-
nfc Discovery.