Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-06-25
THE FROZEN WELL.

u tAo June II.
LII is not only by her gold diggDgs that Ver-
mont is just now attracting special attention
from the outside world. The frozen we'll at
Brandon Is great natural curiousity 1t is
situated on agentle slope of ground which
rising on one side falls off on the other, 80 mod
erately. it may be called tolerably level The
soil Is of 4 hard, compact gavelly nature. The
region round about furnishes marble carbonate
OF lime) in abundance. Early in November
last MIR. Alexander TwOmbley commenced dig.
ging well, and after going down about twen-
ty-fye feet without noticing anything unusual
in the character of the soil, he came upon
frozen ground (the surface earth at the time
was frozen but a few inches.) Continuing down.
ward through this frozen earth for fifteen feet.
he came to water. The soil Just at this point.
he describes rs yellOwish and sticky The water
commenced freezing over soon after it was ex-
posed. The we'll was stoned up three in diane
ter at the bottom, diminishing two feet at the
top. Tho depth Of the water is five or six feet.
the surface Of it forty-One feet from the top of
the ground. During the past winter the water
frOZe over 1t so that it had 10 be cut by person
going down into the well every day, and some
days the descent had to be made several times.
The Ice In the morning would often be three
inches thick. In addition the side. of the
well, for distance Of fifteen feet above the
water, would b incased with ice. The water
ceased freezing over about the 18th of Nav last
Such is Mr.. TwOmbley's statement, corrobo-
rated by others in all essential particulars The
condition Of the we'll, on the 18th instant, when
We visited il, was this: The water in the well
is enclosed in a wall Of lee six or eight inches
thick, inside the stone wall, but not rising above
the surface of the water, and affording a good
fOOthold to person down there. For six or
eight feet above the surface of the water, the
stone wall is incrusted with layer of frost and
ice, not thick. The water is clear, cold, and
tastes we'll; it ID not very ''hard.''
The above facts proven, how shall the phe-
nomenOn be explained! The causes lie evident
ly in some popularity Of the soil in that local-
ty. Suppose We take into consideration sever
al well-knOwn facts. Chloride of calcium, with
snow or ice, forms powerful frigorifc mixture.
This chloride is formed by union Ofcarbonate
Of lime (marble) with muratic acid, which is
made from common salt. Chloride Of calcium
exists in solution in ocean waters, and also in
certain spring waters, commonly in union with
salt and chloride of magnesium. As before
stated, the region about the well sbounds in
marble, or carbonate Of lime and quite likely
this water may be from one Of Il Springs SAL
urated with chloride of calcium which snow or
ice will form one still more powerful, why may
not the chloride, supposing it to be present,
with salt, perhaps, suffice TO freeze water, nat
urally cold by reason Of its depth from the sur
face? If it is claimed that frigorifc miatIres
do not solidfy, may not the above ideas point
the way in which to look for a probable solution
Of the mystery?