Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-02-11
Curious Phenomenon.

i eori espendent in the eastern part OF Massa
ehusetts sends the suljoined account Vi a singu
lar meteorological phenomenon observed during
the cold weather in January;
"The reason Of my writing this letter at this
time. In my present state OF health, 10 one that
has kept you in my thoughts almost constantly for
four days past. the facts of which | thought you
| might like tn preserve III your paper. fear !
cannot hope TO give such description ms to pro-
, ducc n result desirable. As with you, we have
had that strange mysterious visitation 81 the frost
spirit whose chill hand seemed to BIO laid upon US
as to chain the mercury in the glass for two
whole days-its highest point during all thu time
being two degrees below zero, while the whole air
was full of mist, as if the particles of vapor were
So congealcd as to dcstroythrir transparency
''On Wednesday the weather began to moderate
n little. and on Thursday, when the day dnwnel
it looked upon the most glorinvs sight It seems to
me, it could ever have in its march oi ages
around the globe. Every tree and shrub to Its
minutest twlg. every weed and splre OF grass how
ever fhreadlike it's sprays the needles OF the Pine
in fact every object IN the air and on the earth,
covered with frost capitalization, =" delicate
that the slightest breath Of air would cause it Ia
fly like down. aud Yet all above and below WAS
shroudcd with it, even to the attcnuated threads
of the spiders weaving. Many Of these projecting
feathers stood out three or four inches from the
objects to which they were attached, and saw
less than an inch in length.
You can Judge ut the stiffness ol the atmosphere,
when you know thai this strange magical scene
continued all day I'll in the evening. when, with
n single puff oi air slight IN scarcely to be iet
it vanished n, once away. This capitalization was
made up Of. FIST. thread as ino rs the silk hbrc;
to this attached similar iibrcs standing near
" at ri ght angles with the fret. crowded close to
each other. and ON these again were sllnilnr noed-
les. and almost 10 indefinite extent, until
the feather-ior 80 1t was-was made up. The
trees seemed mighty putncs tho branches just
showing through the downy covering with slight
degree II shadow, standing 50 still i'll tho charmed
air that all seemed much Ike dream or an en-
chantmcnt which would yanish as quickly. Even
the vibration produced by II loud tone OF volco was
sufficient TO dlsrohe Of those Icatherclad trees
As it regards the position OF these irostfcathcrs,
upon the upright ol,jcrs and those whose inc'ina-
ton was slight they stood out horizontally On tho
northeast sde.in other cases they stood on the up
per side. pointing vertically.
"On saturday WE had another display Of FROST
work, on less brilliant than the first, but quite
diff, rent in effect ltconsisel of coatng of ice
loading the trees: this melting produced cicles
Of yarious cngths crowded very closely together,
every object beng covered az in the first ease. The
scene presented WAS QUE altogether Undesirable.
This has stad with us two days. 1t is difficult
to define the impression leit upon the mind by
the first sccuc The ,apor in the atmosphere
which looked lkr feathers of snow, hung there rs
,n everything below; the purify, dellrncy and soft
ness whirh seemed to lie embodied, rs it were, aud
spread out wherever the eye could reach. and all
81 white iihpnt "A stain III the heavens or on the
earth, al { udHeedt, produce result which poet
alone could put ia word -