Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-09-08

gravel would be reached, which would readily
swallow M all the water that could be collect
cd in that basin of clay. The fact that tins
spring Is dry during tbs dry season Of the year
fayors the idea advanced. Hence it appears
that if ice wero pl4c Il beneath the spring, it
wouid-be cllrctually rotccted ir,n heated air
and surface wittr from ahuyG by Il stratum OF
clay. which is nearly or quite inp,Ivious t.
5Jth therefore it w~uld Vy,r remain IN II con
= alec S ate unless it were ,if3 ted by rldttt d
NEAT. The bad conducting pr petit 5 1T clay.
IS well rs Of Tie p rous Srv | associated wiih
1t, tax n III connection with the highly incl nee
pnous strata, and t G ei>l q lion # SEATED ait
t. riS', and The cold to ronam :, | w, ch tribdlo
10 prod~c4 in tie earth at tlls %l,cea MaInmoti
Rctrig orator, embrt ilg ,sS n,ltI'y the same
lrinciple us that nyJlvcl in the justly G It,
brated X fr gcrtur, kuuNn Us " v iits. il ; Ia
tent. Ii not uuIr Gucntly hal ems uaL ice l.
found in mlGsimulcr, IN Tie q / 5 sol cks, III
in deep and ndrrJw girg formed in the inids'
of mountain rang :, us 1T W%ullingfJrd, tittS
ford, Mansfield Mountain, aid els wEtrc IN Ntr-
mont but in all tilcs3 Cases, the ic' is ildcn
from the direct rays Of the sun, and 81 Had
rom winds, hut well ventilated. In cavyrns,
with snail openings, and especially If they are
at 5hc side, and tic cave is arch Il above the
opening, ice is rar' ly, # cy.r, tuurd for the
heated air, no. being permitted To Escape re-
mains in the top Of tie cavern, and raises the
temperature above the i~r0czing point. IT, some
portions of the Checvcr Iron Mine near Port
Henry, New York, that are t mporarily aban-
doned, ice EXITS during the entire summer, and
seems to be but little affected by the heat Of the
atmosphere, and melts mainly in consequence of
beat radiated from the earth below. The vein
Of ore removed was from ten to twenty feet
thick, and the longitudinal opening, interrupted
occasionally by ore not yet removed, IL several
hundred feet IN extent. w. w
These ice beds seem to resemble in many re-
spects the frozen gravel near the famous well in
Brandon. The former occurs between walls OF
stone that dip from As to 90 degrees southeast
the ventilation and escape of warm air from the
iron pits are impeded only by pillars of ore left
to support the roof Of the mine, while that from
the frozen earth in Brandon passes through the
intersticcs so abundant in the mass of pebbles
forming many of the strata there. The supply
Of water in the Iron pits is principally frOm the
surface, and not from II stream OF living water
passing through the mine; and from the fact
that the Brandon well is surrounded by ridges
of limestone on three sides, it is evident that no
underground streams Of water pGss through it
that originate beyond the limits al the BASIN
The ice forms in the old IRON mine during the
cold weather Of winter, and the same was true
last winter, in the frozen well, for during the
coolest weather the water troze hardest. Hence
it would seem probable that the frozen gravel If
that basin was the result Of existing causes
but upon this point | am not strenuous.
Now | claim that there are currents OF run
ming water beneath the earth's surface, and in
consequence Of radi ted heat these currents al
ways indicate a temperature above the freezing
point, and furthermore, that the deep seated
streams generally have equal temperature dur
ing the year. They occasionally come to the
surface in the form of cold springs, but cold as
they are, they never freeze, and hence the Oft
heard expression, g they are cold in the summer
and warm in the winter"
That currents of air also permeate gravel ter,
races, and even depths far below them, is evil
dent from the fact that in exploring caves, fay
beneath the earth s surface, Il good wholesome
atmosphere is almost invariably found. 1t is
well known fact that during the entire year,
and more especially in winter, that a strong
current Of air escapes from deep underground
%caverns, as is the case with the" Blowing Cave y
OF Virginia, and numerous others IN this coun-
try. You doubtless r~ecollect the strong current
OF air that We met in descending into the Cave
on Dorset Mountain, especially at the narrow
passes where it was almost impossible to keeI
the candle burning. That currents of air as
cend from wells, deep assures, &C., is evident
from the fact that there is oftentimes, during
cold weather, a thick coating Of frost TT then
mouths, the result Of the congelation of vapol
brought up by the ascending current of air
Unless the unphilosophical ground is taken tina
II vacuum is made, and continues to exist, a
the source Of these ascending currents, there
must be descending ones to fill the space once
occupied by them. If then it be admitted tina
descending currents exist, they must of necessity
be currents OF cold air,-a fact well established
for all know the tendency of heated air to rs
and cold air to sink.
With these facts adduced, it is reasonable tt
suppose that ice would long exist in that basin
shaped valley at Brandon,-cut off from radi
atcd internal heat, by sloping strata OF clay anI
pebbles, and being in a recess between lImeston,
lodges, it is also cut off from these neither equal
izers Of temperaturc-undcrground currents 0
water.
And if it is admitted that there are descend
ing currents OF cold air permeating all grave
terraces, it is as reasonable to suppose that ic
would be formed in the strata in consequence
of the descent Of cold air from the gravel pit
or elsewhere, during the winter, as it is to sup
pose that a cold current would descend ~
feet, in opposition to the ascending current c
rarificd air, into the Essex County Iron pits
and CONCEAL the pools Of water there standing
Hence the conclusion deducted from the fact
is that the frozen earth found in Brandon wa
produced us the result Of several circumstance
combined, the most prominent Of which arr
the non conducting and imperviuus nature &
clay-beds-their alienation with the porou
gravel strata, and the highly inclined positio
, Of both, thus facilitating the ventilation an
! escape OF heated air, aud permitting the col
: air to descend through the interstices of til
gravel to the water. The water parmeatin
! the gravel being thus exposed to cold air, an
: cut off from underground currents of Twin
water, which otherwise would raise the tempe
AZURE. congoalalion is the result.
; will not tire your patience longer. but NAL
: one suggestion and close. If the p"recccdir
K theory b. correct, those who experience dificu
{, ty IN keeping ice in houses erected upon a gra
L ely tcrruce-as is often the case-would {
: we'll to copy from this example in Nature, al
: before erecting AN lcc-housc, make an excav
t ton in the earth, and place therein, in n Sian
: ing directlon-like an inverted roof-alterna
u strata OF compact clay and some porous mater
t al, and have the clay Cor sound plank in
" stead placed in Il standing r%ositlon) extend
> yond the walk of tile house to conduct off Il
:. heated air that might arise. Thus situated, Il
y ice would be efftctually protected from the j
: duencc of radiated heat from the earth below
. Respectfully yours, \. D. lIAGER,
The Philadelphia Press saws: