The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1859-07-02
Tho Phenomenon or tho Frozen Won
in Vermont.

,,,ds,ss j. s soi only by her gold diggings that
lion from the outside world. The frozen
well at Brandon is great natural curiosity.
II Is situated on a gentle slope oi ground,
which rises on one side, and falls Off on the
other, 40 moderately II may be called iocrn-
bis level. The soil ii of a hard, compact,
grarelly nature. The region round about
furnishes marble carbonate Of lime) in album
dance. Early in November last, Mr. Alex.
ander Twombly commenced digging a we'll.
and after going down about twenty-five feet.
without noticing anything unusual in the
character Of the soil, he came upon frozen
ground tthu- surfarc earth at the time " a.
frozen but few inchos) Continuing down
ward, through this frozen earth for fifteen
feet, he came to water. The soil, just at this
point, he describes as yellowish and sticky.
The water commenced freezing over soon
after il was exposed. The well was stoned
up three feet in diameter at the bottom. di-
minishing to two feet nt the top. The depth
OF the water is FIVE or six feet the surface OF
II forty-one feet from the top Of the ground
During the past winter the water froze over
so that il had TO be cut by person going
down into the well every day, and sometimes
the descent had TO be made several times a
day. The ice in the morning would often be
three inches thick. III addition, the sides Of
n
the water, would 1be iucrusted with ice. The
water, censed' freezing over about the 18th of
May last.
Such is Mr.. Twombly's statement, corrobo-
rated by others in all essential particulars.
The condition Of the well on the 18th inst.
when we visited il, was this. The water in
the we'll is enclosed in wall Of ice six TO
eight inches thick, inside the stone wall, but
not rising above the surface of the water, and
atiording good foothold to a person once
down there. For six or eight feet above the
surface of the water, the stone wall is incrus.
ted with a layer of frost and ice, not thick.
The water is clear, cold, and tastes well /; it is
not very "hurd"
The above facts proven, how shall the phe-
nomenon be explainedp The causes lie eyi-
IDENTITY in some peculiarly Of the soil in that
locality. Suppose We take into consideration
several we'll known facts. Chloride of calci-
UNI, with snow or ice, forms n powerful frig-
oriiie mixture. This chloride is formed by a
union of carbonate OF lime (marble) with mu-
ratic acid, which is made from common salt
Chloride of calcium exists in solution in
ocean waters, and also in certain spring wa
ters, commonly in union with salt and chic
ride of magnesium. As before stated, the
region about the we'll abounds In marble, or
carbonite of lime, and quite likely this water
may be from one OF the springs saturated
with Chords of calcium in union with salt,
sc. If salt and snow or ice, will form a
freezing mixture, and chloride of calcium
with snow or ice will form one still more
powerful, why may not the chloride, suppo-
sing 1t TO be present, with salt, perhaps, suf-
fee to freeze water, naturally cold by reason
Of it's depth from the surface' II 1t is claim.
ed that frigorihc mixtures Slo not soEdify,
may not the above ideas point the way in
which to look for probable solution of the
mysteryP Who will make it plain P-Spr.
Rep