Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-08-11
rhc Frozen Wcmin Yermont

Professor Hitchcock of Amherst, read pa
per before the Scientific Association, on the 4th
instant upon the frozen well at Brandon, Yer.
mont. He said it was a part Of his report upon
the geology Of the State, but he had received
permission from the Governor to present it at
This meeting. The well had been examined by
himself and his assistants, A. d. Hagar and G,
H. Hitchcock. We copy the following extracts
from Professor lIilchcocE's paper;
"The well is situated about one mile south
west of Brandon village, from an eight to a
quarter Of mile cast OF the creek. The sur
lace is 'hot raised very much above the river;
and is composed of sand and gravel, with one
of the varieties Of the lower siurian limestone,
showing itself occasionally in yosses and low
ridges breaking through the ground, and doubt
less underaying the whole superficial deposite
at no great depth. 1t is just such a region of
sand aud gravel as may be seen in many places
along the western side Of the Green Mountains,
and indeed all over New England. 1t is what
is called modified drift, and lies above genuine
drift, having been the result of aqueous agency,
subsequently to the drift period.
The well was dag in November. 1858 For
about ten feet ii passed through soil and gravel,
then about four feet of clay. Below this lay a
deposite from twelve to fifteen feet thick of fro
zen gravel, with quite large bOuders intermix-
ed. Continuing the excavationtwo feet farther
| in the same material, water was reached. The
whole depth is not far from thirty five feet -
! The frozen part passed through appeared pre-
! cisey like the same material frozen at the sur
lace in winter.
Immediately west ofthe well rises a hill of
graye el and sand which may be thirty feet above
the well, and is at its south end some fifty to
seventy feet high This ridge is an eighth of a
mile long and runs northeast and southwest --
Near It's northern end It is crossed by a road
which has been excavated TO a depth Of sixty
two feet At the top OF the ridge the bed Of
clay and the LAYERS Of sand and gravel are near.
ly horizontal, but lower down they dip easterly
fifteen or twenty degrees. At the foot of the
hill they take a horizontal position, The pey-
bles in the strata were about three inches in di.
ameter, and remarkably free from sand and
gravel,
The dip Of those beds Of gravel, sand and
clay, makes il almost certain that this ridge of
DRIFT was formed by a current from the north
east.
The well was stoned up late in the autumn,
and during the winter ice formed upon the
water in one night two inches thick II con
tinucd to freeze till April, since which time no
/ Ice mas Iofueu on tut huIldcbi uub Mutn visited
June 25th, the stones of the well, for some
] four OF FIVE feet above the water, were mostly
loaded with ice, and the temperature Of the
water was only one degree above freezing
July 4th there was ice in the we'll. The water
at that time was twenty two inches deep
! About one hundred rods distant is another we'll
| the temperature of which, on the 25lh of June
was fity-one Another WELL twelve feet deep
sixty rods distant had a temperature of forty
! five"
! In stating the various theories in regard tC
this interesting matter, Professor Hitchcock
said.
upon the whole, though il is possible that
the Brandon deposte is a remnant of glacial
period he looked with moro favor upon the sup
! position that il was the result of operations
now going on, produced by currents Of air
through be porous deposite'
An interesting discussion followed-more to
eucidate facts than 10 refuto the theories pre-
aented.
Professor Dawson, OF Montreal, stated that he