Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-02-09
WINTER. ON MT. WASHINGTON,
a Description OF the Frost Works"-
An Ems haunting Spectacle.

An Enc hanting Spectacle.
Correspondence of Boston Journal. jan. H.
The So frost work" Is one OF the most
remarkable phenomena of this high al
tltude. As few have ever seen it, and
none have attempted to describe it, and
az the causes that produce it are but
imperfectly understood, we shall per-
haps be pardoned if we present some
rather crude ideas in regard to it. 1t is
difficult also to convey in words any
idea OF it's wonderful form and beauty.
From the study given to it last winter.
and the opportunities we have had oi
observing its formation, we are able to
give what seems to us a plausible, if
not correct theory, to account for
this, the most plastic of all handi-
won1 of nature. At our very first OBJ
servation we see that it forms only
when the wind is northward, d. C., at
some point between north and west and
north and east, and never when the
wind is southwark. 1t begins with
mere points, on everything that the
wind reaches, on the rocks, on the snow,
on the railway, and on every part of the
CfSh vi VIC Sl0SS. VII tftt
south side it is very slight, as the wind
reaches there only in eddying gusts.
When the surface is rough, the points,
as they begin, are an inch or more
apart when smooth, it almost entirely
covers the surface ut the very begin
ming ;but soon only few points elon-
gate SO, on whatever surface it begins
to form, it has very soon the same gen
eral appearance, presenting everywhere
the same beautiful feathery-like
forms In going up the mountain we
do not SEQ it until We get some distance
above the limit of the trees it is near
ly a mi.e before it is seen in its chauc-
teristic forms, and it is only immedi-
ately about the summit it presents it's
most attractive features We notice
also that it always forms toward the
wind--never from it--and the rapidity
with which it forms, and the great
length of the horizontal masses are
truly wonderful We placed round
stick an inch in diameter, in vertical
position, where it was exposed to the
full face of the wind, and in less than
two days some of the horizontal icicles
we call them icicles for the want of a
more appropriate name-were two feet
in length and scarcely any thicker than
the stick itself They formed on
every part Of the stick that was ex-
posed, but of course some points were
much longer than others. They re-
NAMED several days, but with change
of wind they were blown of. On some
OF the piles of stones south of the house
these horizontal masses are now more
than five feet in length. On the south
ern exposure, instead of the "frost
work. there are only masses of pure
ice, which have always a peculiar hue
of greenish blue In the carly
part of December, when the
thermometer ranged from % to-
80 degrees and the wind was south
ward, the ice formed to the thickness
of foot or more on the telegraph poles
near the house. These icy masses are
formed evidently by the condensation
of the vapor of the atmosphere, as it is
not uncommon for it to be above the
point of saturation. The "fresh
work y is also formed by the condensa-
ton of vapor, but beside the vapor the
air must be filed with minute specule
of ice As the vapor condenscs these
are caught and thus the horizontal
feathery masses are formed. This nc
counts for the facts that we have OBJ
served, namely, that it forms when the
wind is northward and always toward
the wind.