Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-03-09
I'm the Ciouds.
DaLed at hp
February, 1871

LEE ON MOUNT wAsRINaToE IL aDr
wINTER-CpLD, COLDER, CoLDEsT--
who FORM TIE PARTY-THE VIEW
FROM TIE -UaMIT.
[5peci a. Correspondence Of the Chrosic-s.
MT. WASHINGTON, Feb. 90, 1871.
Another mouth has passed away. What
an experience We have had already dur
ing our short stay here. Storms. hail,
rain, eleet, SLOW house rocking diz1yipg;
wind varying, yelling, bowling, scresu-
ing, moaning, etc.; and then Whist grand
views The many snow covered peaks
around us, the rivers and lakes IN the val
leys gIarlug and ftsiing in a iod Of
glorious sunlight The auroral displays,
how beauti'ui aud sublime Then let the
wind blow at the rate of over hundred
miles an hour and the thermometer 90
down to minus y 59a we can eford it
those magnificent Sights recompsnse ne
fully. Reader would you nct like 10
know who those men ere that for-ake
friends and homes and isolate themselves
at this bleak mouutsin peak for the pro-
motion of science Well, we will intro.
duce ourselves. There is Professor Hun
tington of Hanover, n. 81 who has al
ready spent winter on one Of New
England's mountain-tops; then Mr..
s. A. Nelson, of the press. end
Sergeant Theodore Smith, of the
Signal Service, Z. S. A. The latter mem
Der of the party makes meteorological OBJ
servations for the Signal Department at
Washington, ID. c., Division OF Telekrams,
and reports for the benefit of commerce.
He also is the telegraph operator Of the
Observatory. Professor III. makes ob=er-
vations for the Department of Agricul-
ture, and for the New England prese.
The already mentioned telegrspbic cable
belongs to the Signal Department, and
without it the Observatory wonld lose
much of its importance. While the or
ganization of the party is due TO the en-
terprising gentlemen, Professors O. Il,
Hitchcock and J. III. Huntington, the Sig.
nal Department deserves the credit for
having made the scheme success.
The summit of the mountain has quite
different appearance DOW from what
it was month ago. The four rainy days
in Janusry, when the thermometer went
up to 81 degrees, have taken ell The
ice and besutiful frost-work of the
buildings and railway. The rain left
US thick coating of ice, making walking
rather precarious. Persons who have
visited Mount Washington in summer.
can hardly imagine how clear the atmos-
phere is on these cold winter davs. The
sight of the ocean is somethiug Of very
rare occurrence in summer, while we can
see it on almost every clear morning. The
snow-covered peaks of Kstahdiu, in north
ern Maine, and Wachusett, in southern
Massachusetts,, are also clearly visible
Lake Champiain only an hour before sun
set.
Again, as during the preTious month,
the prevailing wind bas been northwest,
not a single easterly breeze is On record
up to the present day. We therefore CON
clude that the summit of Mount Wash-
ington is in the region of the upper at.
currents. One of the most in
phenomena at this observatory
is the close correspondence between the
rise and fall of the barometer and the vel
ocity of the wind. During a tremendous
gale in January, we took hourly observa-
tious night and day, and found that a de-
crease of only ten miles in the velocity Ct
the wind was always accompanied BY q
rise of the mercury, and vice verea. The
average depression of the barometer dur
ing storms amounts TO nearly an inch be.
low it's normal stand. We are getting
gradually accustomed TO these gentle
bree zps" and the house seems 20 be secure
Those wise ones that predicted we would
die for want of exercise We respectfully
invite to climb up here and see u coast
ing down the carriage read on 6 sled ST 2
rate that would outspeed Dexter. If that
does not satisfy them, let them hold the
for ten minutes when the
wind blows at the rate OF ninety miles en
hour. We believe they would considtr
them the longest ten miuu.es they ever
Our Re ding IN The lofty
regions at this sessan seems 20 take some
Of the traditional terriers of the mountsin
as quite number of persons have visited
u.s. A. matter Of course they are always
welcome, for they bring us letter, etc.,
from our dear ones down on earth. We
sre under many oblig atiors to he oourte-
,us telegraph operators of the WI. Cu-
pany, on the lines connected with cur
,sble, for furnishing us with all the revs
,f any importance. AZ we write theee
lines il il blowing and bowling egsir
The house shakes and trembles like ship
,n high sess. It rises peculiar feelings
and recalls Shelley's yerses
Listen, listen, Mary nins,
I To the whisper Of be Apsontns
II bursts on the roof ike the thu1der's T3sI,
Or like the sea on q roT'hern shore,
Heard N us rzsiug ebb and Cos
BY tnscaptIyes pat in q caTs bels"-
The Apennin~. In the light sdsy,
Is mighty mount.in din and ge7:
But when night c'ne. z c@so. drs-5
On the dim alright then Is sTE-sd.
And the Apennlne walks sbnosd Tr2 tes
storm.
Have the-e fearful storms swept oTsT
Mount Washington for Thousands of years
perhaps millions of years; or sre the r2ir-
rs of the mountain angry with rs poo-
nortals for invading their iphospitabis
region. Can't tell. T.S