Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-03-01
aflisctllanu.
4 Winter Visit 10 Mount Washing
fan

ton.
The following extracts from the Boston
Daily journals correspondent, relating tc
his recent visit to Mount Washington, are
continuation Of those published last week
now THEY LIVE AT THE SUMMIT.
The sojourners on Mount Washington are
SO bizb liyers' in one eeuse. but in laying il
their stock Of provisions for the winter they
had a view to actual necessities rather t. an
luxurIes. Thirteen or fourteen tons of Goa
were transported to the summit by rail for
fuel, and among the provisions taken uI
were canned meats and oysters, fresh meats
of one or two kinds which could be kept as
long as required by freezing, salt pork which
is kept in the same way, pilot bread, dried
apples, canned peaches and tomatoes, corn
starch, flour, beans, sugar, condensed milk
butter. tea and cotI,e. Water Is obtained by
melting Ice, Of which might be supposed,
there Is a plentiful supply at the summit II
is of the pUrest quality. except that some
times minute PARTICLES Of the lIchens which
grow about the rocks and are blown off by
the hl1h winds are found ImhedIed IN IL
Once since winter began water has teen OBJ
tanned from the spring near the Lizzie Bourne
monument. but this was something remark
able. for the spring ia generally frozen. Two
meals a d3v ere served breakfast about
O'Clock aud dinner in the middle Of the af-
teFaaon Good hours are observed. all Lands
.dLcGisz 20 the - early to bed and carly 70
rise motto. except when tie gales are so
severe that sleep is out of the question. or
whcn some celestial phenomenon demands
attention. The sharp, bracing a5mJspi ere
aiyes good appcttes. OCce Cr twice visitors
have taken up some IuxuTIes or TaTIJIes to
add ID the common bill Of fare. Our party
added a turkey, " hich was roasted and served
in splendid style on the next day alter our
arrival, supplemented by the half of de-
lcious Christmas pudding which had previ-
Jusly been sent up from Hanover. finer
banquet was never served on Mount Wash
Ingt5n Or anywhere else. Sergeant Smith
has .. gilt at making peculiar kind OF
oil c0rn-starch pudding which Is highly rel
ishcd. Mr.. Nelson Is a very decided success
in the griddlc-cakc ard many Ctber lines.
and other members of the little colony are
also talented in various specialities Of Il e
tering department The good old New Eng
land custom Of having a Sunday breakfast of
baked beans IS kept up without deviation,
and at the very time Of the terrible gale and
intense cold OF the night OF Saturday. Feb
ruarv 4Jh. the Professor was busy superin-
tending preparations Tor the morr0w's break
fast. For lack Of any other dish that can
he place within the oven If the stove, tn
beans are baked in the tea kettle.
For outdoor amus emcnts, when the wealth
ur is suitable, and when scientific Observa-
tions or inspections Of the telegraph cable in
search Uf a break DO not interfere, variety
uf occupations present themselves, one oi
which j, sliding down the carriage road for
haIt mile or so, or upon the declIvity near
the Lizzie Bourne monument In the one
case some skill Is required IN preventing
desceu- mt the terrible depths of Tucker
mans Rav.ue, and ID the other correspond
iug care must he taken that the sled does not
yet beyond control and tumble over the sides
81 the Great Gulf. Think of cOa>ting down
Nou It ashington on hand sled A tTi-
fling amount Of exercise in the rare atmos
puc,e 0l the summit, especially If there is a
chance 10 be much Of q hTc, ze stirring, IS IA
tgumg. When the wind Is so high or Il e
cold is 50 intense that It Us unsafe 10 go ott
Of doors. as j TOT uulrequen1ly haITer~.
books s, Iua gaines. letter writing.
Ui amusemsuts which would most readily
-ugges themselves 10 genial social circle
hIvci lor The day are resorted %.
THE FROST WORK.
We bad several fine opportunities To oh-
serve the beautiful frost formations Prot
Huntington has described in one Of his let
,,Is 10 tile press, and which constitute on
at the most wOndr.us phenomena OF these
nigh noJ ntaIn attitudes. These forms Of
frost are not described in any scientific works, .
and Prot Huntington and Mr.. Ciough were
probably tie first 10 make any careful exam
nation of Jhem. Alr. Clough made some
views ol tIcm On Aoosiiauke some years
ago, ard has this win er photograph ed some
very fine sIecimeIs- i Iarty, hO wished /
tie summit Of %ouDt Washington Dec IL
her Is. IojS, on legal erTand connected /
with the title and right of possession III some /
of the property there (aud who were e G on /
Iv persons " no ever a=cended Mount WASH /
iuEt1u X tie WiLt' r previous 70 this ytar) I
encountered something Ut 5Ic sort. but moth I
iu2 81 extensive L.s frequently Leen Oh Z
served by Prof. Huntington and nI- cOmFan-
ions. Inc experiences OBJ Prot Huntington .
and NJ Clough on MUuslIauke last year,
and repeated experiences ~ the higher altI-
tude OF Mount Washington tie present sea
son, lave proved the fears previously eX
pres Cd regarding " frost clouds which
served to drive the visitors Of 1885 down tie
mountain side n great haste, to be purely /
imagiEary.
IUE -NOw
Snow as Ege see it below is seldom seen at
the mountain top, and hone of the common
i1rms gr snow flakes are detected there ex-
ccpt rarely Tie general snow plane is evil
IDENTIFY los cr. Once or twice during our
STAY. it showed lrr1n clouds which were
higher than the mountain top, but this phe-
n1mcna, we are told, was rare Ice and
frost generally take the place Of the ordinary
forms ot =nOA although the arr is frequent
Iv filled with tic minute splculsc which col IA
iCct and form into snow fakes in falling to a
lower level. The show which finds its way
through th. cToviccs of building Is Of the
Euest aad most delicate soltress, but with
lt ]. quickly becomes compact and hard.
THE wIND.
Hiza winds are the most terrible vista
t5n- On the mountains. Snow storms, or
even intense cold, may be encountered with
safety a long as one Is able to keep active.
but il IS impossible 10 Withstand the terrific
assaults OF old Boreas on the exposed noun
taiu De k wheIe he holds undisputed sway.
Compared with the severe winds experienced
iOw levels, the common wind velocity on
Mount Washington in winter IS as three or
four ID one, while in the furious tempests
which have ragged Gt intervals, the rate Is :
greatly increased. Some idea may be formed '
Of the comparative velocity when it is known
that a high wind which unrooied buildings :
uprooted trees. and demolished chimneys IN
the city of New York reached only the rate a
Of forty-fiyc m les an hour. The average b
velocity in Phil 4delphia. based on o6serya- t
tlons extending through period Of twenty
five years, was ascertained to be only eleven
a.iles per hour-niDc in summer and four n
teen in winter. The average velocity at To- a
raut, j. nine miles an hour st Oxford and !
Grcenwseh England, ten miles and at Liv- n
crp90l. thirteen miles. The average velocity ,
On Mount Washington IN winter Is probably 4
about forty FIVE mics an bOur. Seventy five +
and eighty miles an hour have frequently =
been indicated, and tie rate has exceeded q
ne hundred miles an hour on at least three ;
different occasions. n
The prevailing winds at the summit are :
from tie northwest and west. When the .