Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-03-01


general result IS sure to be the same. Wher
the wind is very high the task is by no meanl
} an easy one to take an observation with the
a anemometer, and rope is often tied around
the observer in order that be may be drawn
back to the building if he is likely to bt
blown away. An exposure of three minutel
to a wind blowing at the rate of eighty Ol
} ninety miles an hour, exhausts one quite as
much half days S, we're manual labor
I The rel Tesentative of the Journal tried biz
hand with the thermometer when the wind
was f und to be blowing at the rate of eighty
> eight miles an hour. Unable to stand up foI
a moment before the fearful blasts, it was
necessary to lie down upon the ground and
brace with one foot under the platfprm OF
the depot. When the velocity reaches the
neighborhOOd Of one hundred miles an hour
1t Is unsafe TO attempt its measurement, since
a man might be lifted up by the winds force
and literally blown away.
COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTER WORLD.
Tire maintenance Of telegraphic communi-
cation and the presence on the mountain OF
a first class operator in the person Of Ser
2 ant SAith Of the Signal service, has made
the situation Of the scientific party seem less
isolated than il otherwise would have been
/ Mail communication has been kept no with
much been regularity than would have
/ been believed possible. BY special arrange
/ ment, all mail matter intended for summit is
/ brought far AS the depot at the base Of
/ the mountain, or carried from thence. Some
/ OF tie party have descended the mountain
/ from time to time, and the few visitors to
\ the summit have gladly become mail-carriers
: Prof. Huntington has been down the noun
tain dozen times, Mr. ClOugh visited the
( base three or four times during his soi0urn
with the party, and Sergeant Smith has been
/ down once. Sergeant Smith started on
5, c0nd trip TO the foot Of the mountain, but
meeting with quite severe accident at ia
cob's Ladder, was forced TO return, feat
which took him some four hours to perform.
( Slipping upon the ice, be slid considerable
distance, and only saved himself from being
dashed TO pieces on the rocks by catching in
the tTestlc work of the railway. This scci-
dent, with frozen nose and some frozen
fngcTs-thc latter occurring while one of
q e party was cutting pork for the REGULAR
dish OF Sunday beans complete the list of
casualties at the summit for the entire sea-
son. The frozen nose resulted from an ex-
pcsure Of only three minutes in taking an
observation with the anemometer, when the
thermometer was down below zero, among
the thirties, Professor Huntington being the
victim.
The regularity with which mail com mu-
nicati0ns have been maintained have kept the
party supplied with official communications
from Hanover and V ashington. letters from
home and complete flies OF the Boston DAILY
Journal
the GREAT GALE Oh THE 4TH AND 5TH INsrs.
Tie terrible wind storm and severe cold
experienced on the 4th and 5th Of February
found mention al the time, or q few days ai-
ter. ~ telegraph. The gale began on Thurs
day evening tie 2d ins-. quite suddenly,
and reached its height ON the 4th about mid
night. when the velocity Of the wind was
estimated at one hundred miles an hour or
upward To it was added tie most intense
Id ever experienced short Of tie Arctic
regions, the thermometer indicating SO de-
1rees below zero at three O'Clock sunday
morning the 9th. Intensely cold Gather
In the Arctic regions Is generally attended
by a still atmosphere. DR.. Kane observed
temperature OF g. deglees below zero IN
latitude s. degrees. but he and his men were
ahic 10 sleep 10 the snow. a temperature
ut 10 degrees below was noted by Captain
Back at Fort Reliance, in latitude O2 degrees
while tie lowest temperature ever rec, rded
il sand to have teen reached IN 5 beria-76
degree, below zero. The late German Arc
TIC expedition to the coast Of Greenland re
ports the lowest temperature encountered
81 degrees below zero, and the highest rate
OF wind at any time measured sixtv-seven
miles an hour
IN tie recent gale, the barometer began TO
fall ou the afternoon of the ID, and it reach
ed its lowest point, p iG4, on the 4th. II
was two Cnrhs lower than in the December
gale The thermometer was 81 degrees be
.ow zero at seven o'clock \. NJ, on the 4th.
and il continued o dtsceud until the lowest
point was reached at three O. clock the next
morning IL then rose rapidly, p degrees
below being indicated at seven a. VI. The
wind throughout the 4Jh was over sixty
miles an hour. Notwithstanding the terri
be cold without, tie party were comfortable
enough within their lItue snuggery.
A>o1uER rEBRIFIc wIsD-sToRv
Another severe gale occurred on the night
of friday. the 10th INST, but it was not az
cOmpauIed by such intense cold, although
the ten perature was qui'e low, reaching p /.
degrees below zero at seven o'cock the next +.
There was a downward tendency ,
IN the barometer IN the morning. and it was 4
quite low throughout the afternoon and un
til late in the evening, when the tempest .
began t. abate. Its lowest point was 23.-
U33 and its variations followed the rise and /
TALL of the wird quite closely. The wind, /
which was blowing at the rate of fifty-two
miles an hour at seven An, increased to
eighty-seven miles by the middle Of the fore
noon. At noon it had decreased to forty
eight miles, but at two p ". ii had begun [
business with renewed vigOr, elghty-eght /
miles being Indicated. At three 0 clock the
marked seventy six miles and .
at seven P.M. when the last observation with
that instrument was taken, 1t had again
reached eIghty-cight miles. For the next
hour or 30 the gale increased in fury, until
it reached at least one hundred miles per
hour. The wind howled and thundered
without like an army Of angry demons,
while an incessant peltiDg of the building
was kept up with pieces OF ice and dlslOdged
lrostwOrk At times it seemed as if the
hole side of the depot about to be
crushed IN Added To the roaring Of the
storm there was seemingly an individual
;reak and groan for every plank in the whole
structure, aud a universal rattllng of every
hing that could emit a sound through being
shaken up. In the midst Of the storm there
.ame a ssdden crash, followed by a rushing
eething noise. and it was discovered that
window had been broken. The aperture
vas closed by mailing boards across the in
ide. and further damage was prevented.
With each occasional lull, the framework
nd supports OF the structure, which had ,
,cen strained TO their utmost, sprang bsck
o their places with another startling report.
TIE WINTER VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT.
The clouds which have covered the summit
since Wednesday noon, cleared I
wav between two and tire clock Pm, on {
atIrday. Thin scud continued to drive :
ver the summit like golden fleece, Lighted
10 by the declining sun, creating series OF
issolving views, until the whole of the mys- e
ic curtain was withdrawn. disclosing the C
agt panorama in all its grandeur. Those +;
Who have visited Mount Washington only
n summer, can have but faint conception
f the increased magnifcence Of the winter t
lew The clear atmosphere seems TO bring
very object nearer until it appears possible !;