Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-05-16
Glaciers.

j .ia5 -. OIdSl0ES. Et9 illdfI
/ Webster's dictionary tells u,
that glacier sis a field or i'm
[mense mass of ice. formed in deer
but elevated valleys, or on the
sides of the AL ps or other noun
tains" But perhaps we can bet
ter imagine what it is by thinking
what a river as wide and deep.
though not as long as the Hudson.
would be if frozen into one, solid
mass Of ice, and instead of having
a flat surface were to, round up
highest in the middle, rough and
broken as the ocean in a storm.
We shall not tell you now how
these ''ice rivers, which are found
mostly in Greenland, Iceland,
Spitzbergen, and Switzerland CON-
.mence and grow. That is one of
the very interesting things you big
boys and girls find in your "physi
cal biographies" and that you lit.
tie folks will be delighted to study
about when you are older And
how many such things there are,
and how happy you will be when
you can learn them all fJ si
We can only select one glacier,
and tell you a little about it, and
that we hope will give you some
idea of all the others. Il. Hs. ar
In the same valley thatsis now
covered with the glacier of Ser
mitsialik in Greenland, there were
once green grass, spsrrows CHR
ruplng among the branches of the
stunted trees. and herds of rein
deer browsing upon It's abundant
pastures. This must have been
about two hundred and fifty years
ago, and naturalists could tell US
about the progress of the glacier
since that time when the ice.stream
first began to travel towards the
sea, which it has now reached
through the gorge in the noun
tain chain ten miles back from the
shore. For, strange though it
may seem. this food of solid ice
is always steadily moving, whether
over steepest precipices or across
level plains, Carrying with it the
largest masses of rock, and grind
ing smaller ones to dust; over
whelming the green pastures and
the stunted trees, until at last il |
reaches the sea. But even here
It does not stop. .aaa, 4 obs !
The bed of the sea is but,a con-
tinuation OF the same inclined |
plane as the bed Of the valley, and
the glaciers onward course is con-
-inued. 1t pushes back the water,
t makes cOast-line Of ice where
here had been a beach, and
stretches a white wall from one
side of the bay to the other. AS
t flows onward itg gets into deeper
md deeper water, its foot still
on the bottom of the sea.
Thus the icy wall sinks gradually
iown as it moves along, and in
course of time it goes almost out
IF sight Then it gets beyond its
lepth. But ice is lighter than
water, aud its nature is to float,
md to enable it TO do so break
nust occur, as the ice will not
oend, and finally a crack, be
at the bottom, is opened
With fearful crash, and when
to the top a huge frag {
nent is detached. This fragment,
mall as it is compared with the
,lacier from which it is broken, is
eally of enormous size, and when |
t floats grandIy off we call it an :
oe6erg, though the Greenlanders
ay it is the ''calf of the glacier.
Glaciers have long been counted :
mOng the wonders of the world,
nd many naturaIists, for the sake
f adding to our knowledge con- I
erning them, as well as many c
for the mere love of ad.
enture, have incurred fearful dan
ers in exploring them. The sur (
ace of these ice rivers are scanned {
Tith great cracks, or creUdsses as
hey are called, hundreds of feet !
eep, which can only be crossed
n frail and slippery bridges Of ice, a
'here a single Disstep would be c
Instant death to the daring explo- :
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