Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-07-10
THE FORMATION or lCEKEE(;S.

A great frozen food is pouring down
tho east AMI west slopes Of the Green
land continent, and, as i'll tho Alps,
what is gained in height 10y ono years
freezing is lost Ivy the downward flow
mcnt is not embarrassed 10y any
obstacles. The lower chains Of hills do
not arrest it, for it mouIdS itself to their
form, sweeps through every opening
between them, or ovcrtops them. Val
lcys do not interfere with its onward
march, tor the frozen stream enters
them, and levels thcm with the high
est hills. 1t needs not tho prcipicc,
for it leaps over it into the plain below
"a giant frozen waterfall, Winter
and summer are to it alike the same.
1t moves ever forward in it's ir-
rcsiStblc carcrr-a vast, frozen tide,
swelling to the ocean. Itpours through
every outlet OF the coast ranges, down
every r,vinc and valley, overriding
every impeachment, grinding and crush
ing over the rocks and Mt length it
comes upon the sea. But here it docs
not stop. Pushing back the water, it
makes it's own coast-linc. and, moving
OtAAA VII "NAN3 1V0ClA W
every inequality in the bed of the sea,
rs it has before done to the surface OF
the land, filling up the wide bay or
ford, expanding where it expands, mar
rowing where it narrows, swallowing
up the islands in its slow and steady
course, it finally reaches many miles be-
You'd the original shore line.
And now it has attained the climax
Of its progress. When, long ages ago,
after pouring over the slipping land, it
finally reached the coast, and looked
down the bay which it was ultimately
to fill up, its face was many hundreds
of feet high. Gradually it sank below
the line Of the waters Us it moved on
ward, and finally it's front has almost
wholly disappeared.
A block of fresh.water ice floating in
sea-water rises above the surface to the
extent of one-eight Of its weight and
bulk; scven-cights of it are below tho
surface. The cause Of this is too we'll
known to need more than 4 passing
explanation, Every sshool.boy is
aware that water, in the act of freezing,
expands, and that in the crystal con-
dition water occupies about one tenth
more space than when in fluid state :;
and hence when ice floats in the fresh
water from which it was formed, one
tcnth OF it is exposed above, while tho
remaining nine-tenths are beneath the
surface. When this same fresh water
ice which, it will be remembered, is
the composition of the glacier, is
thrown into the sea, the proportion of
| that n1,.>x,xA f< hat I..l<
changed from one and nine to one and
seven, is due to the greater density Of
/ the sea water, caused 10y the salt which
it holds in solution. Now it will be OBJ
vious that, as the glacier continues to
press further aud further into the sea,
the natural equilibrium of the ice
must ultimately become disturbed.
that in the end of the glacier is forced
further down into tho water thar it
! would be if it were free from restraint,
and ut liberty to float according 70
the properties acquired by congelation.
The moment that more than seven
cights of it's front are below the water
line, the glacier will, like IN apple
pressed down by the hand in u pail of
! water, have II tendency to rise until
it receives it's natural equilibrium.
Now it will be remembered that the
glacier is Il long stream of ice, many
miles iii extent, and although the end
may have this tendency to rise, yet it
is, for time held down firmly by the
continuity of the whole mass.
At length, however, us the end of the
glacier burles itself more aud more in
the water, the tendency to rise becomes
stronger and stronger, and finally tho
force thus generated is sufficient to
break off a fragment, which, once FREQ
IL buoycd up to the level that is natural
to it. This fragment may be solid
cube half II mile through, or even If
much greater dimensions. This dis
ruPtion is attended with great dis.
t::rbance Of the waters, and with VIC.
lent sounds, which may be heard for
many miles but floating now free in
the water, the oscillations which the
sudden change impaired to itgradually
subside and aftcracquirlng its natural
equilibrium the crystal mass drifts
slowly out to sea with the current and
is called an iceberg.
And thus the glacier has filled its
part in the great law Of circulation and
change.
The dew-drop, distilled upon the
tropic palm-lcaf, falling to the earth,
has renpPeared in the gurgling spring
OF the primeval forest, has flown with
the rivulet to the river, and with the
river to the ocean, has then vanished
into the air, aud waited northward by
the unseen wind, has fallen us a downy
snowflake upon the lofty mountain,
where, penetrated by solar ray, it
has become again little globule of
water, and the chilly wind, following
the sun, has converted this globulc
into crystal, and the crystal takes up
its wandering cousc again, seeking the
Oce,n.
But where tho movement was once
rapid it is now slow; where it then
flowed with tho river miles in an hour,
it will now flow with the glacier not
more in centuries; and where it once
entered calmly into the sea, it will now
join the world of waters in the midst
Of a violent convulsion.
We have thus seen that the iceberg
is tho discharge of the Arctic river;
that the Arctic river il tho glacier. and
'''Io "it f>AlAtASt OllN III
the frozen vapurs of the air. We have
watched this river moving Oh its slow
and steady course from the distant
hills, until it has ut length reached the
sea and we have seen tho sea tear
from the slotlful stream monstrous
fragment, and take back to itself its
own again. Freed from the Sllacklcs
which it has borne in silence through
unnumbcrcd centuries, this newborn
| child OF the ocean rusl,cs with wild
bound into the arms of the parent
water, where it is carcsscd by the surf
and nurscd Into life again, and the
crystal drops receive their long lost
freedom, and fly away on the laughing
waves to catch once more the sunbeam
and to run against their course through
the long cycle OF the ages.
And the iceberg has more significance
than the great flood which the glaciers
southern sister, the broad Amaz.,,.,
pOurs into the ocean from the slopes
ut the Andes and the mountains OF
Brazil. Solemn, stately, and deep, il,
tempest and IN calm, it rides the deep.
The restless waves Tsollnd through It's
broken ar'hwayS and thunder against
its a,i.nlantcan walls. Clouds, impcne-
trabic us those which shielded the
graceful form Of Arctl,,lsa, c]otilc it II,
the morning ; under the bright blaze
"f the n'nn-.lay sun. it is ;lrlnurc.l il,
gli.tcring silver it rolls itself in thc
gorgeous c"iors Of the evening and in
the silent night the heavenly orl,s
are mirr"r'i in it's CLASSY surface.
Drifting SHOWS whirl over il in the
winter, and the sea- gulls swarm around