Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1875-07-24
THE FROsT-rLowER OF RUSSIA,


A Boston journal describes an ex.
traordinary " frost flower of Russia,
which has been produced, it il said, in
Boston, in temperature OF artificial
cold. This wonderful plant, or rather
flower, is found only ON the northern
boundaries of Siberia, where the snow
is eternal. 1t was discovered in 1863
by Count Swinoskoff, the eminent Rus
sian botanist, who was ennobled by
the Gar for his discovery. Bursting
from the frozen snow on the first day
OF the year, it grows to the height OF
three feet, and flowers on the third
day, remains in flower for twenty-four
hours, and dissolves itself into its or
iginal element-stem, leaves, and flower
being OF the finest snow. The stalk is
about one inch in diameter; the leaves
three in number-in the broadest
part are one inch and half in width
and are covered with infnitestimal cones
OF snow; they grow only ON one side of
the stalk, to the north, curving grace
fully in the same direction. The flow
er, when fully expanded is in the shape
perfect star; the petals arc three
inches in length, half an inch wide in
the broadest parts, and tapering sharply
to point. These are also interlaced
one with another in beautiful manner,
forming the most delicate and the most
wonderful basket of frostwork. The
antlers are five in number, on the third
day after the birth of the flower are to
be seen on the extremities thereof,
trempling and glittering like diamonds,
the seeds of this wonderful flower, about
as large as pins head. The old bot
anist says, when first he beheld this
flower, :" 1 was dumb with astonish-
ment, filed with wonderment, which
gave way to Joy the most ecstatic on
beholding this wonderful work of ma
ture, this remarkable phenomenon of
snow--to see this flower springing from
the snowy desert, born OF its own COM
posite atoms. 1 touched the stem of
one lightly, but it fell at my touch, and
a morsel of snow only remained in my
hand" Gathering some of the morsels
in snow, in order to preserve the little
diamond-like seeds, he hied to st.
Petersburg with. to him, the greatest
prize of his lifetime. All through the
year they We're kept in snow, and on
the first day of the year following the
Court of st. Petersburg he was delighted
| with the bursting forth of the wonder
full " frost flower" Our friends in Bos-
ton succeeded in obtaining several of
the seed, and all through the Summer
and autumn they have been imbedded
in snow, brought at great expense from
the White Mountains and the coast of
Labrador; and they now have the pleas
ure of announcing that oil signs are
favorable to the realization of their
fondest hopes, the production of the
" flower of SNOW" The snow and ice
are in large glass refrigerator, with
the thermometer forty-ive degrees be-
low zero, ana the solid bed Of snow
has already begun to show little assures
and slight bulging in the center, un-
mistaken evidences of the forthcoming
of the phenomenon.
AN UNDERGROUND CHURcH. curious
structure is rapidly rising, or rather,
sinking, in England. 1t is church
designed to accommodate the crowded
fishing population in one quarter Of
the city. Land being difficult to pro-
cure, it was determined to build q
church under the street. The floor of
this underground ediice lies 80 feet be-
low the surface of the road, and is
reached by descending double fight
of stone steps. In form, the room or
church is long parallelogram, l32 by
so feet. The altar is at the north end,
opposite the base of the stairs. The
structure is to have an organ in the
aisle, which is divided from the nave of
the columns of Bath stone. Attached
to the church is q vestry-room, also sub
terranean. The cost of the whole build
ing, $4,000, is borne by clergyman of
Brighton.
SHE ToLD HIM So.---On the ferryboat
.Geisse, crossing the river recently, were
an old couple from Louisiana, coming
to visit friends in this city. The old
gentleman was walking around, despite
his wife's predictions that something
would happen to him, and suddenly he
found himself in the river. She heard
his yell and caught sight of him, and
leaning over the rail she shouted:
"There, Samuel, didn't tell you 50 ?
Now, then, work your legs, flap your
arms, hold your breath and repeat the
Lords prayer, for it's mighty onsartin,
Samuel, whether you'll land in Vicks-
burg or eternity" Thanks to ready
rope and strong arm, he landed ct
this way station. - VicksbuTg Herald.
1
Ss- The prince of haberdashers does
business in Boston. He employs in his
establishment many women, and his
regulation is that, when q female enters
his employ she is informed by the head
of tie firm that whenever she is not
serving customers, she 10 as liberty to
sit down in q comfortable chair pro-
yided for her and take it easy, and thai
the approach Of one Of the propyietors