Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-03-07
The frEEmau,
MONTPELIER VT.
WEDNESDAY; MARCH 7, 1877.
For the reeman.
Storms on and ajbOut Mt. Washington.
BY DIR. HIRAM A. CUTTING

w AASs w 4Ns AAsp BSLhbPo IfS
Thousand of them notice that the railroad
track, at the summit, has the end rails
connected by a strong wire. To such l
would offer the following explanation. 1t
is not unfrequent, that the visitor standing
'lpon the summit, sees thunder shower
Jbeneath him, usually upon the west side of
the mountain, and while standing in sun
shine admiring the beautiful clouds below
him, white as snow, Illuminated family
now and then by the electric flash, he was
formerly startled by observing balls of
electric fire jump here and there from the
rails at the end of the railroad track /;
never doing damage, but seemingly SO
dangerous as to alarm those near. 1t was
found that connecting the rails, at the end
of the track with each other, saved this
electrical disturbance. On Pixies Peak in
terrific shower various objects, even the
faces of the observers, have been so charg-
cd with the electric fluid us to be self
luminous; yet no damage has been done.
On Mt. Washington, most people suppose
that the lightning runs up one track and
down the other; but such is not probably
correct, but the connection between them
restores the equilibrium, and if over
charged, doubtless, like objects on Pixies
Peak they would be self luminous.
THE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL
in the gorges about the mountain is often
very great. On the 28h of August, 1926,
the rainfall was so great that it loosened
an immense amount of soil, with trees
standing erect upon it, which rushed for
ward toward the valley; beneath it was
buried the Wiley family, consisting of
nine persons. Almost every season exten-
sive floods come down the valleys, here
and there, frequently doing much damage
to fields, highways, and bridges. On July
5th, 1850, in the Franconia Notch, six
inches of water fell in four hours, causing
much damage on the South Branch of the
Ammonoosuc river; but it is in the
WINTER STORMS
that tile most terrible gales ever eXper-
fenced by man have been witnessed. The
situation and elevation Of the mountain
gives it all the rgors of the Artic region,
and its exposure subjects it to the most
terrific wind storms ever known, and such
rs can be known only on elevated, and
isolated mountains in high northern lati-
tudes, Winter here means, besides frost
snow and ice, Succession of terrible
tempcsts, from the latter part of Septem.
Der until June, showing that the summit
is immersed in the great Polar air currents
which bring upon the observers there the
frigidity Of the very North Pole. The
buildings to resist these gales are by vari-
Gus ingenious devices fastened down to the
rocks of this mountain US well rs braceC
on all sides. Notwithstanding these pre-
cautions they are sometimes blown away
The first Of the great storms OF remarka
BILE severity witnessed by the observers o
the signal service, was upon the 10th o
January, 1873. At 0 P. NJ, the anemomeo
recorded 102 miles per hour, aud thi
velocity when increased became too grea
for the instrument to bear, and Il part of i
was carried away by the wind. 1t WA
believed by the observers to have reached
during the night lao miles per hour. |
did not come in litful gusts us DO the hard
est wind storms upon the country roun,
about, but with u steady unwavering pres
ure, beneath which the walls of the hous
bent and trembed us though they were o
the point of being swept away. Their
was very little sleepin that mountain STA
ton that night, as the tempest seethed an
thundered around their little dwellin
threatening its annihlation every moment
It was IL place where the stoutest heal
would quail, At times they say the proT
fixed outside to hold their buildings woul
vibrate with almost deafening noise, Will
every article in the house seemed to rattl
from the tremor OF the gale. 1t seemel 4
il ten thousand million of Indian spirit
the traditional dwellers upon the monntai
top, had made an onslaught with the il
tent to pitch the house, observers and a
into the awful depths Of Tuckerman
ravine. At times there would be IL fearf
bombardment of frost work, and ice again
the sides of the building. TO provit
against such assaults the double window
are barred upon the outside, yet tn
storm showed what the dangers were, III
since, the building has been made mo
secure"
The thoughts of the Observers cou
we'll be imagined with such storm
wind, the thermometer thirty-ive degre
below zero, and their house trembling
every joint with the enormous pressure
the wind, which left less than plank |
tween them and eternity. In the roc
where their fire was, they could not ia
the thermometer above freezing. I
penetrating effect of so strong and colo
wind it is hardly possible to imagir
The temperature was not as low as |
been experienced for the thermometer /
marked there
FIFTY DEGREES BELOW ZERO,
while DR.. Kane experienced sixty-soN
degrees below in the latitude of seven
eight; but the coolest ever known "
seventy-six degrees below, which occur
in Siberia. All these extraordinary te
peratures have been on still days, WI
the above WAS in the midst of wi
storm of the most violent character.
OTHER STORMS
Of remarkable severity soon followed.
January, 1876, the velocity of the wi
again came up to 1872 miles per no
with 10 serious damage while in II
ruary it reached the velocity of 168 mil
and the plank walk between the stati
and the hotel WIS torn up, and bio,
away, as though The large planks loa
with ice were but straws hurled hither 4