Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-01-31

rablllty ana Wafmth, not beauty 1Hefe
are five rooms, all upon the ground floor.
Three of them (two of which are sleeping
rooms) are warmed by two large coa
stoves. 1t takes about fifteen tons of coal,
at cost on tho summit, of fifty dollars
per ton, to warm them during the year
They are required TO take observations six
times daily, recording direction and ve-
locity of wind, amount and velocity of
clouds, amount of snow and rain, and any
other atmospheric phenomenon. The first
observation is made ut A. NJ, and the
last mt IL p NJ, which this night was;
wind, Northwest, velocity, 36 miles. Ther-
mometer 100 below zero, atmosphere clear
as a crystal. No person living at usual
elevations above the ocean. can realize
what a clear atmosphere means. If upon
clear night in the winter they stand upon
Pixies Peak, Mount Washington or other
high mountain, they will notice marked
difference. ! he stars shine with u steady
lustre. The moon is so bright that You
can hardly gaze steodiIy upon it, and the
blue of the sky is so dark, and everything
seems so different, that it almost appears
that you are in another world. The milky
way is so distinct that you can almost des-
ignate its separate stars, and nebuI9 only
visible through glas, at the level of the
sen, arc objects for the eye on this noun
tain. This eve ut the west, lay an ocean
of frosty clouds, II thousand feet below us,
while perfect transparency at the east
showed us the line of ocean that looked
like IA silver thread stretched along the
horizon us it reflected the light of the full
moon. Around lis were frost feathers so
white and so beautifully polished, us 10 re-
fleet the light ut every engle, and we could
imagine that like Sinbad, we stood in the
midst of valley of diamonds. If our
ascent was hard, and somewhat perilous'
this view richly repaid us. We retired
satisfied that our tolls had not been in vain.
Before sunrise we were again outside,
there had been little if any change. The
clouds at the west lay white and lleecy
extending to the Green Mountains in Yer
mont; Killington Peak, Mansfield, Cam
els Hump and other submits being HlSl-
BILE. As the sun arose, u beautiful bow
formed flat upon the top of those Clouds
the base was the White Mountains, and
the summit of the bow eXtrnlGd to the
Green Mountains, 1t WAS brilliant, and
the secondary bow WAS visible outside the
first, as in u rainbow. The bow was a
reflection from the frost clouds, so seen nj
IL different angle. At the east the ocean
was still visible in the sunlight, and the
city of Portland and Back Bay were very
distinct. As the sun arose higher, three
peaks of the Adirondacks, Owls Head and
Willoughby Lake Mountains showed their
SUBMITS above the cloud, with great dis
tnctness. We have studied the grandeur
and beauties Of nature under different
phases, and in various places, for many
wears. There are quiet beauties in mead
ows and wales there is grandeur in noun
tain scenery; there are peculiar sensations
AS we take into our mind for the first time
the vastness of our western prairies. There
is ave. deep felt us we gaze upon stu
pcndous cataract like Niagara; but al
combined will hardly compare with what
you can see and feel in contemplating the
various views from Mount Washington il
: winter To stand upon mountain sum
, nit with the atmosphere so clear that will
e the naked eye you can sec objects one hun
= dred miles away, is u treat that will pa,
| much time and trouble. The time in on
: opinion is not far distant when peopl
: will visit Mount Washington in winter
, by the thousands; and thus the rare fros
: CRYSTALS, sometimes three feet in length
pointing towards the wind which bring
! the frost that forms them; having that pc
culiar beauty never seen elsewhere, an,
! which words and pictures all fail to de
7 scribe, will become familiar.
= About / 1 A. NJ, fully satisfied with tn
+ wonderful views spread out before us, W
e commenced our descent.
# We entered the frost cloud about 81
5 hundred feet below the summit, finding
i about five hun lred feet in thickness
e reached the base without accident, hut W
c can hardly say that it WAS without danger
+ as the ascent, or descent of the mountai
u in the winter is very dangerous TO tho,
:. not accustomed to it. We met friends
$ the Fabyan who expressed regret ut on
D., unsuccessful visit, as they supposed I'll
IL cloud coverel the mountain rs it had then
l. We removed their regrets and sped hom'
IS ward.