Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-07-03
AN IOWA WONDER.
The Cave in Which Ice Forms In Summer and
Melts in Winter.
lDecorah Uowa) Republican. ]

lDecorah Nowa) Republican,
The phenom Is discussed at
considerable length in the Science
Observer for April, monthly jour.
na, published by the Boston Scien-
tific Society. Que article is a paper
by N. NJ. Lowe, read before this
Society April 9th, treating of this
paradoxical phenomenon general
ly, and our ice cave particularly.
This is commented upon and ell.
larged 10y. .an editorial of considera-
Bile length, agreeing in the main
with the theory of Mr.. Lowe. This
is as follows:
"The phenomenon, then, of ice
being found there (the cave at De.
corah) in the summer can be re.
ferred, think, to the theory of
the Liberation of compressed air
brought down from considerable
height by a stream of water falling
or flowing through a natural con-
duit or tissure in the rock, en-
bodyiug the principle of the ancient
aud well known Tromp used in the
Cataline forge, and still in use in
Corsica. Sardinia, Savoy and other
places.
at is only necessary to imagine
such imperfection in the conduit or
fissure at the initial point, which is
supposed to be on the top of the
bluff, or far up the mountains side,
as would admit air to come in con-
tact with the water after it had OBJ
tained a velocity of more than one
foot second. When the air has
r ached the bottom, and is liber-
ated in the cave, it will be from a
pressure equal to the height of the
column of water,and it will have lost
Uy abso rption In the mass through
W hich the conduit passes, the
heat due to its com preston, and on
being liberated it will Immediately
absorb from she air and the water
In the cave the heat which it has
lost in its down ward passage.
"rhe most remarkable fact Is that
the cave freezes only in Summer;
and as the cold of actual Winter
comes on, the Ice In the cave
gradually melts and disappears, is
caused, L will venture to state as an
opinion, by the gradual freezing Of
the surface at the top of the bluff
or the source of the air, to con.
siderable depth. thus sealing up the
aperture through which the air en-
ters the conduits.n
AS to this theory We can say but
little that will be of value, from a
scientific standpoint. Its defect is
that the data is materially incor-
rect. 1t is not exact to say that
"the cave freezes only in Summer,
and as the cold of actual Winter
comes on, the Ice in the cave grad.
uaily melts and disappears" The
fact is that the development of ice
begins with the warm weather of
Spring, reaches Its maximum in
early Summer, and melts before
the warm weather has passed
away. Ice always disappears en-
tircly several weeks, and nequeut-
ly three or four months, before the
"cold Of actual Winter comes on"
This, it seems to us, destroys the
opinion contained in the last para
graph Of the foregoing quotation.
Another theory relating to the
cave is the evaporation theory. 1t
certainly suits the known facts bet
ter than the compressed air theory.
In brief it is this: During the late
Summer aud Fall water percolates
through the soil and among the fis-
sures of the limestone rock. This
Is frozen during the Winter, aud
one wall of the rock being protect.
ed from the direct rays of the sun,
thawing does not com mence in the
other wall until warm weat ier has
set IN; and when it does begin, ice
develops. as it frequently will upon
a frozen apple or potato that IL inn
mersed in water.