The Osceola times., 1879-06-14
An Iowa Cave n which Ice Ferns n
Samner and uelts n winter
DEBORAH ia, nspsbliss =.

Docoron (Sosl m9D4ouo8 T.
Ths phenomenon u discussed ct On.
slderable length In the 6cienos Oheervse
for April, . monthly Journal pablkhsd
BY the Boston Scientific society. Or
article d Q paper BY N. n. Low, rcd
before this society April 9, treating Of
this paradoxical pheromsnon generally,
and our ice cave particularly. Thh b
communted upon and enlarged By N
editorial OF considerable length, agreeing
In the main with the theory Of Mr.. Lowo.
This Il u follows: The phenonsnon,
then, Of Ice belng found there (the cave
at Decofah) In the summer can b n.
ferred, / think, to the theory Of the nbsga.
ton oi com mpreased aif brought down frsm
. considerable height BY stream Of
water falling or flowing thfougha natural
conduit or 6ssure In the rock, embodying
the principle Of tbe ancient and wslls
known TSomp used In the Cataline fosge,
and still In use In Comics, Sardinia, Savoy
and other places. II ID only neceasary .
imagine such imperfection In the conduit
or hnurs at the initial point, which y
supposed to be on the top Of the blu6, o.
far up the mountains side, - would
admit cir to come In contact with Tie
water after II had obtained . velocity of
more than one foot . second. When the
air has reached the bottom, and b
liberated In the cave, It will b ffon
pressure equal TO the height Of the
column Of water, and It will have lost by
conviction In the mass through The con-
duit passes, the heat due 70 it conpres-
sion, and on being liberated II will In
->lt.x.l- .k~>-k 1~c~. <h> Il, 81 49,
water In the cave the heat which Il hes
lost in it, downward passage. The most
remarkable fact, that the cave freesee
only In summer, and ~ the csld Of actual
winter comes on, the leo In the cave
gradually melts and diaappeafs, b caused,
will venture 10 state q an opinion, By
the gradual freezing Of the surface ct the
top Of the blu6of the fource Of The cir 10
q considerable depth, thus sealing up tho
aperture through which the air enters
the conduit. Az to the theory Ne can
say but little that will be of value, nom
scientific standpoint. Its defect h that
the data IL materially incorrect. Il ID
not exact to say that "the cave freezes
only In summer, and - the cold Of
actual winter comes on, the loo in the
cave gradually melts and disappears."
The fact ID that the dcveloment Of ice
begins with the warm weather Of spring
reaches its maximum In early summet,
and melts before the warm weather has
passed away. Ics always disappsafs
entirely several weeks, and frequently
three or four months, before the "cloud
Of actual winter comes on" This. II
seems to us, destroys the opinion con-
taiued in the last paragraph Of the fore
going quotation. Another theory rslat>
Ing to the cave Ia known ~ the evspora.
tion theory. 1t certainly suits the known
facts better than the compressed air
theory. In brief 1t II this: During the
late summer and fall water percolstes
through the soil and among the hssures
of the limestone rock. This 10 frozen
during the winter, and one wall Of the
rock being protected from the direct rays
of the sun, thawing does not commence
In the other wall until warm weather has
rot In and when It does begin, Ice devel-
ops, - it will upon . frozen apple or
potato that ID immersed in water.
An important paper on the results Of
recent reseaiches In animal electricity
ID published in Nature Of April II. Tho
author, DR.. L. Herman, states that The
whole Of the electrical phenomena Of
muscle and nerve may b readily Dc.
duced from few very simple proposI-
tions. Irritable protpplaam responds
both to the destructive and exciting
influences BY an electro motive Ean.
The altered substance takes on Mega
tive potential with respect to unalteFsd.
This, together with the doctrines Of
internal transverse polarixational incSe-
ment Of excitation, appears fully con-
petent to explain all the iacts hitherto
observed.
The new styles Of fastening sashss On
| ohildron's costumes u to have lonG1h-