The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-03-12
Curiosities Of leo.

In 1850 Mr.. Fara'ay discovered tha
two pieces of ice placed in contact froz
together almost instantly. Mr.. Tyndal
says: zone hot summer day l entered
shop on the Strand; in the window frag
ments of ice were lying in basin. Tn
tradesman gave me permission to take th
pieces of ice in my own hand holding tn,
first piece, | attached all the other piece
In the basin to 1t. The thermometer wa.
then sixty degrees, and yet all the piecc
were frozen together" In this way Mr.
Iyndall formed chain of ice. This cx
pertinent may be made even in hot water
Throw two pieces of ice III pail full of al
most boiling water. keep them in conta CT
and they will freeze together in DESPITE of tho
high temperature. Mr.. Faladuy made an
other experiment of the same sort. lie
threw into vessel full of water several
small pieces Of ice. They iloated on the
surface OF the water. The moment ono
piece touched another there was an instan
tancous rcfrcczing. Attraction soon brought
all the pieces IN contact 80 that in an instant
an ice.chain was formed.
An ice wheel turning on Il surface of ice
rcfrcczcs at the point of contact; during
The rotation series Of cracks arc heard
which show the ear that successive refrccz-
lngs are constanlty taking place. The
phenomenon OF rcfreezlng is easily OK
planned. AT the surface of piece of ice
the atoms, which arc no longer in cquilib
rum on the outside, tend to leave their
nclghbors, rs happens in boiling or evapo-
ration. Melting cIsues. But if Two pieces
Oh ice are brought together the atoms on
the surface are restored TO their equilibrium,
the attractive action becomes what il was.
The atoms resume their relations with their
neighDors and juXtaposition cnsucs. In
consequence of this property ice is endowed
with singular Elasticity. ~ rope and a knot
or buckle may be made OF Ice. IL may be
nodded. The school boy who fills his hands
with snow and congresses it into bali
produces tho phenomenon Of refreezing,
and forms an ice ball sullic icntly hard to
be dangerous projcctilc.
This explains the extraordinary rigidity
OF the bridges Of snow which are often sren
IN the Alps suspended over deep crcvasses |
The Alpine guides, by cautiously walking
on these snowy masses, freeze the particles
together and transform the snow into ice. |
II snow be compressed in molds, Ice stalu- |
cites may be Obtained. Fill hollow ball
with snow, pressed in as hard as possible,
anu you may obtain ice balls admirably
lranslucid. Nothing would be easier than
TO dine with service made OF nodded
glasses, dccanlcrs, all of
snow. A gentleman in Paris recently served
sherry wine to his friends before hot fire
IN beakcrs made Of snow. Snow compressed
IN this way does not melt 80 rapidly us might
be thought. Ice requires great deal of |
heat before 1t mclts. a layer OF Ice often |
becomes protection against cold. If you |
s' @ ';;c;:n%5 'kirowy
have but TO wrap it in wet rags The
process Of freezing gives to the envronlng
bodies all the heat necessary to destroy it.
The water in the rags slowly forms small
pieces Of ice on the rag, and in the III call
imc dlscngagcs heat, which warns the
object wrapped in the rags.
Il tree wrapped in rags, or in moss sat,l-
rated with water, does not freeze even
when the thermometer Is several degrees
below the freezing point. The slowncss
with which ice mclts ls well known. Dur
ing the winter Of l74O the Car built at |
ST.. Petersburg a magnificent palace Of ice,
which lasted several years. Since then
cannous have been made of ice, and they |
have been loaded with balls and fired. |
They were fired ten times without burst
ing. 1t is consequently iudispulablc that
ice lnclts slowly, and may be turned to
good account in the polar regions. In
Siberia the windows have panes of ice. |
The remarkable property with which par
ticlcs OF ice arc endowed Of molding them
selves into different shapes by rcfreczlng
easily explains how glaciers make their
way through narrow gorges and expand
in valleys. The ice is broken into trag-
ments which rctrccZc whenever they touch.