Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-06-16
CURIOsITIES OF ICE.

In 1850, Mr.. Faraday discovered that
two pieces of ice placed in contact
froze together almost instantly. Mr..
Tyndall says "One hot summer day |
entered shop on the Strand in the
window fragments Of ice were lying in
basin. The tradesman gave me per.
mission TO take the pieces in my own
hand holding the first piece attached
all the other pieces in the basin TO it.
The thermometer was sixty degrees,
and yet all the pieces were frozen to.
gether." In this way Mr.. Tyndall
formed n chain OF ice. This expert.
ment may be made even in hot water.
Throw two pieces OF ice in pail full of
almost boiling water, keep them in
contact and they will freeze together in
despite of the high temperature. Mr..
Faraday made another experiment of
the same sort He threw into vessel
full of water several small pieces of
ice. They floated on the surface of the
water. The moment one piece touched
another there was an instantaneous
reireezing. Attraction soon brought all
the pieces in contact, so that in an in.
slant an ice chain was formed.
An ice wheel turning on a surface 4
ice reircezcs at the point Of contact
during the rotation series OF cracks
are heard which show the ear that sue
cessiye rcfreeznRs are constantly taking
place. The phenomenon OF rcfrcezing
is easily explained. At the surface Of
piece of ice the atoms, which are no
longer in equilibrium on the outside,
tend to leave their neighbors, a. hap.
pens in boiling or evaporation. Melt
ing ensucs. But IL two pieces OF ice
are brought together, the atoms on the
surface are restored 10 their equilibrium,
the attractive action becomes what IL
was, the atoms resume their relations
with their neighbors and juxaposition
ensues. la consequence OF this prop.
eriy ice is endowed with singular plas.
ITCHY. 4 rope and knot or buckle
may bc made OF ice. 1t may be mold.
ed. The school boy who fills his hands
with snow and compresses II into a ball
produces the phenomenon of refreezing,
and forms an ice ball sufficiently hard
TO be a dangerous proIcctIlc.
This explains the extraordinary rig.
idity of the bridges OF snow which are
often seen IN the Alps suspended over
deep crcylces. The Alpine guides, boy
cautiously walking on these snowy
masses, freeze the particles together
and transform the snow into ice. II
snow be compressed IN molds. ice stat.
utcttcs may be obtained Fin a hollow
ball with snow. pressed in as hard a.
possible. and you may obtain ice balls
admirably ,rauslucid. Nothing would
bc easier than to dine with service
made of nodded snow-plates, glasses.
decantcrs, all Of suow. 4 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 20 rapidly a.
might be thought. Ice requires = great
deal Of heat before IL melts. 4 layer OF
ice often becomes a protection against
cold. II you would prevent anything
from sinking to a temperature below
thirty.two degrees during the very se
yercst frosts, We know you have but 10
wrap it IN wet rags The process OF
freezing gives TO the enyironiug bodies
all the heat necessary TO destroy 1t.
The water in the rags slowly forms
small pieces Of ice on the rag, and IN
the meantime discngaees heat, which
warns the object wrapped IN the rags.
A tree wrapped in rage, or in moss
saturated with water, does not freeze
even when the thermometer Is several
degrees below the freezing point. The
slowness with which ice melts is we'll
known. During the winter Of l7iO the
Car built at 81. Petersburg, magnih.
cent palace of ice, which lasted several
years. Since then caunons have been
loaded with balls and fired. They were
fired ten times without bursting. IL is
consequently indisputable that ice melts
slowly. and may be turned to good ac-
count in the polar regions. In Siberia,
the Windows have panes Of ice. The
remarkable property with which par
ticles Of ice are endowed Of modinE
themselves into different shapes by re-
freezing. easily explains how glaciers
make their way through narrow gorges
and expand in valleys. The ice is
broken into fragments which retreeze
whenever they touch.