Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1885-07-17
MT. WASHINGTON SIGMA. SERVICE.
winter Experiences Of the Observers Frost
work-Tsmperature

winter Experiences OF the oDservers- frost
work-Temperature -Wind.
New York World.
II is a mistaken notion that the OBJ
servers are showed in during the win.
ter. The snowfall in November was
90. 3 inches; December, IL inches; Jan
uary, lf5, and february, Us inches.
The total Of little more than five feet
for the four months was much less than
the fall at the base or the valleys be-
yopd. The summit is often bare Of
snow, the high winds sweeping the little
that is deposited down the mountain
side. espite this, the dull .colOred
rocks and weather-stained buildings
throughout the long winter are trans
formed into monuments and mauSole'
ums white as Carrara marble.
This effect is produced by frost work.
1t is one of the most interesting. as well
as beautiful phenomena of cold weather,
When the wind blows from the north or
west the vapor lodges on projecting
points. The frost work is spun out into
feathery masses, delicate lace work OF
heavier masses like chiseled marble OF
pearly Wilderness and exquisite symmetry
these appendages sometimes attain pro-
digiouS lengths. Once during the win,
ter violent sleetstorm visited the
summit. The windward side OF
the station was incrusted with a
solid mass of ice eight inches
thick. Outside of this coating frost
feathers were formed eleven feet long.
At various times they attained lengths
of from five TO seven feet, and were
spun out into crystal threads finer and
more delicate than the glass-blowerS' art
has yet been able TO produce.
These feathery forms are not only
beautiful, but extremely useful. The
practical observers are wholly dependent
on them for their water supply. On
more occasions than one has this frost.
work been godsend to them, and their
habitation has been quickly stripped OF
its ornaments to be melted and to in
crease scanty water supply. In Jan
uRry frost work formed on all but two
days, february on twenty-one days and
March twenty-seyen days.
The lowest temperature in November
was 10 degrees below zero, and the
highest velocity of the wind 100 miles
an hour. In December the coolest day
was ~ degrees below zero, and on three
DAYS the wind blew at the rate of ninety
miles an hour. The only thunderstorm
during the winter was in February The
coolest day was the I'd, when it was 80
degrees below zero. The maximum We.
locity of the wind was los miles an
hour, although on another day the total
amount of wind was 2,035 miles. II
was As degrees below zero on March
2lst, and on the same day the highest
velocity Of the season was reached, 12s
miles an hour, and 1000 miles for the
twenty-four hours.
The highest ever recorded at the sta.
ton was lSo miles an hour on Jan. IL,
1879. That was northeast wind. In
April the lowest temperature was 10 de-
grees below zero, and the greatest wind
velocity ninety-six miles an hour. Elec.
trio storms are Of frequent occurrence
during some seasons, but last winter
there was only one. That was Feb. g.
on the preceding day the Thermometer
registered ~ degrees below zero. The
air was so highly charged with electric,
ity at that time that two persons touch
ing one another would experience per
ceptible shock.