Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-10-17
AMONG TIE GLACIERS.


0runu NlQ Aslll trk tDl0 traces or
Natures Powerful Engincry.
~ tho American Institute Of instruction
o. Newport. o. la lecture WIS given by
fi1u. james " Patterson. State Supcrin.
tendcnt of Public instruction of Sow Iamp-
shire. upon ~ Trip Among The GlacIcrs"
~ faftera o. suIl.
live To forth into oar fields and pastures,
d. begun. wc sco r1t,s and powders scat
tered prumscuously uud in countless num-
hcrs, wh.sh have b.cn transported from
their original b.ds by some giant forc1
wnich dominated Tho world in = primitive
age. bat unknown SINCE fhc historic period
u iu Our uOf.hrHu ifti1drs W. las bare the
Ranks uf thr mountains we lind tho under
lying lcd~cs ull ground and polished by
some powerful cug'nory 81 nature, which
has passed down their naked sides, plow-
Ing 40 intervals parallel burrows In their
tough and unyicld.ug surface Everywhere
ovrr our northern hemisphere the Titanic
workers ~ tho oldcu time have dumped
their wcighty burdens Of drift above the
stratifed deposits OF yet earlier period,
md tho heterogeneous masses Of mingled
dirt, gravel and powders found among our
mountains and stretching east and west
along our temperate Zone al point 20 time
when glaciers, like those OF Greenland,
moved over our continent and sent their
nighty bergs into tho sea. But whence
came this power and whittier has il gomez
n tho question which naturally comes 20
every lip. There are abundant reasons TO
believe that this glacial force IL periodic,
like 20 many other Of the operations OF nat
urc
several theories have been propounded at
different times % account for the pcriodicity
of glacial action. That Of Croll, which &C
counts Tor the varying mean temperature of
the earth by the revolutions Of tho seasons
around the carth's orbit and the changing
ccccntricity Of the orbit itself seems 10 be
the most rational Winter at aphclion must
be- longer and colder than winter at peri
hclion, and the variation must increase with
the Increase Of the ccccntricity Of the orbit,
and with the increase OF the inclination OF
the axis Of tue earth TO tho plane OF its
orbit
Our modern glaciers are produced like the
ansient, by low temperature acting upon
the moisture OF tho atmosphere
The day after reaching the valley three OF
us Americans determined 20 make the as
cent Of Mont Blanc Having secured Ave
Swiss guides we were accOutered, accord
ing 10 directions, with heavy shoes having
sharp spikes Ia the soles and heels, and
with buskins around our lower limbs
Each man was armed with long alpen-
stock having = strong steel spike In one end
The guides took with them an alpcn axe and
n coil of strong ropc, with lcathcrn belts at
tachcd at intervals ~ about eight feet apart.
Thus prepared We started on our trip up the
glacier.
For time the ascent was easy and we
had little trouble But after advancing
some distance we began To encounter long
cracks or assures in the ice, which we were
obliged 90 leap.
As We advanced thoopcnings or crcvasscs
became wider and more hazardous 20 pass.
AZ cngth wo came to one five feet wide aud
descending 30 an unknown depth. Our
leader stopped and buckicd one Of tho
heavy bolts about his waist aud passed the
next % me. fastened this about mysclfaud
handed the third To- the second guide. and
he to the next an we were all haruesscd or
rupCd together. Thus prepared the fore
most guide placed himself upon the edge Of
the crcvassc, and giving a spring went over.
We followed him Ia order tiil all were
oyer. Ono Of our number, a short, heavy
man, failed Of a secure landing ON the upper
side, but the ropo was strong aud we hauled
him up hand over hand. We continued 20
repeat this operation en- nj length we struck
n crcvasse some twenty feet wide uore
we found a ladder with heavy spikes In the
into tho Ice below the surface and then
dropping u onto Tho other side let himself
dowa the ladder and asccudcd to the leo
above. call followed SUIT and were safely
landed on tho other side 80 we continued
20 advance till we reached the Grand Mulcts
about four O'Clock la the afternoon. Here,
more than ton thousand feet above tho sea,
we spent the night, intending 10 complete
the ascent tho following morning But a
thunderstorm which followed Va up the
mountain covered tho glacier with veneer
ing Of glare ice which rendered further adj
vance extremely dangerous, 40 that tho
guides refused 10 lead us up 10 tho summit
Reluctantly we turned back aud orcpt eau
tiousy down the mountain OF assured ice.
At one point we reached crcvasse Of five
foot with u narrow tongue % NC beyond and
"a sccoud opening bcycud that THIS was
pcrilous spot, and we watched our leader
with intense anxiety. Moving up 10 tho
Cdgc cautiously no cut a place Tor his foot
with his alpcn ave aud then. putting himself
In "a position. gave a spring, and falling flat
upon The ice arrested his progress aud
awaited our coming one by ono In the same
manner. On reaching oar hotel we found
the nervous strain had been "A severe one,
but were ready the next morning for tho
Nor Dc Glaco. We went ON foot and with
oat guides 10 the MontouvcrJ aud thoncc
descended To the glacier, which we crossed
and rccroascd and studied with great care
Tho origin OF glaciers h easily undor-
stood, but ~ h dincult 10 account satisfac-
torily for some OF their phenomena On
thc south side Of the Alps we lind the
snow line about eight thousand feet above
thc sca. All moisture above the line, IL is
evident. must be condensed and reach the
mountain surface ~ crystalizcd or granu-
lated snow or as hail. When tho steep
aides OF these lofty heights become over
loaded with snow, Il pushes down OF its own
weight, and sometimes dcscends three
thousand feet below the frost line into the
deep valleys below. The depth Of the snow
and zee will DO measured by the depth Of
the valley, and may be from one hundred
TO fifteen hundred feet The glacier ter.
inmates where the melting power OF the
heat below Ia balanced by the supply Of
snow and ice from the realm Of cold above,
and. OF course. this glacial river will alter
nafcly advance and rccedo with the periodic
changes OF the mean temperature. What
has already been said assumes that the
glacier II In motion. Tho evidence of this
Il the observed steady movement OF OBJ
iccts lying ON the surface Of tho glacier
But objects near the center arc seen 70 adj
vance moro rapidly than those near its
sides. which arc retarded by friction with
ia banks. Hence. we infer that the move
ment Is not In mass, but molecular.
Various theories have been started TO ac-
cognt Tor this motion. 10 has bocn said
that tho weight Of the snow above and be
bind the Rin Ter pushed Il down the in
chncd plane on which IL rests. UudOubtcd-
~ forco Of this kind must exist, but II
N..H all Il a.Irn ~ anil