Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1889-02-20
AMID SEAS OF ICE.
SCENES AMONG THE GlAciERS OF
THE UPPER eNoAolNe.
Climbing Snow Clad Alpine ucisht--pust
Avsionche~-Formatioo OF "a Cincicr--A
Mor.inc--IIew Glacier Corn" L. Formed.
"Gl sclcr THblcs---sfoolinS

Mor.inc-Irow 'Ciacier Corn Ia Formed.
"Gl sclcr rAbics'--aioulins
As Far as my vision extended there was
nothing in sight but ice and snow. aud
Tho snow WAS exreedingly white. [ assure
you The driven snow you have IN towus
and plains Is decided brown compared
with the dazzling snow we saw up tacrc
Mt the tops of Swiss mountains Forever
and foro%er this virgin eo~a lies on MI
the peaks. as 1t also covers the lower val.
lcys in winter. Ii has tho soft took of a
dove 5 reast, IL rests on rocks thing of
beauty. and often 1t Is very dangerous
1t falls In soft. pure flakes. ciings TO all
the projections, covers rocks with charm
Ing trrccrics, and spreads itself like q
sheet OF white satin over the upper wales
But the touch of 4 passing oaSio's wing
tho light weight of channels. or thu
careful step of an expert climber will dc
tach II from its crest and send IL down
Then IL goes sliding. rumbliug along,
breaking ami reforming as il falls. ever
INCREASING III volume and velocity, and
pursuing its way. becomes a devastating.
terrible avalanche that bends and breaks
frees> gathers up Garth aud stones md
oolis into the EnEplinc with al awful
sound, spreading destruction and disllaV
IA its path. They call these sort of things
staublawinen. or dust avalanches. because
they consist Ut the start of cold, dry,
powdery snow only and they arc oftcn
far moro powerful than raging hurri.
cane. But tho aralanchcs uSuuily seen
LING In high Alpine valleys. covered with
dust, earth and stones and great trunks
of trees, are known as gl1Indlawiilcn or
compact avalanchcs.
II wash grand sight on which we gazcd.
Glaciers filed every valley and rlvine,
nnd the ice stood up in tall rarnparts
wherever tho space was too narrow Ia
bold its rigid waves. Glacier ice is Snow
that has for considerable time been sub
Jectcd to enormous pressure. If you
squeeze q snoS ball In your hand until it
Is Se-y hard 1t becomes icy SO in tho
Alps. the continual fall OF snow il the
pressure and the suns heat tho warmth
which produces those seas of ice that arc
called glaciers. There nro over GOO Of
them in Switzerland. and somo nro cocvcl
with tho glacial period OF this continent,
while others arc now IL process Of forma.
ton. Winter IS :heir season of rest. bit
with tho spring thcy resume their onward
motion, due TO tho combined action OF
heat and gravitatiou. For In spite of their
apparent iin-rob!llty all Alpine glaciers do
move constantly, although with different
degrees of speed. and like LIQUID streams.
they carry with them debris of all sorts,
but principally the stones thlt fall on
their surface from tho mountains sides.
u lEOf1
some white Gasullicd peak, loses before
many years its spotless character. The
wintry frosts gathering into Iron bonds
the streams that tricklc down the noun.
tain sides expand tho water in freezing
and shatter rocks with force that tho
most solid ellis cannot possibly resist.
thus broken fragments drop on 10 TIE
once unspotted bosom of tho leo sea aud
swell its burden with advancing wears.
The debris thus brought down form what
nre called moraines. Each glacier has a
moraine Oh either side of IL; its end is n
TERMINAL Hiorainc. and when two glaciers
unite their lateral uoraincs Join and for.n
rsedial morainc One of tho largest
lledial Eicraines hereabout | saw as we
cannc down from this exc srsion. II IL in
tho ccuter OF the MOrteratsch Glacier and
Is about fifty feet or moro broad and per
haps twenty feet high in it's center
We were struck by the infinite white.
ness of everything. aud / have since
learned that ii is owing TO the prcsenco OF
glacier corn. There t. on glacier clad
mountains neve. or finely crystallixcd
snow, which is never fully melted. aud
this IS the pressure that forms the glacier
Ice. Now. glacier leo is quite different
To that which results from frcezin,
water. and Is found to consist of CRYSTALS
varying in size from that OF n hens err
10 pins head; these particles arc known
as granulcs or glacier corn, and in minute
holes air u imprisoned. Where the oir
bubbles are absent the glacier has blue.
1sh tint. and is no longer that pure white
which puzzles so many persons With
the oldest guido carefully leading the
way we walked over tho ice sea of Lila
volezza. Before we had gone far on lis
level surface | saw bowldors supportod ~
some height on Ice pedcstals and stoppcd
10 examine them. Glacier tables. " said
che guido at tho tail ond Of our process
tiou. but his rOmark conveyed no useful
attenuation. soon saw that they re-
quilted from tho presence Of n block of
stone IL had fallen on the sea. and had.
20 10 speak, protected tho ice directly DO
meath 10 from tho heat Of the sun I'm
consequence. while the gIGcior all round
has been dissolving and sinking the ice
under these powders has but slightly
n'clted. and gradually pillow Is forming
under each rock
Gut the bowldor ! not balanced ovonlv
On the top, observed the Boston lady
IL was oNpl&inel 10 Der hat because tho
sun is ablc TO reach these ice pcdestals
more freely on tho south side than on tho
north the thing naturally inclines toward
the south. As We walked along we
noticed line Of sand covered mounds
about four or five feet high and cnlminat
ing In sharp ridge Ne scraped OF a
bttie OF the sand and earth and found
that "a mound was composed Of Ice which
looked quite black when IL was uncovered.
The reason for the existence of these
cones was obvious. The ice protected by
tne sand had remained unmcitcd. and tho
wiad bad thinned tho driftCd heap into
pointed shape. Suddenly ,yo heard
cracking sound which was accompanjcd
by noise like that OF distant explosion.
and tho guide said this announced the
formation 90 another crovasso. Presently
the sound Of falling water which grew
louder and louder as We approached. WIS
heard, a1d soon VIC reached q point where
g stream dropped down shaft ID tho leo
END was lost 90 eight. The guido called
this deep hole q flo1liu. Gnd ho goutly re.
marked that u false stop in i;s direction
would take follow down beyond ali
human cid Agassiz and Tyad.ll boih
tried 90 ascertain tho thickness Of rlaciors
10y taking sOundings down these rIoulips.
Ahc forincr found no bottom a. 600 feet
O. ono sea aud On another be- ostiu~tcl
the thichnoel 60 1900 feet. Cor. New
EcTs Til,s. -
DevIeu1n in Artillery Firinc.