Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-01-07
AMONG THE GLACIERS.
Grand and Remarkable Traces OF
Natures Powerful Enginery.

At the American Institute Of instruction
at Newport, r. l., lecture was given by
Hon. James W. Patterson, State Superin-
tendent of Public Instruction Of New Hamp-
shire, upon "a Trip Among the Glaciers" !"
Mr. Patterson SAID:
! If we go forth into our fields and pastures,
he began, we see rocks and powders scat
tered promiscuously and in countless num-
bers, which have been transported from
their original beds by some giant force
which dominated the world in a primitive
age, but unknown since the historic period.
If in our northern latitudes we lay bare the
flanks of the mountains we find the under
lying lodges all ground and polished by
some powerful enginery Of nature, which
has passed down their naked sides, plow-
ing at intervals parallel burrows in their
tough and unyielding surface. Everywhere
ovtr our northern hemisphere the Titanic
| workers of the olden time have dumped
| their weighty burdens OF drift above the
stratified deposits of yet earlier period,
and the Heterogeneous masses of mingled
dirt, gravel and powders found among our
mountains and stretching east and west
along our temperate zone all point to a time
when glaciers, like those Of Greenland,
moved over our continent and sent their
mighty bergs into the sea. But whence
came this power and whittier has it gone?
is the question which naturally comes to
every lip. There are abundant reasons to
believe that this glacial force is periodic,
like so many other Of the operations Of nat
ure
Several theories have been propcunded at
different times to account for the periodicity
of glacial action. That of Croll, which ac-
counts for the Uarvin ~ TnQan mnaraturaOf
the earth by the revolutions Of the seasons
around the earths orbit and the changing
eccentriclty Of the orbit itself, seems to be
the most rational. Winter at aphelion must
be longer and colder than winter at peri
hellon, and the variation must increase with
the increase of the eccentricity Of the orbit,
and with the increase of the inclination of
the axis Of the earth to the plane OF its
orbit
Our modern glaciers are produced like the
ancient, by low temperature acting upon
tne moisture of the atmosphere.
The day after reaching the valley three of
US Americans determined to make the as
cent OF Mont Blanc. Having secured five
oWlss guides we were accoutered, accord
ing to directions, with heavy shoes having
snarp spikes in the soles and heels, and 3
with buskins around our lower limbs.
STOCK having strong steel spike in one end.
Inc guides took with them an alpen axe and
coll OF strong rope, with leathern belts at
Iacned at intervals of about eight feet apart.
mus prepared we started on our trip up the
glacier. - Nf 49, ga
For time the ascent was easy and we
hao little trouble. But after advancing
some distance we began to encounter LONG
cracks or assures in the ice, which we were
obliged to leap ''
AS we advanced the openings or crevasses
became wider and more hazardous to pass. .s
"a A1 lengtn we came to one five feet wide and Z
uescendlng to an unknown depth. Our
leaoer stopped and buckled one of the
neaVy oelts about his waist and passed the
LS W nie fastened this ABOUT myselfand
no1oeu no ~ =. the tnlrd to the second guide, and
.os ~ " 'te next I'LL we were all harnessed or i
,,l". -opeu Uogetner. Thus prepared the fore
most guide placed himself upon the ed1e ~
me me crevasse, and giving spring went over
We lolowed him in order till all were
'Ver' One OF our number a short. heavy
nsn' laued OF secure landing on the INNER
'!ue, out the rope was strong and we banled
lln up nand over hand. We continued to
SpoaO pSS VlllS operation till atlength we struck
- lovasse some twenty feet wide Here
Ve found ladder with heavy snilrea IN the
ower end, which one of the pnides drove
nto the Ice below the surface and tben
lopping IT onto the other side LET himself
SMu tne ladder and assembled tn the ICE
80; a,Ies we al followed SUIT and were safely
80 aS,.a' On .ne otner side So we continued
bo',t Snoe sn'' III we reached the Grand Mulets
80 80 .to tour ociock In the afternoon. Here.
10 soo.,a o,aN zen thousand feet above the sea
he ascent tSo nisnt, intending to complete
bpnder'sto .uo tOiowlng morning But
fountain covered the glacier with - W .no
y OF glare ice which rendered fnr.hn5
onee extremely dangerous. an tbat a.
aiuee ai.'o. Ieiused to lead US up to the snmm;t
o,,.tN nuy we turned back and crent con-
= Noy uy uown the mountain of fissurad ;oa
~ o 10 po'nI we reached crevasaa ~ AZ
soo"-s tu narrow tongue of ice bevond and
sGSouu '"S opening beyond that Th;s -
~. spot and we watched our 49,.
oa loa intense anxiety Moving mn ~ tha
,sS "a: SS:auuously he cut a place for HE ,oo.
anosi,i.t pen axe and then, putting himself
,oI p'sl'ion' st' gave spring, and faIling aat
va,,ad Az - ioe arrested his progress and
anno. uI colnlng one by one in the sama
a ner,0,'S reacnlng our hotel we found
4 were so.- s.rain mad been severe one
ar da cIa~ay Ine next morning for the
I guides - =, We went on foot and with.
4 5Ornueu rao"a 70 the glacier, which we croeaeS @
r Tho seerossed and studied with ~rea, %9 crossed
,oS but Urtgin OF glaciers is easilv nnSae OSae
'Uu, 90, put 1t is dihlcult 10 aoco,1y fy unoer-
~ sonts LOT some Of their phenomena Sa.iSiSc, Gr
ow 9TG.n Iina side SIDE of the Alps we TS Bnd tSn a
, 60 sUout eight thousand foe, -, Sne
dept @ An. AL moisture above the line AToys IL Is
- ueut, must be condensed ara Is
ed snow 'o.'e .. as crystalized or gram.
es Of tbese u ,o as hail When the steen
ded with n seo loity heights become over over
ight, and 1"ow, s" u pushes down OF its own
'usand feet Soiae'. SSoineunes descends three
p valley. bsIoS," me frost liae into the