The morning call., 1891-06-21
THE STRONGHOLDS
OF ICY WINTER.
Spots in New England Where Summer
Never RGignS.
Cheshire, Mass, and Wilmington, VT, Are
Ice Never Melt-sleighing in May.

Parad0XlcalI
ParadoxicalI Yes, paradoxical. but it
takes some little time for the blazing sun
of summer to melt the drifts in Berkshre's
ravines and on the hillsides, where the
snow lies something like forty feet deep
after the west wind has been piling it up
through long and cruel winter. There are
places in Berkshire where it remains for
the entire year.
In these fair days in June great many
snow banks may be seen ON the east side OF
GreylOek Mountain. The wild winds Of
winter, when the mercury is 400 below zero
on the summit of the highest peak in Massa-
chuSetts, sweep over the mountain at the
rate Of 100 or more miles an hour.
1t is estimated that the snow falls from
to 8 feet deep every winter on the summit Of
the mountain, which is about two acres in
extent. The wind sweeping at such a We
lOcity drives the snow before it and banks
it up in sort of ravine on the east side at
depth of from 40 to 60 feet.
This great snow bank is inaccessible eX-
cept to the most expert mountain climbers.
1t is lOcated below an almost perpendicular
precipice of 200 feet, in a hollow where
there was once a landslide which took
thousands of tons of earth, rocks and trees
down the steep mOuntain-Side for seve raj
~
of snow in winter it remains here for the
year round. In fact
EXPERIENCED MOUNTAINEERs
Say they never visited this wild mountain
side without finding snow or ice there.
But there are many other places in North
ern Berkshire. where the snow remains until
late in June, and sometimes until August,
and even the year round.
A snow-bank on the old Avery Mason
farm, which now belongs to Lawrence Cur
ran, in the town of Cheshire, Is at present
about fifteen feet deep. 1t can be seen from
the Pittsteld and North Adams Railroad
until the foliage hides it from view. 1t is in
sort Of ravne at the head waters of a
brook which flows into the upper HOOsac
River in Cheshire. 1t is just below what
is known as Round Rock Mountain, which
is 2560 feet high.
When this snow-bank was visited by
Globe man few days ago, 1t covered
quarter of an acre and was fully twenty feet
deep. the old residents of Cheshire, in
GLIDING George Il. Dean and j. q. NOrthrup,
say that they have visited this SnOw-bank
late in June, while fishing, and found it to
be at least fifteen feet deep.
Snow Glen in WlliamstOwn, near point
where the stages of New York, Vermont
and Massachusetts unite, is an especially
romantic spot, and is visited by excursion
lists frequently during the summer. Here
the snow sits over the top of the mountain
remaius the year round. 1t is popularity
known as "The Snow Hole" 1t is Is or 20
feet square, and as the sun can never reach
it, snow and ice remain there perpetually.
Formerly good road led to it. 1t is on
the east side of what Is known as the Peters
burg Mountain.
Still farther north in Wilmington, vt, on
the east sde Of Haystack Mountain, is one
of the most remarkable snow banks in New
England or the country: 1t is said by those
who have frequently visited the spot that
the snow remains there always, and has
never been found less than twenty feet deep.
Snow sometimes remains in the charming
town of LenoX III Berkshire until the mid
die of June, on the east side of Baldhead
Mountain, on the farm of George w. Ford.
The west wind sweeps the snow over
the top of this mountain, and piles il up In
ravine, where it stays until after the cot
tagers arrive. Some of the more adven-
turous of them have climbed up to this spot
and had
A SNOWFALL BATTLE
As late as the middle of June There
is a snow bank still to be seen in
the town of Hancock, which borders on
New York State. 1t is in what is known as
the ''gien," and is now so deep that IL will
probably remain until July.
On the southeast side of BeartOwn Mount
ain, not far from the home OF the famous
weather prophet Beebe there still exists
snow bank covering something like half an
acre. 1t is at least ten feet deep, and could
be seen plainly from the valley in Tyring-
ham until it was obscured by the foliage.
A SnOw-banK remains on Constitution
hill, in LanesbOrO, nearly every season until
the middle of June. Quite large patch
was seen there only few days ago. 1t is
situated only about half mile north of the
house where Josh Billings" was born and
where he spent his bOyhOod. 1t is related
that he and few Of his companions were
,nd han ly hoo tO fol-
their sleds in the last of May or first Of June
aud 60 to this romantic spot and coast for a
distance Of about ten rods down the steep
incline of this famous Sn0w-bank.
There is a snow bank on the east side of
French's hill, in the town of Peru, on the
land of l.. NJ. Hackett. This hill is about
$500 feet high, and from 1t one OF the grand
est views is obtained of any hill in Berk-
shire County, except from Greylock Noun
tain. The snow that is swept over this hill
top by the west wind of winter lodges to a
depth of forty or fifty feet, and remains
until July. Mr.. d. Bowen. one Of the old
est inhabitants of Peru, says that he has
visited this place late in June, when he
found the snow from ten TO twelve feet
deep.
There are other snow-banks in the ra-
vines on the east side OF the HO0Sac Noun
tains and also on the eastern and southern
sides of the Tac0nic Range. In fact, in
these sequestered spots winter fingers not
only in the lap of spring, bnt of summer and
autumn as we'll. While none of them are
as widely known as the famous snow-banks
in Tuckerman'S raVlne on the east side OF
Mount Washington, yet many of them are
almost equal to it in depth and extent of
surface.
"Ice Glen" in Stockbridge is perhaps
better known 10 the summer visitors Of
Berkshire County than any other place
where snow fingers. Here the snow and ice
remain through the entire year. and it is
A FAMOUS RESORT
For picnic parties and excursiOnists. 1t
has become especially famous, from the
fact that the society people who spend their
summers in Stockbridge have for some years
been accustomed to wind up the season in
the autumn by sort of tOrchlight process
sion through it. The fact that snow and ice
remain in it the year round is evident, be-
cause there has never been an excursion
tb96ueA this glen at any season OF the year
when snow or ice has not been found.
There have been some remarkable snow
storms late in the season in Berkshire
County. 1t is known that there has been
sleighDg the last of April and IN May on
several occasions.
William r. Plunkett of PittSfeld says that
his father, Thomas 4. Plunkett, drove in u
sleigh from Chester to Dalton on the 18th of
April, 1885, and that the snow was deep.
How long it lasted is not stated, but proba-
bly, it did not 90 off until the 1st of May.
A snow-StOrm took place on the 10Th OF
May, 1916. 1t lasted for about two days.
On that occasion some people drove about
in sleighs, more for the novelty of it than
tor any other reason. 1t happened at the
time when apple trees are in blossom. and
James II. Smith, who lives in the south
part of PittSfeld, says that his father, who
had fine apple orchard, removed the snow
from the trees, SO that it might not break
off the limbs.
G. E. Chaplin of Plttsfeld. says that he
peddled milk in PittSfield using a sleigh, on
May 9th, seventeen years ago.
This year of 1891 has been somewhat re-
markabIe for its snow-Storms. There was
furry of snow on the 10Th of May, and the
top of Greylock and other hills were white
several times in the month previous to that
At tOha