The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-03-15
The aalieha Daily gayle Eridau oine Hareh IS 1895
SENECA is QUEER
It Freezes in Warm Weather and
Thaws When It Is Cold.
The History OF Seneca Lake In New York
state and Its Singular Revela-
tions-Some Notable Events
on the Ice.


many sister lakes IN this section of the
state in the matter Of its seldom freez-
| ing over. writes correspondent of the
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
from Watkins, n. Y. This is due TO
the great depth of the lake and the
fact that it is fed largely by springs
elong its shores and. as many believe,
at its bottom. During the summer sea-
son the lake absorbs vast amount of
heat, but owing TO the non-conducting
properties of wate.' il is slow in throw
ing off in the winter
For this reason on many cold winter
mornings the lakes surface is covered
with vapor, which indicates that the
water is warmer than the atmosphere.
This vapcr is always densest over the
deepest portions OF the lake. showing
that the water along the shores in the
shallower parts has to some extent be-
come colder. As. the surface of the
lake cools the water gradually COM
mingles with that below. and finally
the whole BODY of the lake becomes
cooled. In addition a heavy body OF
snow melting in tho spring and flowing
into the lake, especially in case of
freshet, tends TO cool the water and
render the lake liable to freezing If
the surface is not too much disturbed
by wind. For these reasons the lake
sometimes freezes over very late in the
spring, even when the temperature is
from fifteen degrees to twenty-five de-
grees above zero: as for instance thin
II 8 Ii
the mornings of May 5. 1861. May Is,
is72, May 6, 1878, and April &c, 1854.
On many mornings the mercury has
been down to zero or below, and at
Monterey one day recently the thermom-
eter registered thirty degrees below
zero, yet the lake had not sufficiently
cooled to freeze over, for no snow water
has run iEto it this season. However, the
country tributary 70 the lake is now COW
cred with snow TO depth of from two
TO three feet, and If the cold should con-
tinue for some time yet and the heavy
body Of snow go off il food the lake
would undoubtedly freeze over
In a description of Seneca lake APP
pleton's Cyclopedla states that it was
never known to be frozen over until
March %, 1855, but according TO VIII
liam c. Coon. of Burdett, he and party
of about twenty skated across the lake
from Glen Eldridge to Watkins and
back on the morning of February rs,
1855. The ice was then five inches thick
in the middle of the lake and was clear
and solid. On March 8, 1865, the lake
again froze over, and in 1875, for a pc
Rod of four weeks and two days prior
to March IA. it was frozen over so that
persons could cross it many miles from
the head. On February 81. 1855, It
froze over from shore to shore out as
far as the eye could reach, and four
days later grand carnival was held on
the ice IN the evening. About one thou
sand persons assembled. coming from
Elmira and other places by train and
from all the surrounding country in
sleighs. The moon, nearly full, rode
high In a cloudless sky, and the scene
was one of a most inspiring nature.
Chinese lanterns and torchlights lent
their charm to the surroundings, while
the glare of rockets and bombslighted up
the sky. A band was present, and dane
ing and skating were among the sports
enjoyed.
January Is. 1898, an unusually early
date, the head of the lake froze over
from shore TO shore out distance Of
about twenty rods, but the ice only
lasted few days. BY observation many
people have come to expect the lake to
freeze over once in every ten years, and
according to such a series it should
freeze this winter, for by reference to
the dates mentioned above It will be
seen that it froze over in 1855, In 1865.
IN 1876 and in 1885.