The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-03-28
A QUEER LAKE.
It Freezes in Warm Weather and
Thewe When 1t Is Gold.
Tho History of Seneca Lake In Row York
State and Its Singular Rovcln-
tions-Somc Notable Events
on the Ice.

Seneca differs from nearly all of its
many sister lakes in this section of the
state i'll the matter of it's seldom frcez-
ing over, writes Il correspondent of the
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
from Watkins, n. Y. This is due to
the great depth of the lake and the
tact that it is fed largely by springs
along its shores and, us 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 water it 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 vapor is always dcnsest over the
deepest portions of the lake, showing
that the water along the shores in the
shallowcr parts has to some extent be-
come colder. AS tho 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 heavy body of
snow melting in the spring and flowing
into the lake, especially in case of a
frcshct, 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; us for instance n thin
film of ice covered the lakes surface on
the mornings of May 5, 1861, May 10,
1872, May 6, 1878, and April &c, 1854.
On many mornings the mercury has
been down to zero or below, and ut
Monterey one day recently the thcrmom-
cter registered thirty degrees below
zero, yet the lake had not sufficiently
coolcdTo freeze over, for no snow water
has run into it this season. However, the
country tributary to the lake is now COW
cred with snow to depth of from two
tothrce feet, and if the cold should con-
tinuc for some time yet and the heavy
body of snow go off in flood the lake
would undoubtedly freeze over.
In description of Seneca lake Ap-
plcton's Cyclopcdla states that it was
never known to be frozen over until
March %, 1856, but according to Will
liam c. Coon, Of Burdctt, he and q party
OF about twenty sllatcd across the lake
from Glen Eldridgc to Watkins and
back on the morning of February os,
1850. The ice was then five inches thicl,
in the middle of the lake and was clear
and solid. On March 3, 1865, the lake
again frozc over, and in 1873, for Il pc
Rod of four weeks and two DAYS prior
to March II, 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 q grand carnival was held on
the ice i'll the evening. About one thou
sand persons assembled, coming from
Elmira and other places by train and
from all the surrounding country in
slclghs. The moon, nearly full, rode
high in a cloudless sky, and the scene
was one of most inspiring nature.
Chinese lanterns and torchlights lent
their charm to the surroundings, while
the glare of rockets and bombs lighted up
the sky. band was present, and dane
ing and skating were among the sports
enjoyed.
January 1G, 1898, an unusually early
date, the head of the lake froze over
from shore to shore out n distance of
about twenty rods, but the ice only
lasted n few days. BY observation many
people have come to expect the lake to
freeze over once in every ten years, and
according to such n series it should
freeze this winter, Cor by reference to
the dates mentioned above it will be
seen that it froze over in 1885, in 1868,
in 1875 and in 1855.