The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-08-15
ICE WILL BE PLENTIFUL.
Prices Likely to Be Low In IS,io6
A. ID.

A. ID.
A Discussion That Gives Cold Comfort in
Hot Neutrality-suspicious. Facts Regard
Ice Ages Past and to Come.
Even the most languid imagination,
savs the Boston Transcript ensryated by
the protracted heat and lifs-sapping HUI
mildly of midsummer, must be
uuicksned into at least spasmodic Activi-
ty by any discussion in which ice plays a
prominent part. The mere mention OF
the word t'ice,' with its delicious sug-
gestions Of cold cleaning surfaces and
crystalline depths. musical drippings and
trioklings Of chill moisture and refresh
ing movements of cool airs that come
aud go with an uncertainty that is at
pnoe tantalizing and yet fascinating,
seems TO exert reviving influence and
to stimulate the half-torpid brain in
spite Of the glare of sunshine and SHIN
mer of heat la the breathless August air.
So, when the question raised is one in
volving consideration of the me ve-
ments of Arctic and Antartic seas, of
icsbergs and ice-bearing currents, of vast
ice sheets and mighty glaciers, cold IN
der-currents and unending forests and a
glance over the story of the earth sfrom
the Ice ages of the remote past to the Toe
periods that may come in the far future,
even he who is most affected by the ewel-
tering heat Is stimulated into taking an
interest in the subject, If only ON 40
count of the delightful sensations expe-
rienoed in talking at this season on a
topic that concerns only the coolest kind
Of cold faots-frost, ice and snow.
To one whom the heat has reduced to
condition i'll which the fate of being
embalmed In the frigid blue depths of an
Alpine glacier, like the husband of
young Mrs. Knollys in the startling
story Of 81. S. of Dale" would be well
come, even the suggested possibility of
Tesarn Of the glacial period conveys no
disturbing tears. but rather awakens n
languid desire to see the prophecy an &C.
complished fact. According to General
Cowell, however, there Is no danger of
such sudden contamination. The mild
temperature of the earth is increasing In
stead of waning and will reaoh the least
differences in temperature between sum-
mer and winter in the year 1896, or al
most 400 years hence, while the earth
wilssnot enter the next glacial period nn-
til 5000 years after that, .~or about the
year $500, and will not attain its greatest
severity until nearly 10. 600 years later on
or about the year, s,136. But General
Cowell's state ments are disputed by c.
A. d. Taber, who has recently published
a short treatise on the same subject. He
claims thnt IAN ice age is advancing.
and has made considerable progress In
the high latitudes of both hemispheres. :"
In support Of his ass ertion he points out
that the climate of northern Europe has
been accused of growing colder; that the
vine no longer fourishes on the shores Of
Bristol Channel or in Flanders or Brit
teny; that vineyards are no longer plant
ed on tie elevated shores Of France,
where they fourished 300 years ago; that
the orange groves of Florida were recent
1y subjected to such deadly frsezin g
that 1t is uncertain whether the cultiva-
tioa of that fruit can again be successful
In the countries where, during this gener-
alton, it has been extremely profitable;
that a correspondent, writing from north
ern Russia some years ago, stated that
the 'speuple were beginning to show in
creased resentment at the climate" and
were gliding south by the tens of thou
sands every year." that, In the opinion
of travellers, the EsquimRux and the In
habitnnts Of northern Siberia are de-
creasing; that writer ia q Shanghai
paper says that ''the climate of Asia is
becoming colder than ii was, and its
tropical animals and plants are retreat
ing southwark at a slow rats;'' that ele-
plants. tigers, leopards and similar
beasts found In China in the time of
Gonfccius and the later Menoius are no
longer to be seen there; THAT the slligators
which formerly infested the rivera of
southern China have retreated farther
south; that the bamboo ia not found in
the forests OF northern China, where it
grew naturally 1000 years ago, although
1t Is still grown as garden plant in
sheltered places in Pekin; that the
records of temperature made in various
places at the beginning of the century
indicate falling temperature when com.
pared with the records of temperature
taken within recent years.
Those whom oppressive heat has filed
with yearning for the immediate return
of the Ice age, will find consolation in
these statements, although their pleas
urabls anticipation may be qualified
somewhat by another statement that dur
ing the years previous to the last glacial
aGe, the oceans must have attained O
higher temperature than that of the
wafnest seas of today. The question
chat would naturally suggest itself would
be whether the mitigating frigidity of
the ice age would be SO delightful to
look forward to If before 1t was at
tanned it became necessary to endure the
horrors of almost boiling surf bathing
whenever one happened to be seized with