The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-08-21

the freezing. Under ordinary conditions
ice will not freeze two feet under
ground, nor In the ground at all, deep
err than a few inches. In the longest
winters, in our climate It Is seldom that
the ground freezes a foot deep. Why,
then, should the debris at the base of
Ice mountain freeze to depth of prob
ably, ten or fifteen feet? / will offer a
theory OF my own without, however, IN
sisting very strongly on Its acceptance
by others. The mass Of angular and
broken rocks along the base of the
mountain Is not compact solid, like or
binary earth. The rocks fit so loosely
upon and among one another that air
can circulate freely all through them, TO
unknown depths 1t Is q well-known
principle that cold air Is heavier than
warm air, and that when cold and warm
air come together ar their densitles are
practically the same) the cold air settles
to the bottom and the warm afr rises,
or in some other manner gets out Of the
way.
That Is, think, precisely what takes
place at Ice mountain. In severe win
ter weather the cold air works Its way
down through openings and cavities
among the rocks, and eXpells the warm
err air found In the lower interstlces.
The air thus introduced Is cold enough
20 freeze the water which finds Its way
to the depths at each rain or melting
snow. Little by little the Ice accumu-
lates and in the course of a winter II
has formed beds OF considerable but I'M
known thickness.
The same principle OF philosophy
which causes the cold air of winter to
circulate among the rocks, prevents the
circulation of the warm summer air,
The warm air cannot work down from
above because 1t Is light and will not
penetrate where the heavy cold air Is,
IL might be answered that the light
warm air OF summer would penetrate
the openings among the rocks near the
bnse OF the mountain, ana thence rise,
through the nterspaces OF the broken
rocks, and meet the ice 1t would do so,
and Ice mountain would have no name,
had not nature prevented the entrance
OF warm air at the base OF the mountain
by covering the rocks to height of two
or three rods from the river, with a
compact soil, through which air cannot
penetrate. II Is thus seen that the cold
air Of winter can enter from above,work
Its way down among the rocks until II
fills all the space under the thick solli
but the warm air cannot enter from be-
low to drive the cold air out. The essen
tial conditions for forming and preserv-
| Ing ice are fulAlled, the cold air can
| circulate from above and freeze the ice;
| the warm air cannot penetrate TO the
| icy depths II the whole face Of the
mountain we're covered with soil as the
lower part 10, the cold air could not en-
| ter and there would be no ice II the
whole face were destitute Of soil as the
upper part t., the cold alr might enter
and freeze Ice; but warm air would en-
ter from the bottom In carly spring, and
melt IT,
Visitors to Ice mountain are In the
habit Of digging holes In the soil und
rocks to find tee A considerable num-
Der Of these excavations nro IN owl
dencc. These who do this ore no doubt
ignorant OF the fact that thyc are KILL
inn the goose that lays the golden egg,
| Every opening made through tho cover
Ing Of soil and tract which ovnrllos the
! rocks near the base of the mountain,
I becomes passagcwny for the admlss-
| lon OF warm air which calculates up
ward among the loose rocks, 40 up n
chimney, melting the leo as II goes. II
this custom of digging Ia pcralsted H.
| Ice mountain VIII be thing OF tho
past. believe that tho quantity or Ice
Of late years has decrcnscd on this nc
count. Kerohevnl visited the place SOW
cnty years aEo, and from HE dcscrlp-
tlon the Ice was much more abundant
then than now Tho owner OF the place
does NOT look after II or cnre for ~ In
fact, I would not be surprised " he
sometime undertakes u general systom
OF excavations, for he IN firm bcllcv-
err In the existence Of vast cave under
tho mountain, filled with lee, n workable
phantusmal, Nbtcrrancnn
"1tlnudom forever patrollod
By the ghnHlost agents Of death as
fell
In tyrnnnous charter Of endless cold
Al the gold circle Of Dlntc'H lloll'
mn MAXWELL.