The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-07-12
A MONTANA ICE MINE.
NATURE ACTS THE PART OF ICE MAN
IN LITTLE WOLF MOUNTAINS.

Contrary to the Usual order Of Things
in This Montana We'll tho Tbaw Comes
in Winter and the Freezing Comes d.
Summer.
Seven miles to the north and q little
20 the east Of the Cheyenne Indian
agency in Custer County, Mont, is a
well filled with Ice that excites much
curiosity among the ranchers and cat
tlemen of that section. Every cowboy
who visits the well has much to tell
and invariably advances his own ex-
PLANTATION. Many ingenious theories
are given which tend to indicate that
mankind OF all degrees of scientific
knowledge put forth an effort to find
the origin OF things; however, they
all agree that the ice forms in the we'll
during the summer and that 1t actually
thaws during the winter. This appa-
rent contradiction of the natural laws
that govern the outside world has car
! ried the fame of the well for miles
around and people have Travelled great
/ distances to witness the formation OF
iclcces during the hot weather OF July.
Several years ago three men pros
! pecting for silver, mistaking certain
colors in the rocks. began sinking a
shaft; at fifteen feet it was disagreeably
cold; at twenty feet the cold had in
creased so rapidly that they were thor
oughly frightened. They could feel
currents of cold air rushing up from
the crevlces in the rock they imagined
they were digging into some myster-
ious underground cavern; they had
heard lust enough OF wonderful adven-
lures of digging into caves and under
ground lakes, and being alone In this
| will urbn tbn ctillnpGc
mitted the ears to hear and the mind
to imagine all manner of grewsome
powers hid beneath the rock, so thor
oughly filled them with the fear of i'm
pending danger that they abandoned
the work which has since gained such
renown.
In comparatively recent geological
times vast beds of Ignite coal were
formed over the eastern half of Mon
tana, extending into western Dakota.
The burning of these beds of coal was
the beginning of the bad land forma-
ton. The fine deposits Of clay above
the coal were burned as brick are
burned in a kiln and formed the scoria.
Where the heat was greater and rock
and sand were present 1t melted and
mixed with the coal and coal ash, form
ing large. cinder-lke rocks, which are
| bOultllu16S ullSldhSu lOI lava. AS luc
coal burned out from beneath the clay,
now baked into scoria and melted into
cinders, It broke into small divisions
and fell promiscuously down into the
pits thus formed. Volcanic ash Is
found scattered over the Little Wolf
Mountains and the eastern portion OF
Montana. 1t must have drifted with
the wind from powerful eruptions in
the Rocky Mountains, as there are no
indications of any volcanic action in
the vicinity of the ice well.
If ice were to be put into the well
during the winter It would keep
throughout the summer nearly as well
as if stored away in ordinary Ice
houses. By chance nature has formed
almost the identical conditions that
man has made use OF to preserve ice
throughout the hot weather. The shaft
is the cavity in which to store the ice;
the volcanic ash, filing into the open
space between the loosely piled rock,
serves the purpose of sawdust in keep
ing out the warm draughts of airs.
During the winter the we'll is nearly
filled with snow: enough water from
the early spring rains finds it's way
through between the rocks to mix with
the snow and freeze into one solid mass
of ice. The ice in the we'll is formed
by the cold of the winter season, but
does not begin to form sometimes till
the winter is half gone. In turn, it is
melted by the heat of the summer, but
does not begin to melt until the summer
is half over. In the early part of the
summer it is still freezing in the we'll
and during the first half of the winter
it is still melting.
The well acts as a refrigerator. It
receives the heat slowly and then gives
, 1t off just as slowly. II the earth re-
ceived and gave off heat readily the
hottest weather would be in June and
J the coolest in December-in fact, the
seasons follow nearly a mouth behind
the sun. The conditions surrounding
the ice well cause it to follow the sea-
sons from six to eight weeks later.
Those visiting the well during the first
half OF the winter find water, and those
visiting during the early summer find
1t still freezing, even finding small ici-
Giles forming as the water coming from
above drips over the rocks on the sides
down near the ice.
1t Is fact that II on hot day you
walk rapidly into the cave to where
the ice Is, 1t feels as though a strong
current OF cold air were blowing
against your face. The sensation is so
decidedly real that it requires careful
demonstration to prove to the contrary,
and even then it almost seems as
though the demonstration has been a
mistake 1t can be easily tested by u.s.
ing smoke, or better still, a rather
heavy colored glass. Again, II one
should stand without the entrance to
the cave on a very warm day, near
enough to feel any draught that may be
stirring, none can be felt coming from
the cave. If one should stand directly
above the Ice well on a hot, still day,
even putting the face down to the very
opening into the we'll, 10 upward
draught of cool air can be felt; but go
down into the well, and one would
state positively that there was an nn-