The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-24

the natural laws that govern the outside
world has carried the fame of this well
for miles around and people have travelled
great distances 10 witness the formation
of icicles during the hot weather of July.
This well Is within few hundred feet
of the summit of the Little Wolf noun
tains, on the north slope. at the very be-
ginning of Greenleaf creek, which emptles
into Rosebud eight miles from whore the
Rosebud joins tho Yellowstone river THIS
portion of the mountains Is covered with
a growth of tall pines.
Fourteen years ago three men prospect
ing for silver installing certain colors In
the rocks, began sinking a shaft; at fif-
teen feet IL was disagreeaby cold: at
twenty feet cold had increased so rapidly
that they were thoroughly frightened.
They could feel currents of cold air rush
ing up from the crevices in the rocR; they
Imagined they We're digging into some
mysterious underground cavern; they had
heard Just enough of wonderful adven-
lures of digging into caves and under
ground lakes, and being alone In the will
derness, where the very stiffness permitted
the ears to hear and the mind to imagine
all manner of grewsome powers hid be-
meath the rock, so thoroughly filled them
with the fear of impending danger that
they abandoned the work which has since
gained such renown.
The SUBMITS of Little Wolf mountains
are covered with scoria, which has all the
appearance and texture of a good grade
of thing. IL h usually red, but varies in
color through all the shades down to
black. These varying colors give the
beautiful tints to the thousands OF buttes
throughout the bad lands. In compare
lively recent geological times vast beds
of Ignite coal were formed over the east
n Montana vii In =
ern Dakota. The burning of these beds
of coal was the beginning of tine bad land
formation. 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, forming large Gin
der-like rocks, which are sometimes mis-
taken for lava. AS the coal burned out
from beneath the clay, now baked into
scoria and melted into clnders, 1t broke
into small divisions and fell promiscuous-
ly down into the pits thus formed. Vol
canic ash Is found scattered over the Lit
tie Wolf mountains and the eastern por-
ton OF Montana. IL must have drifted
with the wind from powerful eruptions in
the Rocky Mountains, as there are no in
dtcations of any volcanic action I'm the vi
cinity of the Ice well. The Little Wolf
buttes apparently of the same origin of
all the bad land buttes. Their submits
towering above all the other buttes, have
given them the name of mountains, but
they are only of slightly over 1000 feet
altitude.
If ice were to be put into the well dur
ing the winter It would keep throughout
the summer nearly as well as if stored
away in ordinary icehouses. BY chance
nature has formed almost the Identical
conditions that man has made use of to
preserve ice throughout the hot weather.
The shaft IL the cavity in which to store
ice, the volcanic ash, filling into the open
space between the loosely piled rock,
serves the purpose of sawdust In keeping
out the warm draughts of air; the alu-
tude and the north slope are favorable
TO the preservation of ice; tall, dense for
est prevents the heating of the surface
rock by the direct rays Of the sun; the
rocks are too porous for the water 20 soak
up, so TO speak, from beneath; the facts
are that In many places near the top
of the buttes, on the sides where the
rocks have fallen loosely together, they
are perfectly dry for many feet below the
surface, being moistened by the winter
snow and rain as 1t may fall and run
down from above.
During the winter the well Is nearly
filed with snow; enough water from the
early spring rains finds its way through
between the rocks to mix with the snow
and freeze into one solid mass of ice. The
Ice In the we'll rs formed by the cold of the
winter season, but does not begin to form
sometimes till the winter is half gone. In
turn. il is melted by the heat Of the sum-
mer, but does not begin to melt until the
summer is half over In the early part
of the summer 1t is Sill freezing In the
well and during the first half of the winter
II Is still melting. The well acts as
refrigerator. 1t receives the heat slowly
and then gives II off just as slowly. III
the earth received and gave off heat 'ead-
ily the hottest weather would be in June
and the coolest in December-in fnct, the
seasons follow nearly a month behind the
sun. The conditions surrounding the ice
well cause It to follow the seasons from
SIX TO eight weeks later. Those visiting
the well during the first halt Of the WIN
ter find water and those visiting, during
the early summer find II stil freezing even
finding small icicles forming as the water,
coming from above, diips over the rocka
on the sides down near the ice.
II is a fact thac II on a hot day you
walk rapidly into the cave to where the
ice Is, II feels as though strong current
Of cold air were blowing against your
face. The sensation Is so decidedly real
that 1t requires careful demonstration TO
prove to the contrary, aud even then 1t
almost seems as though the demonstration
has been a mistake. It can be easily test
ed by using smoke. OF, better Still, rath-
er heavy colored glass. Again, If one
should stand without Gle entrance TO the
cave on a very warm da., near enough to
feel and draught that may be stirring,
none can be felt coming from the cave.
II one should stand directly above the ice
well on a hot, stun Jay, oven putting the
face down to the vlry opening into the
we'll no upward drsugll Of cool air can be
felt. but go down into the well and one
would state positively that there was an
inward draugnt of extremely cold air.
s-4-S--
Every continent on the globe. with the
exception Of Australia, produces Wild roses.
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