The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-07-05
A MONTANA ICE MINE.
MAJ URE ACTS THE PART OF ICE MAN
IN LITTLE WOLF NOUN TAlNS.

Contrary to tho Usual order OF Things
In This Montana Well tho Thaw Comes
In Winter and the Freezing Comes In
Summer.
Seven miles to the north and little
to the east of the Cheyenne indian
agency in Custer County, Mont, is
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 it 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 or
iclccles during the hot weather or July.
Several years ago three men pros
pecting for silver, MISLEADING certain
colors in the rocks. began sinking
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 crevices in the rock; they imagined
they we're digging into some myster-
ious underground cavern; they had
heard Just enough of wonderful adyen-
lures of digging into caves and under
ground lakes, and being alone In this
wilderness where the very stiffness per-
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 inn
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 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-like rocks, which are
sometimes mistaken for lava. AS the
coal burned out from beneath the clay
now baked into scora and melted into
cinders, it broke into small divisions
and fell promscuously down into the
pits thus formed. Volcanic ash Is
found scattered over the Little VOL
Mountains and the eastern portion oil
Montana. 1t must have drifted with
the wind from powerful eruptions In
the Rocky Mountains, as there are Nc
indications of any volcanic action in
the vicinity of the ice well.
If ice were to be put into the wei
during the winter 1t would keel
throughout the summer nearly as wei
as if stored away in ordinary ice
houses. By chance nature has formed
almost the identical conditions tina
man has made use of to preserve ict
throughout the hot weather. The shat
is the cavity in which to store the ice
the volcanic ash, filing into the opeI
space between the loosely piled rock
serves the purpose of sawdust in keep
ing out the warm draughts of airs.
During the winter the well is nearl!
filled with snow enough water from
the early spring rains finds its wa.
through between the rocks to mix will
the snow and freeze into one solid mas
of ice The ice in the well is formed
by the cold of the winter season, bu
does not begin to form sometimes til
the winter is half gone. In turn. it /
melted by the heat of the summer, bu
does not begin to melt until the summe
is half over. In the early part of tn
summer it is still freezing in the vel
= and during the first half of the winte
it is still melting.
The well acts as a refrigerator.
receives the heat slowly and then give
it off just as slowly. II the earth re
ceived and gave off heat readily tn
hottest weather would be in June, an
the coolest in December-in fact tn
seasons follow nearly a month benin
the sun. The conditions surroundin
the ice well cause ii to follow the sea
sons from six to eight weeks later
Those visiting the we'll during the frs
half of the winter find water, and thos
visiting during the early summer fin
it still freezing, even finding small c
Giles forming as the water coming fror
above drips over the rocks ON the side
down near the ice.
1t is a fact that II on hot day 20
: walk rapidly into the cave to wher
the ice is, 1t feels as though a stron
current Of cold air were BLOWN
against your face. The sensation is S
decidedly real that it requires carefu
demonstration to prove to the contrary
and even then it almost seems a
though the demonstration has been
mistake. 1t can be easily tested by us
ing smoke, or better STILL a rattle
heavy colored glass. Again, If on
should stand without the entrance
the cave on a very warm day, nea
enough to feel any draught that may b
u stirring, none can be felt coming froI
y the cave. If one should stand directl
. above the ice well on hot, still da,
even putting the face down TO the yer
opening into the well, no upwar
draught of cool air can be felt but e
down into the well, and one woul
state positively that there was an III
:. ward draught of extremely cold air.