The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-01
NATURES ICE MINE IN MONTANA.
Well in Which the Water Freezes in Sum-
mer and Turns Warm In Winter.
From the Boston Advertiser.

mer ana Turns warm IN winter.
From the Boston Advertiser.
Seven miles to the north and a little to the
east OF the Cheyenne agency in Custer county.
Mon. is a well filed with ice that excites much
curiosity among the ranchers and cattlemen
of that section. Every cowboy who visits the
we'll has much to tell and invariably advances
his own explanation.
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 well during the sum-
Winter, This apparent ssontradiIetioan q the
saFFl pso .hs i saRs g sr sh1s sfli rl fss P aIsssp ssSaq q
witness the formation OF icicles during the hot
summit rn1s E q Little Il Gs' Wolf I ny Sou hPaGaSe on r' he I no S4S
slope; at the very beginning Of Gfeenlssi Greek.
where the Rosebud joins the Yellowstone
R RItS ; e This R9 of tSp, Of n,1 the mountain is covered
for, silver. m~istakfng certain colors In the
rocks. began sinkInsa shaft Al niteen feet I
s sRta asf jn fqisSssns g. F9fRRl sY s sa1is t essl s SsFe
F Ess'si in 81 the SSl9 roS slr FTrfhs eE in az fneaa t ins were were
SsEi5P: .d Fssy Rsa b efs aisr Isst EMO ssv & 81 ssd
underground lakes, and being alone In this
wilderness. where the very stiffness permitted
roeR. So q tnGsr TassSSRIen i ReSI them mo w RfRR'iS fear 's 81
1 WoPf %hlSh fhs has slRc sn esin ssfy su sRG rsnoT9. the
"The summits Of Little Wolf Mountains are
S SOS 3 ana iTi ts,t sSori a Sa a6dd has sasd sl 81 5h siI aPpPeAFt
is usually red. but varies In color through all
the shades down t. black. These varying
OF buttos throughout the bad lands In COM
parativeiy recent geological times vast beda Of
Of Montana, extending into western Dakota.
The burning Of these beds OF coal was the be-
ddepositEs Of 81 clay shS S obo ln he , eoaf Wsre burned mne aa as
brick are burned in a kiln and formed the SEQ
ria. Where the heat was greater and rock ana
the coal and coal ash. forming large einder-
like rocks. which are sometimes mistaken for
clay. now baked into scoria and melted INTO
clnders. 1t broke into small divisions and fell
RgF 01sanin ssS I. dG n',nd into sc, the PIE oS emu sb feT rftsfc
Montana. It must have drifted With ths wind
canie action in ths Vicinity q the Ice well TIl
ro mss r alss,s Of W Satte @G sppsrentlS S' Of a The ! same
mits. towering above ali the other bnttes. have
slse only fse II s ihS Ra% over 2 a.o 8S9 fest sltItS 1$e 'n0'
II Ice were to be nut into the well during the
Tdatiy 4 IS w veil ss' R s=tGfSd s%sy IN In o SHdR%s5
icehouses, By chance nature has formed al.
made use Of to preserve Ice throughout The. hot
weather. The shaft Is the cavity In which to
store the iS, Ice; b the %yS1ct sbs isase hIlip pie ipt so she
the warm draaghts q Al; ne altitude ana ne
OF efe the he surfaces salt SenT rock By the direct rays of TIE
s sSn the ap. 80 soH * s are TOO l RSrSuss e ,er aRs ne xs "fae ts
fgttesi on ne sides where q the os rocks have Ave
for many feet below the surface. being moist;
ened by the winter snow and rain rs 1t may fall
During the winter the well f nearly filled
with snow enough water from the early spring
f sai MIX aR With ~ th Ss snow 1Rs Sna ire sssw into one one sold solid
mass Of Ice, The Ice In the well is formed by
the n 20 dot Of the asw wsphtsT ses snI tb but w qoes n e b SSi
In turn. It is melted by, the heat Of the sum
Summer 1@' Is Thai hall. over. N tho early part q the
summer Il + stili u fr tbs 2 MYSt IN t 4 ~ w stIi 4 me, dSs-
l lie t Rsl Pf acts ss a. g 81 r err TsRss5 ! I z ' %rsee %sss' tsSs
heat slowly. and then gives It on ipst as slowly.
t. th Ro ssrth w TsSsISsd w "nd ffby e i o. Ja hss' a ssdadtti liz;
SSsaa aea r a month behind lie sun:
cause it to follow the seasons from slT to eight
weeks later ThOsee &c. y m,t : Sns well wnts DURING ans
thess ar yIsIt pHG during Tho early summer and
il still Freezing, even finding small icieles form
ing as the water. coming from above. drips over
IL Is q fact that n on a hot day you. walk
into the cave to where the Lac Is It Iesls
hIoWina against your face. The sensation is so
dscidedIy real that It requires careful, dem
onstratlon to prove to the contrary, and even
ton has been a mistake. II can be easily tested
by using smoke, or. better still, q rather, heavy
eolored glass. Again, II one should stand with.
the entrance to the cave on a very warm
day, near enough to feel any draught that may
cave. II one should stand directly above the
Ice well on a hot. still day. sven putting the face
ward drauRht Of cool air can be felti hut go
down into the we'll and one would state positive
iy that there was an upward draught OF ex-
tremely cold air. = !