The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-29
TWO THOUSAND YEARS IN ICE.
Ge"IoEist Claims 10 Have DIscOv-
cred a Remarkable Fog.

/ - BaFNSN
cred Remarkable Frog
| BRANDON. VT. July 29.-Prof. Adrian
| Ronalds, a geolcgist from Rio de Janeiro,
who has been spending "a few weeks with
| his daughter Ruth. collecting specimens
| Of minerals In the Green Mountains about
| here, explored the Pittsford ice cave a
| few days ago and discovered buried in
( two feet OF ice a frog that, when thawed
out. came TO life and croaked.
| The geoIcgist declares that the frog,
which was full grown and of the bull va
riety. had been in cold storage for up
ward Of ZOO years. He points out to the
skeptiea, that toads and frogs have been
found in stone and coal pockets and
that they have come to life after being
buried for thousands Of centuries
The professor was accompanied in his
| descent To the cave by his daughter, a
handsome athletic girl Of twenty-oue, who
| is used to the hardships incident TO out
door life. To get to the first landing ii
IS necessary to slide or climb down a pole
forty feet in length. Knowing this. Miss
Ronalds prepared for the adventure by
boomers unhidden by an outside skirt
Then, to the horror Of this conservative
New England community she rode out OF
town straddle of a horse
The existence Of the Pittsford ice cave
has been known since the days Of the
Revolutionary war, bat few have had the
temerity to explore It. 1t is remarkable
for the fact that the entire floor of the
cave proper and the subterranean pas
sageways leading from it are of ice, many
feet ia thickness and as clear as crystal.
The ice has never been known to melt,
the thermometer registering several de-
vargf-7 he
hottest summer days
The cave is reached through a vertical
shaft the mouth Of which is hidden
among Tnoss-coyered bouiders at the base
Of a narrow gorge, high up in mountain
pass. mile off one of the picturesque
cross-country roads connecting PittsfOrd
mills and the Chittenden forests. The
gorge is so narrow that two men cannot
walk abreast with comfort. and the walls
towering LEGO feet sheer are so smooth
that the phoebe long ago gave up trying
to nest there. They are capped by
cgpse of stunted, bristling spruces that
peep defnautIy over the edge and nod
their heads in the breeze that never fails
in the gorge
The professor hoped to find rare speci-
mems deep down in the heart Of the cave
and when he spoke of making the de-
scent Miss RonaIds insisted that she be
allowed to accompany him.
The young woman carried a rope on the
pommel OF her saddle and rode easily.
The professor carried the lantern and the
lunch. They left the main road at the
Chittenden Forks and turned their horses
into the second-growth timber. A mile
from the mouth of the gorge. on a table
land commanding a view OF the Valley of
the Otter from WaIiingford 10 the Cham
plain. they tethered their horses and con-
tinUed on foot, carrying the rope and Ian
tern.
The shaft IS six feet in diameter and IS
as round and smooth as the barrel of an
IS-inch gun Intensely cold air gushes up
from the cave ike water from geyser
Some years ago a young man named
Humphrey cut a sapiing, and mailing on
some cross sticks. showed IL into the
shaft Ever since It has served as a
ladder for the few venturesome spirits
who have made the descent. It Is not
one bit too safe. and a log has been
thrown across the mouth. ard oyer this
rope can be run and tied around the
waist
The professor lighted his lantern and
let himself down. Then he hoisted the
loop, and. putting the rope around her
waist, Miss Ronalds nartIs climbed and
partly stu down the sapling-
Father and daughter found themselves
at the head of passageway leading down
toward the mountains base at an angle
Of Is degrees. The air WAS cold and damp
and the lantern sh0SS ed that the low walls
were dripping with moisture.
They dropped to their hands and knees
and CTdw}ed along carefully for 20 feet,
pushing the lantern in front of them
Here the passageway suddenly ended |
midway between the floor and ceiling Of
inv IF
each side was black space The air was
intensely cold and sucked up the pas
sdSeway as though forced by a gigantic
electric fan The professor threw a frag-
from the sound that the bottom Of the
vault was about fifty feet below The on
~ way TO get down was by means of the
rope, and he went back after it When he
returned Miss RonaIds let him over the
edge
Nothing was heard Of tie professor for
half an hour. but from her eyre Miss Ro-
maids could see the !ante.-l a mere speck
IN the pit, bObbing about. She knew that
her father was searching the bottom OF
the cave and remained quiet. Finally she
heard muffled pounding, the lantern
rapidly approached and a tug on the rope
signifled that the professor wished TO be
pulled UP.
The geoIogist reached the passa geway
holding the lantern in one hand and a
small claElmy object in the other He
was so excited that at first Re could
hardly speak Finally he displayed the
frog and managed to tell how he had seen
II imbedded in a assure in the ice and had
chopped It out with jagged stone
The frog was white. brittle and almost
transparent At first 1t showed no sign
of life, but after II had been warmed by
the lantern for time both saw a slight
movement Of the legs The professor al
most tainted from excitement. He held
II nearer the lantern. and the frog swell
ed out his throat. gave a robust kick and
crOaked-
On reaching the outside air father and
daughter hurried back TO Brandon There
they led the frog with flies and in few
days II began 70 take on q healthy green
color They watched IL carefully and
yesterday left for Buffalo where the pro
feSSor Will show his find 10 several geo
logists there He will then return to Rio
de JaGeiTO-
CURRENT HJrMOR