The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-05-21
A FREAK OF NATURE.
MoNTANA's PULLING AND CONTRA
oicToRY WELL.

In the Summ-r its Water Freezes
and In the Winter the Ice Meits
and the Water becomes Warm-A
Mysterious Current Of Air.
Seven miles to the north and little 70
the east Of tho Cheyenne agency in Custer
county, Mon, Is well filled with ice that
excites much curiosity among the ranchers
and cattlcmen Of that section. Every COW.
boy who visits tho well has much to tell
and invariably advances his own explana-
ton.
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 NIL agree that the ice forms
In the we'll during the summer and that
1t actually thaws during the winter. This
apparent contradiction Of the natural laws
that govern tho outside world has carried
the fame Of this well for miles around and
people have Travelled great distances to
witness tho formation Of icicles during the
hot weather Of July.
This well Ii within few hundred feet
Of the summit Of Little Wolf mountains,
on the north slope, at the very beginning
Of Greenleaf creek, which empties into
Rosebud eight miles from where the Rose
bud joins tho Yellowstone river. This
portion Of the mountain Is covered with
growth Of tall pines.
Fourteen years ago thrco men prospect
Ing for silver, mistaking certain colors iD
tho rocks, began sinking n shaft. At 15
feet it was disagrecably cold, at 90 feet
the cold had increased so rapidly that they
were thoroughly frightened. They could
feel currents Of cold air rushing up from
the crevices In the rock. They imagined
they were digging into some mysterious
underground cavern. They had heard just
enough Of wonderful adventures Of Dig
ging into caves and underground lakes,
and being alone In this wilderness, where
the very stiffness permitted the ears to
hea. and the mind to imagine all manner
OF grewsome powers hid beneath the rock,
SO thoroughly filed them with fear Of I'm
pending danger that they abandoned the
work which has since gained such renown.
Tho SUBMITS Of Little Wolf mountains
arc covered with scoria, which has all tho
appearance and texture Of q good grade OF
tiling. 1t is usually rcd, but varies In col
or through all the shades down to black.
These varying colors give the beautiful
tints to tho thousands Of buttcs through.
out the bad lands. In comparatively re-
,cnt geological times vast beds Of ignito
,oal wero formed over the eastern half Of
Montana, extending into western Dakota
The burning Of these beds Of coal was tho
beginning Of the bad land formation. The
Ono deposits of clay above the coal were
burned as brick arc burned In kiln and
formed the scoria. Where the heat was
xreater and rock and sand were present 10
melted and mixed with the coal and coal
.sh, forming large cinderlike rocks, which
,ro sometimes mistaken for lava. As the
poel burned out from beneath tho clay,
nov baked into scoria and melted into Gin.
aers, it broke into small divisions and fell
promiscuously down into the pits thus
formed. Volcanic ash Ii found scattered
over tho Little Wolf mountains and tho
eastern portion of Montana Il must have
irifted with the wind from powerful erup-
lions In the Rocky mountains, as there arc
no indications of any volcanic action In
tho vicinity Of tho leo well. Tho Little
Wolf mountains arc merely rough range
Of buttcs apparently Of the same origin a.
all the bad land buttes. Their SUBMITS,
towering above all tho other buttes, have
given them tho name Of mountains, but
they are only Of slightly over 4, 600 feet al.
titude. II ice were to be put into the well
during the winter, itwould keep through
out the summer nearly rs well as II stored
away In ordinary icehouses. BY chance na-
ture hes formed almost the identical con-
ditions that man has made use OF to pre-
serve loo throughout tho hot weather. The
shaft Ii the cavity in which to store tho
Ice. The volcanic ash, filing into tho open
space between the loosely piled rock, serves
the purpose Of sawdust In keeping out the
warm drafts Of air. The altitude and tho
north slope arc favorable to the preserva-
ton Of the ice. Tall, dense forest prevents
the heating Of tho srrface rock BY the d.
rect rays Of tho sun. The rocks arc too
porous for tho water to soak up, 90 to
speak, from beneath. The facts are that In
many places near the tops Of tho buttes,
on the sides where tho rocks have fallen
loosely together, they arc perfectly dry for
many feet below the surface, being mois-
tened by tho winter snow and rain a. u
may fall and run down from above.
During the winter tho we'll is nearly
filed with snow. Enough water from the
early spring rains finds It's way through
between tho rocks to mix with tho snow
and freeze into one solid mass Of Ice. The
Ice In the well II formed by the cold Of
tn. winter season, but docs not begin TO
form sometimes till the winter q half
gone.
In turn, 10 is melted by the heat Of tho
summer, but docs not begin to melt until
the summer Is half over. In the early
part Of tho summer 1t is still freezing In
the well, and during tho first half Of tho
winter it In stin melting. Tho well acts
a. Q refrigerator. It receives tho heat
slowly and then gives 1t OF just as slowly.
II the earth received and gave OF hest
readily, tho hottest weather would be In
Juno and tho coldest In December-in
facs, the seasons follow nearly month
behind the sun.
It Is fact thas II on . hot day you walk
rapidly into the cave to where the Ice Il IL
feels as though strong current Of cold
air were blowing against your face. The
sensation Ia 90 decidedly real that 10 TO
quires careful demonstration to prove to
the contrary, and even then 1t almost
seems as though the demonstration has
been Q mistake. IL can be easily tested BY
using smoke, or better still, . rather
heavy oolored glass. Again, II one should
stand without the entrance to the cave ON
o very warm day near enough to feel any
draft that may be stirring, mono can be
felt coming from the cave. II one ahould
- 4 L. vzyl hrxH
still day, even putting the face down to
tho very opening into the well. no upward
draft Of cool air can be felt, but 60 down