The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-11-05
A FREAK OF NATURE.


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A EKEAk UE NAIDKE.
-
MoNTANA'S pu<<liNo AN0 So~tNf
oicToRY WELL
In the sunnef Az
and In the Winter ths lee Aeats
and the water Becomes WasD-A
Mysterisus Currsnt es Air.
seven miles 70 sne noEsn ano !. asss
the east OF the Cheyenne agency N ousse
county, Mon, Is well filed with Zoe ehe
sxcites much curiosity among The rannheEp
and cattlernsn Of that section. Every COW.
~, ,vho yi.it. th. nall haa ,nueh "a TN
~, ."-,.s,- 49,, ,t. .,,, .x.s.,.,
Aho inFaFi1o'y a"SaD0es n's ~"A
ton.
Many ingenious sneof1es aro eaven
which tend to indicate that mankind a
all degrees Of scientific knowledge pus
forth IN effort to find the origin OF things
However, they all agree that thetce forms
In the well during the summer and th.s
It actually thaws during the winter. Tnh
apparent contradiction OF the nasural LAWS
that govern tho outside world has carried
the fame OF this well for miles around and
people have travelled gTess distances 70
witness the formation Of icicles during the
hot weather Of July.
This well L. within few hundred test
Of the summit Of Little Wolf mountains,
on the north slope, at the very beginning
Of Greenleaf creek, which emptics into
Rosebud eight miles from where tho Rose
bud joins the Yellowstone river. This
portion Of tho mountain b covered with .
growth Of tall pines.
Fourteen years ago three men prospect.
Ing for silver, nistaking certain oolors In
the rocks, began sinking shaft. At 10
feet &c was disagreeably cold, at 90 feee
the cold bad increased 90 rapidly that they
were thoroughly frightened .They could
feel currents of cold air rushing up from
the creyices in the rock. They imagined
they were digging into some mysterious
underground cavern. They h&d hoard 5use
enough of wonderful adventures Of dig
ging into caves and underground hkess
and being alone In this Wilderness, whsrs
the very stiffness permitted the ears TO
hear and the mind to imagine all manner
Of grewsome powers hid beneath tho rock,
% thoroughly filed them with fear of I'M
pending danger that they abandoned ths
work which has since gained such renown.
Tbs SUBMITS OF Little Won mounsaans
ero covered with scorfa, wnicn nas az "
appearance end texture OF good graoe O
tiling. 1t Is usually RED, but varies ~ COL
or through all the shades down 20 black.
These varying colors give tho oeauSnu
ttnts to the Thousands Of buftes through
out the bad lands. In comparanVey TO
cent geological times vass peos OF ienase
coal were formed over the eastern na1 q
Montana, exrending INTO wefeern DaxosA
The burning OF these BEDS OF Goa! was tne
beginning OF the bad land Scrmation. cns
dne deposits OF clay above tho coal ware
burned a. brick arc burned 10 KIN ana
formed tho scoria. Whcso tho neat ~
greater ana rock ana sana wcfe ptesens y
melted and mixed with the coai sno CO.
ssh, forming large cinderiike rocks, wnion
arc sometimes mistaken for lava AZ tns
uoal burned out from Deneasn sns olay'
nor cakeo INTO scor1n eno Ms,soo tne1 CsI, 1,,.
ders, u Dr0He INTO sina.l ots.s'ons ~ -
promiscpousiy down INTO tne pi0 tous
formed. Volcanic ash - 1ouna scasseIeo
over tho Little Wolf mountains ana tne
eastern portion OF Montana ~ mus nass
drifted with tho wind from powerful erun
tons In tho Rocky mountains . tnete -
no indicattons OF any volcanic acsson n
tho vicinity Of tho ice weL Tne LSAs
WOLF mountains are mereay t0uen t4ues
OF buttcs apparently OF tne same oz16an =
all the bad Land buttcs. Iner sups
towering above all the other bufese, navs
given them tho name Of mounssans, -
they are only Of sughtly over Aooo tees y
titude. II Ice were 70 DO pus inso sne w.1
during tho winter, u wouio Keep tnsouen.
out tho summer nearly asweu = y 80
aMay in 1.y IN .I%sss ~. $1,000 -
ture has formed almost sns ionIc. 80
dltiors snns man nas mIao -
servo Ice throughous tne nos swcsanax. 40
shaft Is the cavity In which 70 store tns
loo. The volcanic ash, aAing INTO sne open
space between tho loosely piied rock, seases
tho purpose OF sawdusS In keoplnS ous -
warm drafts OF nir' Ine altit9oe sno ~
north slope arc Iavofaoie 70 ene p1e
tion OF the fcc: Iaii, oense lossss psvsse =.
tho heatng OF tne surface rocs ~ sn' ~,
rcct rays OF the sun. Inc Nvoks ~ -
porous for tne Wn1er 70 so1A w.
speak, from beneath. Tho facts are snas N
many places near the tops on sne Du5
on tho sides wnere inc foc1s nsvs Is
loosely together, they are peaecty oy -
many feet below the surIace, Deang nac
tened BY &he winter snow ano faAn ss~
may fall and run down rom anovet
During tho winter tne Wei = 1sy
dled with snow Enough Wessa 1 Ssn -
early spring rains nnos tes VIZ su