The Ely miner., 1903-09-04
ICE FORMS IN SUMMER.
Hill In Pennsylvania Contains a Cave
That Is Coolest in Warm
Weather.

One of the most remarkable freaks Of
nature to be found in the United States,
if not in the world, exists about half
hours ride east of Coudersport, Pa,
near a little hamlet known by the name
of Sweden Valley. 1t is called the ice
| cave Some years ago, while excava-
tions were going on in the construction
of railroad, short distance under the
surface of the side hill ice several inches
in thickness was found in crevices in the
rock in midsummer. Later it was dis
! covered that on a large portion of the
side hill facing the north, along which
the railroad was being built, ice was to
| be found only few inches under the
ground late in the summer, says the New
York Tribune.
Some persons, thinking the phenome-
non indicated the presence of some sort
of mineral in the locality, began exca-
vations in the side hill. An excavation
nearly 20 feet deep was made directly in
to the hill, and about ten feet from the
| surface of the ground down to the level
of the excavation, finding ice and pc
culiar formation of rock, but no evidence
| of valuable mineral A shaft was then
dug at the back part of the excavation
about eight feet square and 1S feet deep.
AS warm weather came on ice began to
| form along the sides of the shaft from
the water which dripped down the sides
of the shaft, until the work had to be
abandoned. The singular feature of the
freezing was that on the hottest days,
when the air was dry, the ice formed the
| fastest, sometimes an inch or more in
a day 1t continued to form until about
the middle of August, when the freezing
stopped, and by November the ice had
| nearly all disappeared There was no
appearance of ice again until the follow
| ing April, when, as the weather began
to get warm, the ice again began to
form, increasing in thickness as the
| weather grew warmer, until by the mid
die of July the ice was fully 1S inches in
| thickness in places in the well or cave.
Angleworms, lizards, etc., would be
frozen into the ice as they attempted to
crawl down the surface.
This ice formation extended to within
often being several inches thick when
| the summer sun was shining directly up
on it. A current of cold air is constantly
coming from the mouth of the excava-
tion in hot weather, and is greatest on
very hot days, when the outside air is
| dryest A thick fog at times forms oves
| the mouth of the cave, caused by the
| cold air coming in contact with the warm
air outside At the present time the ice
| is to be found in the cave more than a
| foot thick, all or which has formed since
April 1 last. When the thermometer
stands at 80 degrees outside, the air in
the cave, only Is feet from the surface,
stands at the freezing point. The sharp
spines of the forming ice can be seen
at any time in midday or when the sun
is shining outside and the thermometer
is at the highest point it reaches in sum-
mer. Another remarkable thing is that
the current of cold air appears only in
warm weather, ceasing as the weather
| gets colder.
The mayor of one of the large manu-
featuring cities of England visited the
place two years since, and when asked
what he thought of it, said: II am gen.
orally credited at home as truthful
man, but if went home and told what
have seen here to-day should not ex-
pect to be believed. The whole thing is
apparently directly contrary to nature" "