Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-01
FREEZE FROM BOTTOM
FREAK OF NATURE IN WINTER
AFFECTING ALASKAN STREAMS.
When Ice Globules Begin to Rise to the
Surface the Waterway Will
Soon Be Closed.
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald
The waters of Alaska freeze from the
bottom. One may be gliding along on a
CLASSY lake, with a gorgeous sun overhead
in crisp. invigorating atmosphere. There
is not sign of ice except high up on the
mountain sides. A little circle appears on
the silvery surface, as though a tiny pebble
had fallen in-then another, and still an
other. There isn't a sound, and not even
a mosquito to disturb the placid picture,
but still the little circles come.
Presently CLASSY bead bubbles about in
Sle center of one Of the widening circles,
then larger one, and still larger. Those
beads are tiny ice globules They come
bobbing up in rapid succession, then several
together. In half hour the surface is
covered They have grown as large
butter bean. and nearly the same shape, but
crystal clear. In an hour they are as large
as lady's watch. and each one has little
grains of sand sticking to IT. some have
large piece of gravel sealed up inside.
The old sour dough will row for the
shore when he sees these signs upon the
water for he knows we'll that in few
hours the whole surface will be a mass of
slush ice, from which it will be impossible
TO eXtricate rowboat, and equally impos-
sible to leave It.
BY morning the cold air of the upper world
Will have welded all this mass toge her. If
one Will take the trouble to peep into some
shallow rivulet at this time of year he may
see nature in her workshop making a win
ter Each tiny grain of sand is first
given a coat of ice. The coat grows thicker
on the upper side.
Anchor Ice.
Finally it gets so thick that the buoyancy
of the ice overbalances the weight of the
gravel; the mass leaves the bottom and
reaching stratum of warmer water, the
ice melts little, releasing the gravel and
hobs merrily to the surface. The fact of its
being anchored to the gravel at the bottom
has given 1t the name of anchor ice" and
that freeze-up is eXpressively called the
anchor ice freeZe-up."
After week or two of good hard freez-
ing there is nearly always a chinook wind
that comes up from the south for the last
flying visit, and the ice is broken up into
huge cakes. These drift before the wind
or with the current, and when they are
stopped by some natural barrier they pile
up on each other, sometimes many feet
high, making the ice jams that are so hard
for "mushers" or LOG wallpapers" to get
over in travelling.
Then comes the real freeze-up, when the
surface of every lake and river is sealed
solid.
The Rivers Lungs.
AS the cold grows more intense the water
in the depths gives off a vapor. and this,
being warmer than the ice, melts it here
and there forming air notes.-the rivers
lungs. Woe betide the unwary pedestrian
who happens to strike one of these air
holes just before it opens, for in each of
them is written the internal legend. Leave
hope behind, who enters here" One may
look out upon the frozen surface of lake
or river and see many of these air holes,
distinguished only by the volumes of vapor
rising like the smoke of huge signal fires
upon a prairie. When the weather moder-
ates some of these gigantic nostrls seem
to be unnecessary, and a thin coat of ice
forms over them. Then they are more dam
gerouS than ever, because the channel is
just beneath, ready to take victim in
stantly into the bowels of the ice.
After a month or two of freezing weather
the ice grows very thick. The waters be-
meath. dried up at their source, shrink into
smaller space, and the great mass of ice
settles Long cracks open up in its sur
face with laundering noises like volleys of
artillery. Then the water beneath, hard
pressed for easy channel. runs into and
along these cracks, the surface freezes up.
and there is artificial Subterranean
river, so to speak. More cracks open up
and more of these little rivers form, until
the great mass of ice contains a vertable
network of Independent streams
At this time of the year the "chechako,"
or tenderfoot, may dig with pick and AK
and shovel for twenty feet down through
the ice to get water, all the time nearing
its deep-toned gurgle somewhere beneath.
Finally he strikes almost dry sand in the
bottom of the river but no water. The
"sour dough- on the other hand. Is
water witch. after a fashion. With his
ak he will percuss the surface, just as the
physician does mans chest, and often
times one blow will open up a crystal river.
His ear never miSleadS him. The signs
are infallible.