The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-02-13
Glaciers,

SiacleTs.
Although we are far removed from
the Ice age in point of time, the tour
list agencies have made 1t easy for
| any one who has week or two to
spare and few pounds in his pockets
to visit countries where glacial condi-
tions still prevail. Probably the first
| impression Of most visitors to a gla-
cier is that it is very like its picture.
There are the snow crowned noun
tains. There is the ice filled valley.
There are all the varieties of moraine
just as the textbooks depict them. This
first impression, however, is a very
superficial one. Glaciers are just like
| most things in this world. When we
get to know them we find they are
quite different, in some respects at
least, from what we expected. AS ac-
quaintance ripens we find out all sorts
of little things which the writer's of
textbooks doubtless know perfectly
we'll, but never thought of mentioning,
things which, perhaps, were so familiar
to them, that to describe them would
have seemed like saying that rain
is wet or that snow is cold, but which
| nevertheless fill the novice with the
pleasure of having discovered the un-
| expected.
One of the things which first struck
the writer when he first spent few
days in the near neighborhood of
glacier was to find what a noisy Great
ure it was. Somehow one associates
with snow and ice the idea of intense
quiet, and no doubt If one climbs high
up among the snow on the mountains
one will find it quiet enough. But
lower down, on the surface of the
glacier, there is, at least in summer
time, continuous noise. The noise Is
the voice of many waters. All around
| are innumerable little rivulets caused
by the melting Of the ice In the heat
Of the summer sun. These trickle and
babble and splash their sinuous courses
| for longer or shorter distances, but
none go very far before they plunge
headlong down one of the numerous
| fissures, or crevasses. Some seem to
fall into a larger torrent far below.
Others make their way into some gla-
cial mill where stones are churned
round and round Just as one may see
in the apotholes in the stream at East
Linton.
BY listening intently one may be
able to hear the churning sound min
wifi hn nf hn
Miniature avalanches contribute their
quota of noise. Now some pinnacle of
| ice topples over and splinters into a
| thousand fragments. Anon a hand
full of stones come sliding down the
| side of ridge of ice perhaps to splash
into the pool. All these various causes
combine to produce wonderful
amount of noise. Another curious feat
ure of glaciers Is that the surface of
the ice in many instances appears quite
extraordinarily dirty. This does not
seem as it should be. Snow is one
of the symbols of purity. Surely the
ice descending from the pure white
snow on the mountains should be pure
also. Yet when we view the glaciers
from a little distance we are often
surprised at the enormous amount of
debris gathered on its surface. Be-
sides the central moraine or moraines
often there are several-composed
of considerable masses of stone, we
find finer particles Of matter embed
ded in the ice all over the surface,
often in sufficient quantity to give 1t
a grayish color.
All this solid matter has at one time
fallen upon the surface of the glacier
and is being borne along by it as a
river bears along the sticks and leaves
that fall into it. But in the case of
glacier we may have exposed to view
the accumulations of hundreds of
years. At the lower end of the glacier
there is much Of interest In the first
place, there is very often great cave
the glacier stream. This cave often
looks as II 1t ought to be explored,
and 1t may be possible to make ones
way under the ice for considerable
distance. But let the traveller beware.
Expeditions of this kind are far from
safe. The interior Of glacier may
be studied safely enough in the grot-
toes and tunnels which are carved into
the living ice Of many show glaciers.
such as that of the Rhone, but the ice
at the debouche Of the stream Is in
an unstable condition. Every now and
them the cave partially collapses, or
great masses Of ice fall upon the roof,
and in a moment an unwary tourist
may be trapped or crushed to death.
Edinburgh Scotsman.