The Elbert County tribune., 1908-03-26
JACK FROST'S WORK
CURIOUS ACCIDENTS cAUsEp BY
ICE AND SNOW.
sudden Thaw Responsible for Tras-
sdIes In All Parts Of the Earth
Remarkable Disaster on the
ZuIder Zee.

Although scores OF lives are lost
yearly as a result of rash skaters ven
turing ON ice too thin to bear their
weight, yet the worst tragedies OF
frost are-by a curious contradiction
those caused by thaw. says Pear
sons Weekly.
In February, four years ago, there
was a tremendous frost on the conti-
nent. The Vistula, among other
rivers, was covered with Ice Of i'm
mense thickness. and when the thaw
came and the bonds OF frost were
ioosened the roaring river became
choked with gigantic dams Of ice.
In Gallcia, near SEcuezin. the foes
grounded in shallow part OF the
stream and instantly vast barrier of
ice began to rear itself; while behind
1t the choked river swelled into a
mighty lake, and. pouring over its
banks, inundated the fiat country for
width of 10 miles.
A regiment of sappers, armed with
dynamite, arrived by special train,
but their efforts were of little use.
Within "a hours no fewer than ten
villages were under water, 500 fam
lilies were homeless, and nearly 70 peo-
pie were drowned.
A dreadful disaster was that which
happened couple of winters ago at
Wieringen, on the zuider Zee. This
great shallow inland sea of brackish
water usually freezes every winter for
a long distance out. One January
evening number of people were
amusing themselves skating off the
village, some at a considerable dis
tance from shore. when suddenly a
great foe, acres in extent, cracked
away from the rest of the ice, and u
rapidly widening lane OF water di.
vided a dozen skaters from the
shore.
but seven were carried out to sea on
the floating ice. Those on shore
rushed for boats, but here the frost
completed its deadly work. The
boats were too tightly frozen into the
sand of the beach to be moved. and by
the time one was loosened 1t was
dark. Next day the unhappy skaters
were found frozen to death.
On the low, sandy shores of Lake
Michigan stands the village of Sand
point, little place of wooden-built
houses, which is-oddly enough-in-
habited only in winter. Its people are
fishermen who catch their prey by
cutting holes in the ice when the
lake freezes. One night In February,
1907, tremendous gale arose, and.
before the sleeping inhabitants of five
of these little boxlike dwellings knew
what had happened, their homes,
which were built without foundations,
were blown on to the Ice, and went
sliding out at great speed across
the frozen surface. One house
dropped into a water hole and its in
habitants were drowned, but the
others, fortunately. brought up safe
against the edge Of long cape which
runs out crescent fashion almost op-
posite the village.
One of the most amazing tragedies
Of frost occurred in Colorado on a
February day IL years ago. The tenn
perature was far below zero, but the
air dry and clear and the sun shin
ing with amazing brilliancy. Five
people, who were driving together
across the tract of forest reserve
known as North park, did not really
feel the cold.
Suddenly the distant mountains dis
appeared in white mist and the
sun lost its brilliancy. Presently one
Of the women put her hand up to her
cheek, crying out that something
had stung her. A breeze began to
blow and the air became charged
with mist of fine particles which
glistened like diamond dust. They saw
a settler, his face covered In a shawl,
signaling to them furiously. They
drove to his house and he hurried
them in. Before morning all the
party was dreadfully Ill and one wom-
an was dead. This fog Is of fine ice
particles, 80 intensely cold that they
reach the lungs without melting. The
Indians justly call this strange phe-
uomenon the white death.