The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-05-03
HOW LAvABEDs BREATHE

After considerable investigation
and study into the problem, Evans
Wood. of futile, has submitted tc
The Leader the following very In
teresting explanation of the origin
of the ice cave north OF Shoshone:
Ever since l was in the famous
ice cave near the HALEY road north
of Shoshone nearly three years ago
l have been trying to solve the ap-
parent mystery. There have been
rumors to the effect that the large
chambers of the caves were warm in
winter and colder in summer. The
story of this condition did not appear
at all possible, and my first point to
settle was If such was really the facts
or was the statement made by some
one who did not know and then was
passed along the line as hearsay.
my first visit to the caves was
about June l. l wrote an article at
the time and made the statement that
it was the coolest place / had ever
gotten into. Then on the 18th of
August of the same year l made an
other visit and found the tempera-
ture was very much warmer than on
Der 1 3 Of the same year l made anO-
Their visit, taking thermometer.
remained in the cave more than half
an hour and the Thermometer did
not go below 48. l went in my shirt
sleeves and was not the least uncom-
Portable. Ar
"These visits exploded the stories
that l had first heard regarding the
temperature being warm in winter
and coolest in summer. Having set
tied that question the next and most
important point was, what made the
ice. I had my theory and now for
the test-the proof. On my first
visit, l especially took notice of the
very cold air around the entrance
and for several feet from it. 1t did
not seem possible that the ice would
send the cold that far without help.
MY investigation solved the mystery.
/ examined several small cracks and
crevices, and in every case there was
a current of air coming from some
where beneath, and then l discovered
that a strong current of air was &C
tualIy flowing out from the entrance
of the cave, and the mystery was
solved.
"And here is the solution. All over
the north side Of Snake river from
the river clear back to the foothills,
in nearly every instance where well
is drilled through the formation of
lava rock, crevices are tapped and
cold air blows out through the day
and draws in the air at night
s'There is no doubt there are cav
ems all about under this crust of
lava rock large enough to put town
the size of Gooding in and then have
some room to spare. Now when the
air warns up in the day time and
especially in the middle of the day,
this warm air rising releases the
atmospheric pressure and the cold
air pour out equalizing the pressure
from the caverns below to the lighter
pressure above. This goes on until
towards evening when as the heat of
the day passes off the current from
the we'll weakens and as night ap-
proaches ceases and remains neutral
for a few hours but as the night cools
off the cool air goes back in the in
terror of the earth with as much
energy as it came out.
"Now this goes on in winter just
the SAME DIS Ill anu tAOi
YOU have it. The ice caves are con-
nected up with other and larger caves
and they emit the air in the day time
and inhale the cold air at night. Now
consider that the climate about the
region of the cave has several months
of very cold weather-and not a
night passes that it is not inhaling
that frozen air in for several hours |
and no time for months is there any
warmth of any kind entering and |
the results are that the moisture in
there and all the water that runs in
there from melted snow is frozen in
to the hardest kind of ice.
"Along about the first of July |
there is sufficient warmth in the
night air to begin melting little of
the ice and some water accumulates
on the floor of the cave and then a
little later on some crevices open up
along the water line and the water
finds it's way into the interior of the
earth.
"There is no doubt in my mind
that there are rnany-yes, very
large ice caves scattered
all over this lava rock country. 1t
is known that there are many blow
holes and crevices distributed all
over the surface of the lava fields,
and the cold air flowing in during
the long cold winter freezes great
Ii Ill ~