Year: 1871

A Description OF the ssFrost SferEs-s--


An Enchanting Spectacle


Correspondence of Boston Journal. Jan. II.


The " frost work" Is one OF the most


remarkable phenomena of this high al
titude. As few hase ever seen it, and
none have attempted to describe u; and


as the causes that produce it are but
imperfectly understood, we shall per
haps be pardoned if we present come


rather crude ideas in regard to it. 1t is


difficult also to, convey in words any


idea of its wonderful form and beauty,


From, the study given to it last winter,


and the Opportunities We. have had Of
I observing its formation, we are able 10


give what seems to us a plausible, if


not a correct theory, to account for


this, the most plastic of all handi-


work of nature. At our very first OBJ


servatien we see that it forms only


when the wind is tcrthward, !. e., at


some point between north and west aid
north and east, and never when the


wind is s---sthNard. 1t begins with


mere points, on everything that the


wind reaches, on the rocks, on the snow,
ON the railway, and on every part of the


buildings, even on the glass. On the


south side it is very slight, as the wind
reaches there only in eddying gusts.


When the surface is rough, the points,
as they begin, are an inch or more
apart when smooth, it almost entirely
covers the surface at the very begin
ming but soon OILY feT points elen-
gate so, on whatever surface il begins
to form, it has very soon the same gei-
eral appearance, presenting everywhere
the same beautiful feathery-hke
forms. In going up the mountain we
do not zee IL until we get some distance
above the limit Of the trees it Is near
" mi before it is seen in its chatacs
teristic forms, and it is only immedi-
ately about the summit it presents its
most attractive features. We notice
also that it always forms toward the !
wind-never from it-end the rapidity !
with which it FERNS, and the great
length of the horizontal masses are I
truly wonderful. We placed q round |
stick an inch in diameter, In vertical |
position, where it was exposed to the 4
full face of the wind, and in less than /
two days some of the horizontal icicles 1
we call them icicles for the want of a
more appropriate name-were two feet /
in length and scarcely any thicker than
the stick itself. They formed on
every part of the stick that was ex-
posed, but of course some points were
much longer than others. They re-
msined several days, but with change
of wind they were blown off. On some
of the piles of stones south of the house
these horizontal masses are now more
than five feet in length. On the south
ern exposure, instead of the "frost
work. there are only masses of pure
ice, which have always a peculiar hue
of greenish blue. In the early
part of December, when the
ranged from 25 to
30 degrees and the wind was south
ward, the ice formed to the thickness
of foot or more on the telegraph poles
near the house. These icy masses are
formed evidently by the condensation
of the vapor Of the atmosphere, as it is
not uncommon for it to be above the
point of saturation. The "fresh
work T" is also formed by the condensa-
ton Of vapor, but beside the vapor the
air must be filled with minute specul@
of ice. As the vapor condenses these
are caught and thus the horizontal
feathery masses are formed. This ac-
counts for the facts that we have OBJ
served, namely, that it forms when the
wind is northward and always toward
the wind.