THE SWEDEN VALLEY ICE MINE 



281 



topic of conversation whenever two or more persons got together. 

 Another search was organized which resulted in the discovery of the 

 Sweden Valley Ice Mine. 



Mr. John Dodd and Mr. William O'Xeil were prospecting near 

 Sweden Valley when, underneath four or five inches of moss, they 

 found a thin layer of solid ice. After leveling off a space about fifteen 

 or twenty feet square they dug a shaft about six feet square by twelve 

 feet deep. At a depth of nine feet they found petrified wood, impres- 

 sions of leaves, ferns and other vegetation, also bones which were pro- 

 nounced to be human. At a lower depth a peculiar kind of rock was 

 found which they thought might contain gold or silver. Some of this 



Showing the Opening at the Top of the Shaft. 



was assayed and found to be of no value. At a depth of twelve feet an 

 aperture was found from which came a cold draught. This was thought 

 peculiar, but nothing was done to investigate farther and the work was 

 abandoned. 



The following spring Mr. Dodd found a considerable amount of 

 ice in the mine, but thought that it had gathered there during the 

 winter and had not yet melted. However, as the warm weather ad- 

 vanced, the quantity of ice^ instead of melting as was expected, began 

 to increase, and by the middle of July the sides of the shaft were covered 

 with a coating of ice a foot or more thick and large icicles were form- 

 ing from the opening at the top. 



As winter again came on, the ice began to disappear until the cave 



