No. 112.] 731 



remaining later, at each extremity. The lake occasionally remains 

 open the entire winter. The transition from navigation to the 

 transit of the lake upon the ice, is often amazingly sudden, teams 

 having crossed its broadest part, upon the ice the fifth day after it 

 had been passed by a steamer. The ice often attains great thick- 

 ness. The spectacle, frequently afforded by this vast expanse of 

 icy surface, is singularly beautiful and exhilerating. It furnishes 

 for several weeks the great highway of business and pleasure. 

 Roads diverging from every point, are animate with activity and 

 excitement. Long trains of teams, freighted with the commodi- 

 ties of the country, glide easiiy over it, whilst the pleasure sleigh 

 bounds along its smooth and crystal field, breaking the stillness 

 by the music of its merry bells. Little danger occurs in the tran- 

 sit of the ice, except in the passage of the cracks or fissures, which 

 starting from the various points and headlands, rend the ice asunder 

 with a sound and concussion like the reverberation of thunder, or 

 the prolonged discharge of ordinance. These fissures entirely sep- 

 arate the ice, and are designed by the wise purposes of Provi- 

 dence to strengthen it, by affording an escape to the pent up air 

 beneath. 



Tlie balmy atmosphere and warmer sun of approaching spring, 

 affect and gradually weaken the ice. Travelling on it, then 

 becomes hazardous, and is often attended with great jeopardy and 

 frequent loss of life and property. The inhabitants, residing upon 

 the shores of the lake, are habituated to these perils and lamil- 

 iar to the modes of assistance. On the alarm of accident, they 

 rush to tlie point of danger, with j>rumpt and efficient zeal, bear- 

 ing ropes and boards and uther requisite articles, and rarely fail 

 to extricate tlic suil'erer. 



These and other incidents of exposure and suffering upon the 

 ice, often present scenes of thr most painful solicitude and tliril- 

 ling excitement.* 



* An cvoDt occurred, several jears since, which illustrates many similar catostrophics, and is 

 a touching in.-ftnnoc of Uio ijitcUigrncc uiil fiihlity of the dog. A strangrr, apparently a 

 foreigner, aot-ompanicd by a little Spaniel dog, arrived near nightfall at Port Kent, in the 

 midst of a scvero storm, and persisted, against every remonstrance, in attempting to cross the 

 ico olonc and on foot. At an early hour the next mornirg, the houf e where he bad stopped, was 

 aroused by tho dog, who tried by barking arid every demonstration of anxiety to arouse atten- 

 tion and sympathy. Guided by tho littlo animal, who immediately returned to the ice, several 



