GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. 



807 



In common with two other members of the party, I had rather a sin- 

 gular experience. We were ascending a mountain near the Gardiner's 

 Kiver Springs, called on the map Electric Peak. ' I quote from my notes 

 written on the following day: A thunder-shower was approaching as 

 we neared the summit ot the mountain. 1 was above the others of the 

 party, and when about 50 feet below the summit the electric current 

 began to pass through my body. At first I felt nothing, but heard a 

 crackling noise, similar to a rapid discharge of sparks from a friction 

 machine. Immediately after, I began to feel a tingling or pricking- 

 sensation in my head and the ends of my fingers, which, as well as the 

 noise, increased rapidly-, until, when I reached the top, the noise, which 

 had not changed its character, was deafening, and my hair stood com- 

 pletely on end, while the tingling, i)ricking sensation was absolutely 

 l^ainful. Taking off my hat ]jartially relieved it. I started down again, 

 and met the others 25 or 30 feet below the summit. They were affected 

 similarly, but in a less degree. One of them attempted to go to the top, 

 but had proceeded but a few feet when he received quite a severe shock, 

 which felled him as if he had stumbled. We then returned down the 

 mountain about 300 feet, and to this ijoint we still heard and felt the 

 electricity. 



I have received returns of meteorological records kept at Bozeman, 

 Montana, by Mr. Peter Koch, a thoroughly reliable observer. These 

 records are published in full in our annual bulletin of meteorological 

 observations for 1872. From these I deduce the following results : 



Date. 



1873. 



November 



December 



1873. 



January 



February 





24.00 

 19. CI 



23.49 

 19.30 



s 



13 



a 



49.8 

 48.3 



48. 1 

 45.1 



a 

 I 



'3 



o 

 -18.8 

 -30.0 



-26.0 

 -19.0 



"sa . 



;£ rt to 

 M 



0.11 

 1.43 



0.38 

 1.57 



^1 



3 



Mr. Koch records, on the 10th of December, "two distinct shocks of 

 earthquake, at 4.30 p. m., and on the 11th one shock, at 6.30 a. m. All 

 the shocks were from west to east. They were more violent at Helefla 

 and Deer Lodge than here." 



