152 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



observation. The Ice Mountain has henco re- 

 ceived frequent notice, but of so indetiniie and fi-e- 

 quenily exaggerated a character, as to fail to pro- 

 duce a general belief in its existence, or to secure 

 for it that interest which this rare curiosity so rich- 

 ly merits. The Ice Mountain is one of ihe sub- 

 ordinate ridges of the Cacapon Mountains?, and is 

 a continuation of the North River Mountains. 

 This mountain chiefly consists of a sandslone 

 which teems with terebratulas, productas, spiri- 

 fcrs, and oilier marine shells, the exuvial lelics of 

 the inhabitants of that primeval ocean, which once 

 rolled over the summits of the then unborn Alle- 

 ghany. At the commencement of ibis moumain, 

 many miles south of the Ice Mountain, the rocks 

 are nearly horizontal ; but as the moimtain pro- 

 ceeds north, they rapidly increase their incfmation, 

 until they become perpendicular. The mountain 

 now rises to the height of 700 or 800 leet, forming 

 a mural precipice, whose cragged summils, split 

 and rent, shoot suddenly up into sharp lurreied 

 f^pircs, or jagged pinnacles, resembling the baiile- 

 ments of a Gothic castle or the minarets ol a 

 mosque. At other times, losing this wildness, it 

 is as remarkable for its singular symmetry, as be- 

 fore lor its fantastic irregularity. Still retaining 

 its precipitousness, it rises to the heigh! of several 

 hundred liiei, its uniform summit, and rude massive 

 symmetry, its steep rocky sides devt)id of vegeta- 

 tion, save where some stinted pine has " cast an- 

 chor in the rifted rock," all combine to give it the 

 character ol a huge Cyclopean wall. This sin- 

 gular structure has been thus minutely described, 

 both from the unique and singular scenery, 



«' So wondrous wild, the whole might seem, 

 The vision of a fairy dream," 



to which it gives rise, and from the connexion ii 

 is conceived to have with the phenomenon ol the 

 Ice Mountain. At the Ice Mountain, the steep- 

 ness and walled structure is retained, and the 

 mountain forms an abutment or support to an 

 enormous glacis or bank of rocks, which is thrown 

 up against it on its western side. This natural 

 glacis reaches nearly from the base to the summit 

 ofthe mountain, and extends laterally several hun- 

 dred feet l.-om its base. This large accumulation 

 of rocks consists of fragments of sandstone, vary- 

 ing in size from a (ew inches to many feet in di- 

 ameter, loosely heaped together, and from tlu'ir 

 irregular angular shape, generally separated by 

 large interstices. This glacis forms the Ice Aloun- 

 tain — the ice being formed and preserved in its 

 interstitial cavities. The Ice Mountain was vi- 

 sited by the writer in the summer of 1838, a season 

 niemoraMe in the annals of western Virginia for 

 its long, distressingly hot drought, so fatally blight- 

 ing to the crops. The heal of this season, though 

 unparalleled in that region for duration and in- 

 tensity, but slightly affected the temperature ofthe 

 Ice Mountain, as ice was found in great abun- 

 dance by removing the rocks to the depth of a 

 few inche?:. A thermometer on being introduced 

 into one of the cavities between the rocks, so as 

 to be exposed to the air without being in contact 

 with the rock, rapidly sunk to below 40*^, and 

 would doubiless have been still further depressed, 

 had it been permitted to remain. The general 

 low temperature of the rocks was evinced by the 

 moisture which either studded their surface, or 

 trickled from their sides; the result of the conden- 



sation ofthe aqueous vapor of the atmosphere, by 

 the low temperature of the rocks, although at the 

 time the dew point must have been extremely low. 

 During the previous winter the rocks had been 

 removed to the depth of three or lour thel, and 

 ihe cavity thus formed fulcd with snow, and 

 loosely covered with planks, but so slightly that 

 the snow could be seen through the crevices ofthe 

 covering; but though so imperfectly protected 

 ftom atmospheric agencies, the snow exhibited 

 not the slightest traces ofthe heat ofthe past 

 summer, and was still as dry, friable, and crystal- 

 line, as if newly fallen. The dairy mentioned by 

 Kercheval, has three of its sides surrounded by 

 the heap of rocks, and hence partakes of the low 

 tem[)erature of the mass. The .sides of the dairy 

 were noi however, as in ordinary seasons, encrust- 

 ed with ice, nor were icicles pendent from its roof, 

 but its temperature was still sufficiently low to sub- 

 serve all the purposes of a dairy and refrigerator. 

 The temperature of the spring which issues from 

 the base of the mountain, singular to say, seems 

 unatlected by the low temperature of the over- 

 lying mass, and though reputed to be nearly as 

 low as the i'reezing point, is in reality but one de- 

 gree lower than the spiings of the neighborhood, 

 and no lower than some others in the same coun- 

 ty, which vary from 51 to 52*^. The scene as 

 viewed Irom the base of the mountain, was as in- 

 teresting as paradoxical; on the one hand was 

 the Cacapon River converted into a stagnant pool, 

 its indurated bottom exposed at short intervals — 

 the drooping Ibliage of the forest — the blighted 

 grain, tinged not with autumn's golden yellow, 

 but a sickly hue, denoting that it had prematurely 

 fallen into the sere and yellow leaf — all too plainly 

 indicating the long-continued action of summer's 

 heat. On the other hand was a m iss of rocks 

 below the freezing point, enclosin<r in its cavities 

 snow and ice, while the spectator himself enjoyed 

 an atmosphere whose bland, spring-like softness 

 fijrmed an aiireeable contrast to the distressingly 

 hot one* (96") for which it had a few minutes 

 before been' exchanged. 



Having thus jjiven a detailed description of the 

 Ice Mountain, it may nm be uninteresting to in- 

 quire into itie causes which giv(> it a temperature 

 so singnlarly independent of all those influences 

 which usually determine the temperature of ter- 

 restrial bodies — a temperature upon which the 

 summer's heat, neither in ordinary nor unusually 

 long and intensely hot seasons, exerts the slightest 

 influence. The solution 1 conceive is to be found 

 in the large and unusual collection of rocks, which 

 liom their porous, homogeneous texture, are ex- 

 tremely poor conductors of heat. By reference to 

 the fbre<roing description, it will be seen that on 

 one side is the mountain, consisting of a massive 

 wall many hundred (eet in thickness, and heaped 

 up against this as an abutment, a pile of rocks 

 containing many thousand cubic tt^et. The cav- 

 ernous nature of this heap, would admit the free 

 percolation of rain, which, during the winter, 

 would form ice in the interior ofthe mass, and re- 

 duce iis temperature to the freezing point. The 

 ice thus situated would be entirely protected from 

 all external heat by the surrounding rocks, as ice 



* A few moments previous to starting for the moun- 

 tain, at 21 P.M., the thermometer stood at 96° in the 

 shade. 



