M.Soret was fortunate enough to witness a curious phenomenon, at the time of his visit to the Schafloch, in September 1860, which throws some light upon the atmospheric state of the cave.

The day was externally very foggy, and the fog had penetrated into the cavern; but as soon as M.Soret began to descend to the glaciere itself, properly so called, he passed down out of the fog, and found the air for the rest of the way perfectly clear.[63] M.Soret states that he has not absolute confidence in his thermometrical observations, but as he had more time than I to devote to such details, inasmuch as he did not pass down into the lowest part of the cave, I give his results rather than my own, which were carelessly made on this occasion:--On a stone near the first column of ice, 0 deg..37 C.; on a stick propped against the column on the edge of the great ice-fall, 2 deg..37 C.; in a hole in the ice, filled with water by drops from the roof, 0 deg.

C.approximately.[64] The second result is sufficiently remarkable.

My own observations would give nearer 33 deg.

F.
than 32 deg.