The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1872-09-12
The shIr.Ing sands Of Texas.

E4I03 " AOAeAos
The surface of the land along the
western shore of Laguna Madre, and
for eighty or one hundred miles
back, is level, and not more than
ten or twelve feet above low tide
mark. There are some slight undu'
lations, but these are caused by the
shifting sands. These shifting sands
are one of the great features of the
country. They extend for dis
lance of sixty miles north and south
along the coast, and fifty or more
back into the country. The sand is
very fine, and during the prevalence
of strong winds it is blown about
furiously and promisculously. In
same places it is only two or three
inches deep, and here the grass grows
well, even rankly, and makes a fine
pasturage. Immediately underneath
the sand there is a deep, black, loamy
soil, which is very rich, and which
yields good crops of corn, vegeta-
bles, etc.,
There are ridges and mounds, or
banks, fsand scattered all over the
country, of various sizes, lengths,
heights and ages. The sand is
driven before the wind until it meets
obstacle, when the sand falls to the
ground, thus beginning to deposit.
There are ridges of sand two or three
miles long, and from five to twenty
five feet high, that have apparently
been undisturbed for many years.
The grass is beginning to grow over
them, and young live oak trees to
spring up. In fact, on some ridges
are live oak trees apparently hum
dred years old. The course Of these
ridges is east and west, at right
angles to the direction of the winds
and the coast. The larger ones do
not exceed in width, at the base,
more than 200 feet.
On each side, the rich, black soil
is generally clear ofsand. In some
of these formations are imbedded
large live oak trees, with only their
top limbs out, while in other places
the trees have formerly been in the
sand but from some cause, after re-
naming in that condition for a long
time, perhaps two hundred years,
the winds have blown away the
sand, and thus left the roots that
had grown out from the body of the
tree naked and exposed. 1 noticed
one tree, near the road from
Brownsville to Corpus Christi, that
had grown on the top of a sand
ridge when the ridge was about ten
feet high.
After the tree was of some size
the ridge seems to have increased
six feet more in altitude, and re-
NAMED SO for many years-say 100,
judging from the size and appear
ance of the trees that have grown on
it since its second elevation. Then
the wind made break through the
ridge at this particular place and
soon denuded the tree, trunk and
roots, and it now stands supported
by the bare roots, so that a man can
walk under the main body of the
tree by passing between these un-
covered pillars. There are many
banks of sand that are yet moving,
and new ones are forming, which
move across the country slowly
westward.
The new formations are entirely
bare of vegetation, and in a strong
wind present the appearance of drift
ting snow, with the difference that
they are rather warmer than a snow
drift. Stock ranches have to be
frequently removed on account of the
sand. The horses and cattle in the
corrals break the light turf and
loosen the soil so that the wind
takes up the sand and carries it to
the fence, where it is lodged, and in
a few years the sand is piled up over
the fence, so that the stock walk in
and out over the top of fence ten
or twelve feet high. AS the fence
rots, the sand is blown away till il
mees another resistance, perhaps g
mat of live oak trees, which, in theil
turn. are buried alive.