Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-10-18
A REu.RKAHHE SAND DUNE.
A Movable Mountain of Pure Sand
Formed by Nevada Aephyrs.

From the Reno Gazette.
In the eastern part of Churchill county, near
Sand Springs station, on the road from Wads-
worth to Grantsville, and about siXty-five miles
from the former place. is a sand dune, which is
remarkable alike for its peculiar formation and
moving prOpenslties. As far around as the eye
can reach is vast wilderness of greasewOod and
stunted sagebrush, with here and there abrupt
mountain ridges. or sharp. rocky peak. evil
IDENTIFY placed there long before the mythical
persons left their mysterious footprints i'm the
mud now hardened for the annoyance Of the
state prison inmates and for no other appar-
ent purpose than to deceive the unaccuStOmed
traveller as regards their distance from any place
he happens to be located. The dune. or sand
mountain ridge. which is about four miles in
length. and covers probably mile of grease
wood in width. was. perhaps. formed by the
heavy winds which prevail in that section, blow
ing across these deserts through natural
opening in a small range of mountains and de-
posting the small particles of sand that were
picked up in heap where the winds course is
disturbed and an eddy formed.
In the whole dune, which is from 100 to 400
feet in height, and contains millions of tons of
sand. it is impossible to find particle much
larger than pin head. 1t is so fine that if an
ordinary barley sack be filled and placed i'm q
moving wagon the lolting of the vehicle would
empty the sack, and yet it has no form Of dust
in it, and Is as clean as any seabeach sand. The
mountain is so solid as to give it musical sound
when trod upon, and Oftentines bird lighting
on 1t, or large lizard running across the bot
tom, Will start q large quantity of the sand to
sldlng, when makes noise resembling the vi
bratfOu of telegraph wires with a hard wind
| blowing, but so much louder that it is often
heard ut distance of six or seven miles and ia
deafening TO person standing within O short
distance of the sliding sand
4 peculiar feature of the dune Is that ii is not
stationary, but rolls slowly eastward the wind
gathering it up on the west end and carving it
along the ridge until 1t is again deposited at the
eastern end. Mr. Monroe, the well-knOwn sur
yeyor, having heard of the rambling habits of
this mammoth sand heap, quite number of
years ago took careful bearings on it while sec
tiOniZing government lands in that vicinity
Several years later he visited the place and
found that the dune had moved something over
mile.
JAMES RUSSELL. LOWELL tested the power of
name cnce by sending to James L. Field a
contribution to the atlantic Monthly copied by
another hanI and signed W. Perry Payne. 1t
was rejected, as Mr. Field subsequently told
Mr.. Lowell, who engineered q conversation so
as 20 bring the subject up. because 1t was ride
ulous trash and Mr.. Field could scarcely for
| give Mr.. Lowell when he explained the trick
| and fathered the ridiculous trash.
Evangelist Barnes has finished his reviva,
work in Cincinnati and acknowledges that he
| has failed to do much good to the sinners of
| that city. Il have had night after night the
| same audience Of Christians, :" he says, ibut my
mission Is to reach sinners"
There !s q rumor that fashionable ladies' are
| now tfnting the tips Of their ears with pink.
and fashion paper takes occasion to condemn
1t. Wig shoT1in't they do 1t as long as the men
tint tho tips OF their noses7