The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-02-08
Experience in a sand.stOrm.

The Southern Overland train which should
have reached San Francisco the afternoon Of
January Ionly arrived al $50 the light of the
20, having been delayed at sumner by terrific
sand-storm that ragged through the Mojavo
desert and spread out over portion of the
surrounding country. The storm began in the
early morning, and when the train reached
Sumner, in Kern County, had become q regII-
lar simeon. The wind swept across the sandy
wastes with such violence that the train
swayed and rocked under the herceness of the
blasts and seemed ready to plunge from the
track. The moon had become overcast in the
early part of the night, and the journey was
continued in darkness that rapidly increased
unul the day began in Stygian gloom. The
passengers, who had been aroused from their
sleep by the fierce assaults Of the wind and the
dashing of the sand against the windows Of the
train, looked anxiOusly for the appearance of
the sun, but no CLEAN of light relieved the f. u
bidding darkness of the east. Night main
tanned her sway, and the blackness of the
heavens grew intense with the morning, until
the strong headlight of the locomotive almost
failed to pierce it. The small portion of the
desert which was exposed by the engines
lights only served to discourage the travellers.
The track was lost under the pillows of sand
that were being tossed across the rails by the
angry storm. The desert moved Ike n sea,
and when the waves Of sand struck the shiver-
ing sides of the train they scattered like spray
and filled the air with dust which made free
breathing impossible.
The travellers fears Of being stopped by a
sand-drift were soon realized. After leaving
summer, which is 3l4 miles from San Francisco
the train moved cautiously for ten miles
through the shifting waste and then stopped
with crash. The alarmed passengers hardly
dared to face the driving storm to learn the
cause of the unpleasant halt. The few intrepid
persons who Yentured into the binding
SIMEON found that their express train
had run into freight train which had
stopped in an impossible sand-drift The
slow rate at which the express was moving
enabled the engineer TO stop the train
in time to prevent a serious accident. and
the collision was only sufficient to cast the To-
cOmOtive from the track. The passenger-cars
remained on the rails. 1t was then ten o'clock,
so slowly had the express proceeded through
the binding storm after leaving Sumner, The
darkness Of the night had only increased, and
nothing was Wis ble except within the focus of
the trains lights. For five weary hours the
passengers were compelled to remain the
detached train while relief was be ng obtained
from sumner Assistance having arrived,
the track was cleared of sand sufficiently
express back to SUNNI where Pbis Pfba Dd4s ahe
scng"rs found slim accommodation unit
Jhe afternoon the darkn 'ss began to diSap-
pear. but the simeon malntained its vigOr un-
I'll nightfall. In the morning the unfortunate
pass myers proceeded on their journey. the re-
mainder of which was made wit b lIIt srnsa-
tOnal incident a gangs OF Chinese had been
at work all n ght and nad Gle red the track of
press, which was due at , 40 d. m, January .
overlook nc FcIaTed and yyp9tbo3,- -beafe1 aI-,
press, n wing passed with slight discomfort
through the tail of the simeon. The breaking
OF a pstOn-rOd delayed the first express still
IurIher at Lathrop, and the two trains came
SInuit t9neOusIy 10 Oakland wharf, the first
over tn rty hours behind time and the second
over over SIX. All hnnds' however, soon forgot the
unple .santness of their adventure and laughed
over lJ.--.oCtlt + FTlIIlCtScO Examiner.