The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1883-01-27
c,NADA's MOVING MOUNTAIN.

More interesting still, and even
,ropd are the fomous sand banks near
wellington Bay, on Lake Ontario.
They are reached by beautiful drive
Of ten miles from Picton. Apart from
The sand banks, the locality is such as
sbould make it one of the favorite Sum
mer resorts on Lake Ontario. The lake
shore near the sand banks is indented
with a succession Of rock-paved bays,
whose gradually shoaling margins afford
rare bathing grounds. East and West
Lakes. each five miles long, and the
latter dotted with islands. are separated
from Lake Ontario by narrow strips OF
beach. Over the two-mile-wide 18th
mus separating the little lakes. the
sand banks, whose glistening heights
are visible miles away, are approached.
On near approach they are hidden by
the cedar woods, till the roadway in
front is barred by the advancing bank,
to avoid which roadway through the
woods has been constructed up to the
eastern end of the sand ridge. The
sand banks stretch like crescent along
the shore, the eoncave side turned to
the lake, along which it leaves pebbly
beach. The length of the crescent is
over two miles. the width 600 to 5000
or 4, 900 feet. Ii the distant view, or
the steep, white front of the bank, ad-
vancing and overwhelming the cedar
woods and the grain fields, is grand,
the view from the top of the range is
doubly so; it rivals Niagara.
Ciambering up the steep end OF the
range, among trees and grapevines, the
wooded summit is gained at an eleva-
tion Of nearly 80 feet. Passing along
the top the woods soon disappear, and
we emerge on wild waste of delicately
tinted saffron, rising from the slate-col.
ored beach in gentle undulation, and
sleepily falling on the other side down
to green pastures and into the cedar
woods. The whole surface OF this
grandly undulating mountain desert Is
ribbed by little wavelets few inches
apart, but the general aspect is one Of
perfect smoothness. The sand is almost
as fine as flour. and contains no admix-
ture Of dust. The foot sinks only an
inch or two in walking over it; children
roll about on it and down its slopes,
and, rising, shake themselves tlll their
clothing loses every trace Of sand. DC
casionally gusts stream over the Wild
waste, raising dense drift TO a height
OF foot or two only, and streaming
like q fringe over the steep northern
edge. Though the sun is blazing down
OH the glistening wilderness there is
little sensation Of heat, for the cool
lake breeze is ever blowing. On the
landward side the insidious approach OF
the devouring sand is well marked.
One hundred aud fifty feet below, the
foot of this moving mountain is sharply
defined against the vivid green OF the
pastures, on which the grass grows
luxuriantly to within an inch OF the
sand wall. The ferns Of the cedar
woods droop against the sandy slope.
The roots OF the trees are bare along
the white edge; foot or two nearer,
the sand buries the feet OF the cedars;
few yards nearer still, the bare trunks
disappear; still nearer, only the with
cred topmost twigs of the submerged
forest are seen; and then, far over the
tree-tops stands the sand range. Per-
petual ice is found under the foot OF
this steep slope, the sand covering and
consolidating the SHOWS drifted over the
hill during the Winter months. There
is something awe-inspiring in the slow,
quiet, but resistless advance of the
mountain front. Field and forest alike
become completely submerged. Ten
years ago farm house was swallowed
up, not to emerge into the light until
the huge sand wave has passed over.
--lCorr. Toronto Globe.