Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-11-19
FIGHTING THE SAND DUNES.
Perfect victory over Them ou the
Coast of Gascouy.

NJ. Chambrelent, Inspector OF Public
Works, has made report to the Agri-
cultural Society OF France on the subject
OF the dunes in the landes OF Gascony.
These sandhills cover surface OF more
than $1,000 hectares. They are more
than eighty metres high and five TO six
kilometres wide. Before method of
arresting these was discovered they were
being constantly pushed inland by the
winds, covering fields, villages and
even burying churches up to their tow
ers. In 1880 Brementer sought to rem
der them mmovable by planting them,
and made many experiments designed
to develop primary vegetation. His
work has been continued with persever-
ance, and it is only recently that it has
been completed, and these $1,000 hec-
tares, which menaced all the country adj
joining, have been covered with rich
forest vegetation which has fixed the
dunes in one place. A great public dam
ger has been converted into large for
est.
Ultimately the dune reaches such a
hight generally ten to twelve metres)
that the sand can no longer get over it,
and it is definitely arrested between the
barrier and the sea. 1t falls back on the
shore, unable to advance, until contrary
winds come and blow it out to sea again.
70 fix the sand on the other side of the
barrier, the Arundo drendrid is planted.
The roots penetrate to depth of four or
five metres, and the plant always
keep its head above the increasing sand.
The results obtained by this new dune
! (says M. Chambrelent) have been COM
| plete. The most violent storms have not
been able to carry the sand over it; the
latter has fallen back on the shore in
nocuous, and the advance of the mex
haustible sand coming from the sea has
| absolutely arrested.
But this work, which renders perma-
nent dunes already existing, has not pre-
vented the sea from throwing up on the
coast new sand day by day, which form
dunes, which in their turn invade perma-
nent dunes. After having fixed old sand
hills, the problem was to prevent the
formation OF new ones. To solve this it
was decided to construct u dune above
high water, in which all the conditions OF
the movable dunes would be reversed.
is such that on one side of the
sea they present II gentle slope,
which the sand can mount easily as
a steep decline. 1t is by the gentle
slopes forming series OF inclined planes
that the sand moves forward. The for
nation Of the new dune was encouraged,
but it was directed in such a manner that
it had steep slope on the side of the sea.
To secure this wooden palisade was
erected about 100 metres away from the
sea, all along the shore The sand first
struck against this in its progress and fell
at its foot, Il portion escaping through
the interstices left behind the planks.
The latter was carried some distance by
the force OF the wind and fell, forming
slight slopes, while the sand which fell at
the foot OF the palisade on the side near
the sea formed steep incline. Soon
this reached the top OF the palisade, and
then the planks were drawn up by means
of a special implement to the needed
height, and the formation continued as
before, the slope of the side OF the sea
growing sleeper, while the other got more
and more gentle. -Ndturc.