Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-12-22
The Simoonn.


The most remarkable of the hot
winds is the s;moom, the vio1t mt whirl-
wind. with or without sand, which af-
fects the deserts of Africa and South
western Asia. The great heat of the
soil passing into the atmosphere eau ses
an appreciate expansion and tighten
ing ofthe latter, resulting in the forma-
ton of small cyclonic disturbances.
The surrounding atmosphere, in the
never-ceasing IL ltural struggle to main
tam an equilibrium, rushe5 in to fill
the space vacated by the expanded
air, and in its turn undergoeJ the same
process until at last there is powerful
current drawn into the vortex, frequent
sand, an the cyclone then becomes
yisible-huSe columns OF sand whrling
round and moving forward at the same
time. The air, already very dry before
the simoom originated, now becomes
still more so from the presence of the
dense cloul of dGst. Away goes the
sto1m across the desert: at first it is
seen as a low haze on the horizon, bat
quickly spreading, the cloud advances,
sometimes slowly, sometimes rapidly,
the tall pillars being visible long way
off, darkening the atmosphere and
bringing with them great destruction.
In the whirl the wind blows with the
force of hurricane, hills OF sand are
taken up, and are either scattered or
are again gathere into new hills wher-
ever the storm choos $ to deIos them,
80 that the desert is dotted with fire.
,,1,, I I
these are buried whole caravans of
traders, travellers, and even armi IS
The slmoom is supposed to have ami
hilated the armies of Sem acherib and
Cambyses.
A party of officers sleeping on the
roof Cf Gen. Jacobs house at JAG )ba-
bad thus recount their experience of
the simoom: "They were awakened by
sensation of suffocation and an eX-
ceedingly hot, oppressive feeling in the
air, while at the same time powerful
smell of sulphur pcrvaded the atmos-
phere. On the following morning a
number of trees in the garden were
found to be withered in remarkable
manner. 1t was as il a current of fire
about twelve yards in br, a It'll had
passed through the garden in a straight
line, smuggling and destroying every green
thing in its course. Entering Oil one
side and passing out on the other, its
path was as defined as the course of a
river"
Palorave was over taken by one of
these scourges in Northern Arabia.
After some preliminary remarks on the
advance of the simo)m, b. proc nedS:
$50 dark was the atmosphere and so
burning the hea5 that it seemed that
hell had risen from the earth or de.
scended from above. But at the mo-
ment when the worst of tie concen-
trdted poison-blast was coming round
We were already PROSTATE, one and all,
within the tent, with our heads we'll
wrapped up, a!mCs st sutfocated, indeed,
but safe; while our camels lay without
like dead, til eir long necks stretched
out on the sand, awaiting the passing
of the gale.
I'VE remained thus for ten minutes,
during which a still heat, like that of
Il red-hot iron slowly passing over us,
was alone to be felt Then the tent
walls again began to flap in the re-
turning gusts, and announced that the
worst of the simeon had gone by.
My comrades appeared more like
corpses than living men, and so, sup
pose, did 1. However, could not for
bear, in spite of warnings, to step out
and look at the camels; they were still
lying fiat, as though they had been
dead, and the air was yet darkish, but
before long it frightened up to its
usual dazzling clearness. During the
whole time that the simeon lasted the
atmosphere was entirely free from
sand or dust, so that l hardly know
how to account for its singular OBJ
security. Alta California;.