Arizona weekly citizen., 1888-03-31
CURIOUS WIND PHENOMENA
She Sand Augers" of the PIAins-rricks
 of Baby Cyclones-A Collapse.

the sand Augers" of the PIAins-Trich of Baby cyciones-A Collapse.
 "A curious phenomenon" said Pro- lessor F. E. Clarke to a reporter, ais some times observed on wide plains where the atmosphere is hot and dry. It is the forming of miniature cyclones, or rotary storms, which, when occurring on a grand scale, as they do in the western states, are known as tornadOes.
 "When the Union Pacific railway was being constructed the workmen had ire qnent opportunities of witnessing the formation and progress of such whirl- winds, which, on account of the peculiar action they had on dry soil, were called sand augers.' They were especially ire quent in Lodge Pole Creek valley, through which the railwcy, leaving the Platte river, runs northerly to near the base of the Black hills. This valley is quite mar row-averaging about a mile in width and is bounded on either side by a range of low, uneven hills.
 ''The first indication of the approach of one of these sand augers' would be the formation, here and there in the valley, or little whirliggs of dusty winds, picking up bits of straw, paper and other uncon- sidered trifies, sometimes waltzing into camp and flirting with the canvas tents or scattering the embers and ashes of out door cooking places.
 "These baby cyclones would increase in number quite rapidly, and then be whisked away 5y strong currents of air, coming from no one knew where, but all drawing across the valley toward the eastern range of hills. over which would then be seen advancing a funnel shaped cloud, like that seen over wsterspouts forming Ht sea
 From the under surface of this low lying cloud a swaying tongue of lead colored vapor would prolong itself toward the earth, from which, to meet it, would rise a cloud of dirt and sand. This earth column wosld risc higher and higher, with a whirling motion, becoming more compact all the while, until the blue black Vapor and the brown mass from below wonld unite above, and the com pletetl, swiftly whirling column commence moving slowly down from above on it's way across the valley.
 While it's forward progress was usually slow, its rotary motion about its vertical axis would be very rapid; and so dense would be the mass of sand gathered up by IL that when the column touched the earth ,t would scoop out shallow channel like the dry bed of a small stream Hence it's name of sand auger.
 The diameter of these augers seldom exceeded fifteen or twenty feet at the ground, but their bulk increased with their height until they were merged into the broad surface of the thick, murky yapor from the cloud above, from which electric flashes frequently played. When this occurred large hsilstones would be formed, which would be thrown, by cen trifugal force, apparently out from the re vUlying storm. They would be found 10 he, almost invariably, in the shape of fiat iisks, sometimes three inches in diameter and au inch thick, and made up of layers If ice and sand.
 "One such sand auger' passed near an engineers camp where l was at work and carried of a tent or two. It then grazed the edge of a corral near by, cutting away one angle of Rn adobe wall, and. sweeping by the house itself, left every pane of glass in the one window as neatly ground ss if done by a sand blast machine
 Passing on. the tents the anger was carrying of became entangled in the tele- graph wires running through the valley, and after dragging down two poles the cyclone collapsed, leaving beneath, when 1t broke up. a mound made up of sand, bits of adobe, some old boots, q sprinkling Of empty tins, part Of bale of hay and a dog cared poker deck of cards The lat ter were afterwRrd carefully gathered up by their owner, & genius called Slim Jim, who always deplored the fact that the re- covered pack was imperfect, there being but four aces left in it by the sand auger." San Francisco Examiner