The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-03-15
SAND AUGERS.
A Curious Wind Phenomenon of the Plainr
Slim LINZ Ruine.l Poker Deck.

slim DIIn'S isuinet Poker Deck
"A curious phenomenon. said Prof.
f. E. Clarke to San Francisco En-
aminer reporter, sis sometimes OBJ
served on wide plains where the at
moSphere is hot and dry. 1t 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 frequent opportunities of witness
ing the formation and progress of such
whirlwinds, which, on account of the
peculiar action they had on dry soil,
were called sand augers.' They were
especially frequent in Lodge Pole Creek
valley, through which the railway,
leaving the Platte river, runs northerly
to near the base of the Black hills.
This valley is quite narrow-averag-
ing about a mile in width-and is
bounded on either side by "a range of
low, uneven hills.
This first indication of the approach
of one of these sand augers would be
the formation, here and there in the
valley, of little whlrligigs of dusty
wind, picking up bits of straw, paper,
and other unconsidered trifies, some
times waltzing into camp and flirting
with the canvas tents of outdoor cook
ing-places.
"These baby cyclones would increase
in number quite rapidly, and then be
whisked away by 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 be seen advancing o
funnel-shaped cloud, like that seen
over waterspouts forming at sea.
"From the under surface of this low
lying cloud swaying tongue of lead
colored yapor would prolong itself
toward the earth, from which, to meet
it, would rise a cloud of dirt and sand.
This earth column would rise higher
and higher, with whirling motion,
becoming more and more compact all
the while, until the blue-black vapor
and the brown mass from below would
unite above, and the completed, swift
ly whirling column commence moving
slowly down from above on its way
across the valley.
while its 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 it that when the
column touched the earth it would
scoop out shallow channel like the
dry bed of small stream. Hence it's
name of sand auger'.
''The diameter of these auGers sell
dom exceeded fifteen OF twenty feet
at the ground, but their bulk increased
with their height until they were
merged into the broad surface of the
thick, murky vapor from the clouds
above, from which electric flashes fire.
quently played. When this occurred
which would be thrown, by centrifugal
force, apparently, out from the revolv-
ing storm. They would be found to
be, almost invariably, in the shape of
flat disks, sometimes three inches III
diameter and an inch thick, and made
of layers of ice and sand.
''One such sand auger' passed near
an engineers camp where | was at
work and carried off a tent or two. 1t
then grazed the edge of corral near
by, cutting away one angle of an adobe
wall, aud sweeping by the house it
self, left every pane of glass in one
window as neatly ground as if done by
a sand-blast machine.
Passing on, the tents the 'auger'
was carrying off became entangled in
the telegraph wire running through
the valley, and after dragging down
two poles the cyclone collapsed, leav-
ing beneath when it broke up, mound
made up of sand, bits of adobe, some
old boots, a sprinkiing of empty tins,
part of bale of hay and a dog-eared
poker deck OF cards. The latter were
carefully gathered up by their owner,
genius called Slim jim, who always
deplored the fact that the recovered
pack was imperfect, there being but
four aces left in it by the sand 'auger.