The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-10-04
HUGE SAND AUGERS.
Description of Curious Wind Phenomenon
OF the Pans.


OF the Pans.
"a curious phenomenon said Prof. F E.
Clarke, to San Francisco Examiner re-
porter, sis sometimes observed on wide
plains where the atmosphere is hot and dry.
1t is the forming OF miniature cyclones, or
rotary storms, which, when occurring on
grand scale, as they DO in the Western
States. are known as tornadOcs.
"When the Union Pacific railway was
being constructed the wOrkmen had fire.
quent opportunities Of witnessing the for
nation 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-aver-
aging about a mile in width. and is bounded
Oh either side by q range Of low, uneven
hills
1.-The first Indication of the approach Of
one Of these sand augers' would pe the
formation, here and there in the valley, of
little Whrhgigs Of dusty wind, picking up
bits of straw, paper and other unconsdered
trifles, sometimes Waiting into camp and
flirting with the canvas tents or scattering
the emberS and ashes of outdoor cooking
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 towards the eastern range
Of hills, over which would then be seen ad-
vancing q funnelshaped cloud, like that
seen over water-spouts forming at sea.
"From the under surface Of this low,
lying cloud a swaying tongue of lcad-coi.
ored vapor wonld prolong itself toward the
earth, from which, to meet it, would rise a
cloud of dirt and sand. This carth-cloud
would rise higher and higher, with whirl-
ing motion becoming more compact all the
while, until the blue-black vapor and the
brown mass from below would unite above,
and the completed, swiftly whirllng
columns commence slowly down from the
hills on its way across the valley.
=" While its forward progress was usually
slow, the rotary motion about it's 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 q shallow channel like
the dry bed of small stream. Hence. its
name of sand auger.
| AHO utduICCCI VI tucSc duScfS ScluOu GX-
ceeded Is OF 20 feet at the ground, but their
bulk increased with their height, until they
were merged into the broad surface of the
thick, murkey vapor from the cloud above,
from which electric fashes frequently played.
When this occurred large hallstones would
be formed, which would be thrown, by CEN
trifugal force, apparently, out from the re-
volving storm. They would be found to be,
almost invariably, in the shape of fat discs
sometimes three inches in diameter and an
, inch thick, and made up of layers of ice
and sand.
| Zone such 'sand-auger' passed near an
engineers camp where was at work, and
carried off tent or two. Itthen grazed the
edge of corral near by cutting away one
angle Of an adobe wall, and, sweeping by
the house itself, left every pane of glass in
| the one window as neatly ground as if done
by sard-blast machine
Passing on, the tents the 'auger was
carrying Off became entangled in the tele
| graph wires running through the valley and
after dragging down two poles tho cyclone
collapsed, leaving beneath, when it broke
up, mound made up CT sand, bits CT adobe,
some old boots, sprinkling Of empty tins,
part of bale Of hay and dog cared poker
deck of cards. The latter were afterward
carefully gathered up by their owner, a
genius called Slim Jim, who always de-
plored the fact that the recovered pack was
imperfect, there being but four aces left in
it by the sand-auger."