The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1889-08-28
A SAND STORM.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF
A STRIKING SCENN IN AN
AFRICAN DIES EIsT.
Lofty PLIERS of Sand Carrying
Destruction In their Path.
Mail and Express.

Destruction In their Path.
Mail and Express.
Under the fairest skies the desert
is an awesome solitude, but when a
storm comes it is terrible and ap-
palling. | shall never forget a
scene | witnessed some forty mile $
beyond the great Pyramids had
gained an isolated hiIlock, some two
hundred feet above the level of the
surrounding desert. Away to the
west about two miles distant, des-
cried six or seven lofty pillars of
sand moving swiftly over the un-
dulating plain. The center one Of.
these was vertical. and those sur
rounding it, at distance of 200 or
300 yards, leaned slightly toward it.
The sand at the base of the columns
was lashed by the furious whirlwind
into surglng sea. Desert trees of
the hardest wood We're torn up with
their roots and hurled hundreds of
yards away and high mp into the air;
even the grass tiat gre y n the path
of that terrible storm was shorn
clean away from ITS roots. The
summit. OF those columns Of sand at
length joined, and then burst forth
from their unitesl tops yellow,
gigantic cloud Of sand of such mag
nltude aud density a3 to Garken, as
III total eclipse, tht, face of the
bright afternoon sun. The sand
spout, called by tIe .tives 'zoba-
nah, shortly after subslded. but the
cloud of saad aud grass, which had
been raised high in the heavens, con-
tinued TO darken the SITTING sun for
l,Ore than another hour. The small
Ter column behind Travelled swiftly.
increasing in size. until it reached
the site OF the break up of the 9TH
er, aud then added It's mite to tue
universal destruction
With my sextant. n | stood in
security, ! measured the height Of
the center colnma Of sand: 1t was
nearly one Thousand feet. The 9th
er columns were rising - rapidly
that they soon reached height
greater than that of the center col
umu. When the junction Of all
them took place the sudden crup-
tion Of sand. leaves and grass reach
ed to a total height of over four
thousand feet. These "zobahahs"
are not very frequent, but when
they occur they carry widespread
devastation along with them, and
We betlde the Traveller aud the tent
that happen Ia stand IN their way.
Not more than ten yards from the
column the air sperfectly y calm, but.
within the small circumscribed
circle, there ragts such tempest as
will carry away anything. however
firmly fixed in the regions of the
upper air ~ easily as an ordinary
gust of wind will blow piece of
paper The camel. this wonderful
ship of the desert, always knowns a
few hours before whether one Of
those approaching "zobahahs" is
likely to come upon him. and hi,
natural instinct will guide him TO
place Of safety. where he lies down
aud only breathes the cool reactive
current which closely follows the
burning, almost suiTOcating hot air
which accompanies the "zobahahs. "
The usual movement If these sand
sp0ntS il in the are of a wide circle.
aud the direction of the center of
the circle is almost invariably from
south tn north.
When these awful turmoils are
over, aud the disturbing elements
hav" RESUMED their normal state,
the burning sand becomes saturated
with a heavy dew. the sun j. less
aug,y. aud the African desert more
amenable TO life in both men and
beasts. Nature wisdom and won-
ders are indeed beyond mans lim-
tied understanding.
- -~@ -
TIE ChAucts OF being allied viii e
crawling nnd'r a circus tent aIe ore