The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-29
CURIOUS WIND PHENOMENA,
The "Sand Augers" of the Plains-Trick s
of Baby Cyclones.

The "Sand Augcrs" of the Plains-Tricks
of Baby Cyclones.
"a curious phenomenon" said Prof. F.
E. Clarke lis 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 i'll the western states.
are know as tornadoes.
"When the Union Pacific railway was
being constructed the workmen had fire.
quent opportunities of witnessing the for
nation and progress of such whiriwinds.
which, on account of the peculiar action
they had on dry soil, We're 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 i'll wldth-alld is bound
ed Oh either side by range of low, uneven
hills.
''The first indication of the approach of
one of these sand augers' would be the for
nation. here and there in tho valley, of lit
tie whirligigs of dusty winds, picking up
bits of straw, paper and other unconsidered
tritles. sometimes waltzing 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 strang 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 ad-
vancing a funnel-shaped cloud, like that
seen over water spouts forming at sen.
| From the under surface of this low lying
cloud a swaying tongue of lead colored va
por would prolong itself toward the earth,
from which to meet it, would rise cloud OF
dirt and sand. This earth column would
rise higher and higher. with whiriing mo-
| ton, becoming more compact all the while,
until the blue black vapor and tue brown
mass from below would unite above, and
the completed swiftly whirling column be-
| gin moving slowly down from above on its
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
it that when the column touched the earth
| it would scoop out a shallow channel like
the dry bed of a small stream. Hence its
| name of sand auKer.
=, "1he diameter of these augers seldom ex-
coed fifteen or twenty feet at the ground
but their bulk increased with the height
until they were merged into the broad
surface, of the thick, murky vapor, from the
clouds above. from which electric flashes
frequently played. When this occurred
large hnilstones would be formed, which
would be thrown by centrifugal force, ap-
parently out from the revolving storm.
They would be found TO be almost invaria-
bly, in the shape of fiat disks, sometimes
three inches i'll diameter and an inch thick,
and made up of layers of ice and sand.
Zone such sand auger passed near an en-
gineer's camp where was at work and car
ried off a tent or two. 1t then grazed the
edge of a 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 done
by sand blast machine.
Passing on, the tents the anger had
carried off became entangled in the tele-
graph wires running through the valley
and after dragging down two poles the cy-
clone collapsed, leaving beneath. when i,
broke up. a mound made of sand. bits OF
adobe, some old boots. a sprinkling OF
empty tins. part of a bale of hay aud a dog
cared poker deck of cards. The latter were
afterward carefully gathered up by thei,
!. owner, genius called Slim Jim. who al
WAYS de plored the fact that the recovered
pack Was imperfect. there being but four
aces left in II by the sand auger."-San
Francisco Examiner.