The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-06-05
A sand-Storm

"S3nl storms seem 20 favor Colorado
and Kansas more than any ofthc other
Western State-," said "a man lust ar-
rived from Kan-Is. "W-hile residents
Of Kansas ave uo; surprised to see tie
air filled with dust during the spring,
ihr ju-t storm that visited Cheney the
oth-- day wa = very unusual one.
.'All day Thursday ani during the
afternoon oa Friday the air was filed
with dirt aud dust 50 that tine pcople
coTlI scarcely breathe. This clntin-
ueJ until ia;e in the afternoon. when
rain clouds made their appearance,
much 10 the relief Of every one. Bat
this las. hope OF relief soon gave way
To one Of despair. In the southwest,
about o'ciuciS, barge cloud Of dust
Wa, seen T. De- swiftly approaching.
Every one thought cyclone was COM
ing, and hurried To- places Of shelter
By g o'clorS the storm wa 0u in ;.ii is
fury. The wind bIcw a sale aud whip
ped the dust into every nook and cor
ner, from which there was 30 escape.
At O'Clock there suddenly came q
dead calm.
"All Kansas people understand this
dread import, and again the fear of
impending danger seized every one.
All 50, once a heavy black cloud could
be seen approaching from the north.
The awful suspense of the moment
was sg3u over, and then the black,
sitting dI>t cinie howiiEg from the
north Ike q thousand demons. Houses
were CLOSED and blinds pulled down,
and the great scds OF sand were kept
out, bat the velocity of the wind drove
the line particles through every crack
ana crcvice 81 the dwellings. Carpets,
furuiture-eyerything in the house
was covered before morning with q
black layer OF dust. The storm kept
up until after midnight.
~ Apeculiar thing happened TO Frank
Walton at his home near Cheney.
During the storm he started with = Ian
tern in hand to find a horse that he had
but "a few minutes before turned into
.he hIrnyard. The dust was - thick
that his lantern did him no good, and
he -et it down and tried to reach the
j,t ia tLe ,.arSne~S. On his WY be
ran his head first against u cottonwood
tee, and this stunned him FOR min
ne. He finally found the horse and
put It in the barn.
'After getting inside The barn Mr.
Walton says his mouth was fall ofdirt.
sad a.- lac spit it out spark Of electrici-
y sho. from his mouth, and that every
iime his horse sncezed flashes of the
elcc.ric current shot from both nostril-
and up from the point ofeIrh ear IL
went back t. the h9jsa, ami whcn h
cmc to the pump dipped up q cup o.
water from the trough and threw ;t up
into the air, and Instantly every drop
seemed "a br,Ilian. bali Of tir.. TaE,a
ali in al this was on ,aem>st rcmlrS.
able >:orui c:.f ex?,ri,a-,i IA tAlt
country.
at Chcyenn, Wells, C5l., station
on the Union Pacific, thirteen ears OF
sand were taken from th, dtp,. plat
foun. In Stanton comfy. Ean-- three
children, aged eight, nine aa.l ten wears
( l.ft home, the two younger on horse
/ back, jus, before the storm, 70 drive NJ
some cattie. This was on Friday, ant
( il was the lass sccn of them alive
/ SUNDAY morning they were found 10y
their G,ihcr three miles south Of home
living in the road dead, and hali buriet
In sand. it : supposed THAI they hag
wandered around until exhausted, and
had lain down 20 rest. They were al
three lying near together, ANA close bl
stood the faithful horse tha. had ncve
Ieft them during tine forty hours o
hlinding snow and sand.