St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-11-01
oNTARlo's PRoTEAN HILLS"


Monster Shifting Sand Dunes on the Cana
dian Shore of Lake Erie.
An interesting and wonderful feature
Of the natural scenery Of Lake Erie's
shores are TWO immense conically shaped
sand formations in the township OF
Houghton, Norfolk county, Ontario,
just west Of Long Point.
These hills are composed of the light,
silycry sand peculiar to the shores Of
the lake, with the one dissimilarity that
it appears lighter in bulk than the shore
sand and drifts more readily with the
wind They are situated about mile
apart, the one to the east being the lar
ger. Itmeasures about 200 feet III height
from the water level, 1000 feet in
length and 300 feet in width, When
viewed from the surrounding country, it
appears like a vast symlnetrically form
ed giants grave, erected on the lofty
promontory which lies high above, and
whose PERCEPTIONS cliffs wall in the lake
for miles The perfect and clear cut out
lines and gracefully rounded summit
which towers nobly high excite in one
q desire to ascend the steep activity,
Notwithstanding the fliculty Of climb
upon IN incline of nearly 60 degrees
from the horizontal, made even more
laborious by the loosencss of the sand,
which the climber sinks into above his
shoe tops at every step. But he is right
generously rewarded when the summit
is reached, for the prospect is beautiful.
Looking inland, the country unfolds
itself with its delcctable meadows and
fields Of grain, for miles aud miles,
while in heopposite direction the mag
nifccnt view Of Fries broad eXpanse
stretches to the horizon.
These hills, besides their present in
tercst, have strange evolutionary his
tory ascribed to them, as recorded by
some Of heearly settlers i'll the vicinity.
At one time the summit Of the large
hill presented a circular plateau with
crater opening into vast funnel shaped
chasm, with sides nearly vertical, which
extended down to great depth. The
bottom Of this great anphithoater was
50 feet in diameter, and upon this nat
ural arena the pioneer youths Of many
years ago played the game Of baseball
with the advantage of requiring no field
ers, for no matter where the ball was
thrown or hatted, upon striking the
sides it would fall to the feet Of the
players. No trace whatever is now left
Of the crater, Many are the forms the
hill has assumed since then.
If it is the action of the strong south
westerly gales, which for $50 miles have
an uninterrupted swoop down the lake
upon the loose sand of the cliff, why are
other hills not thus formed by the same
force all along the shore in this locality,
where the sand appears the same as
here? There is % sand mound close to
the large hill nearly 40 feet high, which
has the appearance of growing similar
to the Others 1t is inclosed on three
sides with a thick growth of large trees
which it is gradually covering up.
These hills slowly but really change
] tDtll push OHSs tNtI retaining SOlllO
graceful and strange shape. The old
trees that form dense growth near by
are gradually swept over and complete
ly buried in sand. In many places their
utmost branches only protrude above the
surface of the sides of the ruthless sand
monster that smothered and settled upon
them. In time, as the hill moves ON,
these trees are again revealed, broken
and dead, of course, with whitened
trunks and manned limbs.
Some 20 years ago the summit Of the
large hill was crowned by the observa
tory of the United States lake survey.
From this observatory one in the high
lands of Pennsylvania and another OF
Long Point a triangle was formed, anC
the most accurate chart of the lake al
that time was issued. At present {
beacon is the only structure on the hill
having been erected i'll connection will
the survey now being made of the lakC
by the Canadian government. Buffalo
Express,