Evening star., 1896-12-26
BY THE GREAT LAKES.
Freaks of the Winds and Waves on
the Sands of the Beach.

Freaks of the Winds and Waves on
the Sands of the Beach.
Frcm the Popular Science News.
One of the attractions presented by the
coasts of the Great lakes is the clean, gilt
tering sand that borders the waters edge
along most of the coast line. For ages
the waters of these lakes have dashed up
on the shores with a force scarcely less
than that of the ocean waves, grinding
down rocks into fine grains and washing
away the last particle of silt. So perfectly
have the sands been cleansed that the
many thousands Of people who lounge upon
them every summer day may dress in their
finest and daintiest fabrics, for they leave
no mark.
A peculiar property of this beach ma
terial, at least in certain localities, has
given it the name Singing sand" This
remarkable name has been given on ac-
count of the shrill creaking sound emit
ted by the sand when vigorously disturbed.
By whirling a cane or similar stick that
the end cuts through the sand to the depth
of an inch or so, the sound made is very
similar to that of circular saw running
rapidly through timber. although, of course,
the two sounds are not to be compared In
intensity. Walking over the sand, especial
ly when the heel Of the shoe is made to
plow through it in stepping, or even brush
ing through it briskly with the finger, pro-
duces similar effect. 1t is stated that a
government official at Washington once had
some of this material sent to him for the
purpose of investigating it's sonorous quail
ties, but no satisfactory explanation was
found. Perfect freedom from dust seems
to be an essential condition, as the effect
can be produced only in the portion that Is
washed by the waves. l am reliably in
formed that the same phenomenon is eX-
hfbited by sand at places on the Atlantic
coast. Can some one inform me whether
it is characteristic of all beach sands?
Another remarkable feature Of this sand
is the sprinkling of coal-black, magnetic
particles in its composition. These particles
are generally smaller than the quartz
grains. In number they constitute, would
say at a guess, one-tenth Of the sand. They
are attracted by the magnet nearly or
quite as strongly as are iron filings, thus
indicating an abundance of iron. In what
form this iron is contained have not vet
determined. Sometimes the action OF the
waves separates this material from tine
quartz leaving it in deposits often many
rods in extent, just outside the water line,
and from one-eighth to one-half an men
in depth enabling one to gather con-
siderable quantity nearly pure. Before
had learned the nature of these deposits
called them accumulations of coal dust or
of fine cinders from some furnace, ana
passed them by without second thought,
until at last it occurred to me that the
supposition was not reasonable The in
vestigation that naturally followed result
ed in discovery OF the facts stated above
The sand Is subject TO the freaks ol tie
winds as well as of the waves, and with
results still more remarkable. Walking
over the sand fields in a strong wind Is as
uncomfortable and as dangerous to the
sight as facing severe storm OF sieet
The air is then filled with flying particles
that sting sharply whenever they strike an
exposed part of the body. Dead trees
beaten for years by this natural sand blast
gradually wear away below and finally faii
The moving power of the wind over this
material Is shown by the frequent forma-
ton of drifts more than foot In depth
during a single Storm and by the immense
hills or dunes that have been accumulat-
ing and shifting for ages These great
piles, some of them several hundred feet
high line the coast in an almost unbroken
chain, some more or less conical in shape,
others forming ridges. On the eastern shore
the dunes appear to be gradually moving
to the eastward at the rate OF few inches
or few feet each year, according to the
intensity and frequency of the prevailing
westerly winds. Should a forest stand IN
the way of this creeping mass it Is slowly
buried alive. Where such tragedy is IN
progress one may walk among the upper
branches of tall trees, which still retain
a degree of vitality, and put forth slckly
leaves and bear dwarfed fruit on the few
protruding branches.