Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-18
CAPE COD SAND STORMS.
Efforts to Plant Grass and Stop the
Drifts.

Drifts.
From the Scientific American
sand storm on Cape Cod back of Prov
| incetown, is something more to be dreaded
than western blizzard. When the WING
blows in a gale from the northeast The
soft, light sand drifts in immense clouds,
completely obscuring all objects around
farther. than ten feet away. 1t is worse
than snow in many respects. 1t not only
covers up the road or trail in short time,
but it changes the general features of the
landscape permanently. People get lost in
the sand storms, and often, when the storm
subsides. the landscape is so altered that
they are bewlidered and puzzled in trying
to locate their homes. The sand may not
be as freezing cold as the snow, but it is
far more injurious. 1t cuts and grinds he
face as 1t strikes it, and performs about
the same operation as a sandblast. Men
VINO have been lost out in the furious sand
storms, and members Of the life-savug pa
troll, have returned home DIT night with
their faces lacerated and discolored so hat
they resembed raw beef Even the glass
windows of the houses are Sc ground nv
the flying sand that they have to be re-
placed often by new ones. After one heavy
storm 1t is almost impossible to see through
the glass. People now shut the binds OF
the touses facing the wind during sand
storms in order to save the glass. NO man
can lace the sand clouds and endure the
pain for long.
AS the prevailing sea winds are from the
northeast on the cape, the sand dunes are
drifting steadily and persistentIy toward
Provincetown. Many years ago it was made
compulsory by law for the citizens OF Cape
Cod to turn out every spring and plant
MARIAN grass to shut out the sea, and
Provincetown owes it's existence TO-DAY to
wise laws which empowered beach grass
committee" to enter any mans iuclosed
Saruen or Held and plant MARIAN grass, il
the sand was uncovered or movable
The purpose of the harbor and land COM
misSioners now is to make the work of
laying the sands permanent and endurable.
The tract of land comprises between 1900
and 1900 acres on the extreme norther:y
point Of the cape, and ii was purchased by
the colony Of New Plymouth from the In
dams In 1852. The land faces the Atlantic
ocean on one side, and stretches back TO a
belt Of woods, which the early inhabitants
of Provincetown planted to protect their
town and harbor from the sand storms.
Recently, however, the sand belt has Leen
steadily encroaching upon the wooded
tract, and it is to prevent the destruction
of work already accomplished that the
commissioners have set out 10 reclaim the
sandy beach from the and wind.
Since 1884 appropriations aggregating
$4,000 have been spent by the commission
ers in experiments on the understanding
qualities of various plants and trees. and
about fifty acres of sand have been re-
claimed by being covered with beech grass
and vegetation.
If the enterprise proves successful-and
nobody doubts in the least that it will
some 5000 acres of worthless sand will be
converted into excellent building sites The
popularity of Cape Cod for a summer re-
sort IS growing and extending every year.
and it has been nothing but the sand
storms and instability of the land that has
kept this region from being built up with
summer cottages and settlements.