Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-03-27
ABOUT QUICKsAND.
The General Public Knows Very Lit
tie Of This Substance-Is Used
I'm thu Hour.GlaRl.

tie Of This Substance-Is Used
in the Hour-Glass.
Very little Is known by the general pub
lie about quicksand. and hat little is usu-
ally obtained from novels. Such infor-
nation is usually wrong, being composed
of a pinch of truth and a handful of fic-
ton, says Invention The sensational
novel goes even 80 far as to give to quick
sand some attributes that belong only to
could distinguish quicksand from any other,
II it were dried; and II he wished to re-
store its fatal property artificially, ne
would, in all probability, fail. Suppose he
consequence become mobile. II he drains
the water of from the bottom, the sand
will be found wedged firmly in place. and
to equal 30 per cent, of the bulk Of the
sand, or about 20 per cent. of its weight.
From this we may infer that a cubic foot
Of dry sand weighs nearly ninety-four
pounds.
This, for sand, Is a very light weight.
for there are other qualities of sand which
weigh as much as III pounds. Quicksand.
be seen to have rounded corners like river
sand. as distinguished from angular or
sharp sand, which will pack more solidly
than the other. 1t is quicksand that is used
boiler. partly because of its fineness and
partly because it does not obscure the in
ner surface Of the glass by scratching.
The lightness of quicksand is the quality
which will lead US most surely to the
cause of its reputation, and to illustrate
this the bucketful of sand must be load
ed with water from below, and made to
overflow very slowly. The upward current
raise the surface very slightly, separating
and lubricating the particles so that they
are easily displaced.
The bucket now contains quicksand, and
this sand from the support it receives
from the water has it's weight or sup
porting power reduced. In the dry state
It weighed nearly n%inety-four pounds, but
II weighed in the water 1t is reduced to
thirty-two and one half pounds, and it's
mobility prevents any animal from walk
ing on 1t. The mixture of sand n water
weighs quite LIZ pounds per cubic foot;
bulk for bulk nearly twice the weight of
a man. but it is too thick to swim in, and
the person engulfed would soon be too
die Of suffocation If not drowned by an
advance tide, for quicksands are found
mostly within the influence of tides. He
would not be swallowed by the quick
sand, because 1t Is SO much heavier than
his body.
Quicksands require in all cases an up
ward current which is not quick enough
to form. what is called a spring or foun-
tain: 1t may be formed in two ways: In
tidal rivers and on the shores Of tidal seas
the rising tide may saturate a porous
stratum OF ground below high-water mark,
and when the tide falls a return current
is established through the same porous
SANDY ground with a sufficient velocity
to loosen the sand as above described.
This sand as soon as the rising tide re-
verses the current ceases to be quick"
The other case is that when a slow cur
rent of fresh water finds an exit throgh
a surface Of sand above or below water.
This is a permanent quicksand. Any sand
and almost any material might have the
quality Of quicksand impaired to it BY
means of a suitable current.
Coal Is separated from shale in an up
ward current Of water, so regulated that
the coal Is made to float while the shaIe
falls to the bottom, and heavy iron tools
have been carried to the surface by the
sudden discharge of artesian wells. Quick
sands that are encountered during the
sinking of wells and foundations are ali
due to the influx Of water when the work
gets below spring level" or the level of
water In the ground. The sand, being
deprived Of the support of the excavated
part. is pushed from behind by the water
current flowing in from all sides.