Natchitoches populist., 1898-06-17
oEoRGA's GEOLOGICAL FREAK.
A Group Of Sand Hills Thought to Be Of Arti.
ficial Origin.

fclal Origin.
The plantation of Mr.. James M. Tifrt
is directly east of Albany, distance
of about one mile, and Is famous
throughout southern Georgia as the
Sand Hill or Sand Mountain place. 1t
embraces 1865 acres of land, much of
which is exceedingly fertile and espec-
tally adapted to the cultivation of
fruits. There is a good deal Of timber
on the place, and some pines that are
of truly astonishing proportions grow
in certain localities.
The group of steep, white sand hills,
which has made the place celebrated,
covers an area Of about $50 acres, and
presents a remarkable and most In
teresting sight to even those persons
who have viewed 1t many times. 1t
is located On rich, fiat stretch Of farm
ing country, unbroken by other hill or
ridge of any description, with broad
cultivated fields, and valuable timber
lots succeeding each other mile after
mile. Nowhere hereabouts is there
rise Of ground that deserves to be digni-
fed by being called a hill, except on
the Sand Hill place. The country Is
uniformly level for many miles In every
direction from Albany.
These sand peaks are more than
hundred in number. They are grouped
in the shape of an elongated circle
just mile in length in length and
half as wide There is not hill In
the group less than 80 feet high. while
many of them of them rise to a height
Of from rs to 50 feet. The sides. almos.
without exception, are remarkably
abrupt for such sandy soil. The hard
est rains that ever fall in this section
cannot cause water to run down the
slopes, as it sinks from view immedi-
ately on touching the surface. The
hills, however unfertile they may
appear, are covered with a growth Of
wiregrass, which serves to prevent
heavy winds from drifting the sand.
A person may begin at point where
the bottom of one of the hills borders
on the outside of this group until
he reaches the starting point, and all
the while there will have been on his
one side steep, sandy hills, and on the
otheran uninterrupted stretch Of fiat
country with soil black and fertile.
1t seems that these hills must have
been made after the creation Of the
world, and many persons believe that
they represent hundreds of years toll
of the mound moulders. A fact that
would seem to support that theory is
this: While the soil all around these
great piles of sand has solid clay
foundation, the hills themselves are
nothing but sand, from summit to base
One of them might be cut down to
level with the surrounding country,
and no soil but white, shifting sand
would be encountered.
Another theory that has often been
employed in an effort to account for
for the existence of these remarkable
peaks is that they are diluyial for
nation, perhaps thrown up by the ac-
tfon of great whirlpool at a time
when this country was covered with
water. The absence of fossil remains
indicative of the presence of the sea in
past centuries, however, fayors the
mound builders theory.
A number of persons have endeav-
ored to induce Mr.. Tiff to make excaV-
ations in some of the sand Aills for the
purpose of settling, if possible, the
question of their origin. Many per-
sons believe there is little doubt that
the hills contain evidence that they
were built by the hand Of man. 1t Is
little remarkable that Mr.. Tiff has
never yielded to the opportunities of
his friends, but he now states that he
has at last decided to make one or
more excavations. The result will be
watched with great dea of interest by
the people of this section. It has been
estimated that these hills contain
above the level of the surrounding
more than 100000 cubic
fpnt of white, Sand