Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-12
STRANGE WESTERN RIVERS
Wonderful Streams Flow From the Noun
tains Of the Pacific Range.
Sand Rivers on the Island of San
CIemente-san Francisco's Cur
iOus situation.
Frrrn the New York Sun.

Fron the New York sun.
Almost every one thinks that perforce a
river must be Of water said q man on the
little car that winds up Mount Lowe, in the
Sierra Madres but it is by no means
necessary. As an example, lock at this"
and the speaker pointed up the steep slope
OF the mountains as the car passed the
curve. Reaching from the track, which. in
deed had crossed it, was a mass of stones
some larger. some smaller. than a walnut
that extended upward far the eye
could see. The grade vas very steep. and
to all ihtents and purposes river Of stone
vas imperceptibly flowing down.
It's d perfect river Of rock continued
the passenger Some peculiar atmospheric
effect is continually wearing 1t away or
breaking it out. that it crumbies and
gradually rolls down in a well-detined shape
"A yvritable stream gradually making its
way into the canyon bottom Just such
river was discovered by AgassiZ In Pata-
gonna when he landed there from the Blake
though in this case the so-caNed river was
Of great size and the rocks all large and
moving in a given direction with irresistible
force.
In . few quarters of the globe similar
rivers can be seen. and nowhere are they
more interesting than on the Pacific coast
The site Of the city Of San Francisco IS the
bed Of an interesting sand river that even
today is flowing in from the Pacific toward
the city. If an excavation is made in the
heart Of San Francisco today beneath the
paEementS of the streets viii be found a
vast deposit of sand and this can be traced
from the bay to the sea, about six miles.
forming a Well defined stream The city
has covered up much Of it, but out near the
park the strange waves of the sand river
are seen in mounds. heaps and dunes carved
into curious shapes by the wind and by
watching these during the prevalence of
the almost constant trade wind the pass
age Of the river Of sand can be observed
over the surface a constant flow Of sand is
ever moving on to the east. The sand
TIyer of San Francisco is formed by the
trade wind. Hundreds Of years ago 1t be
gan blowing the light sand from the sea
shore near the famous seal rocks, and, I'M
checked II travelled on in a uever-CeaSing
stream until 1t reached the bay of San
Francisco. five miles away. This river of
sand TOXINS the sand lots of San Francisco
history"
Sand rivers Of remarkable size and inter-
est can be observed on the Island of San
CiCmente. From the summit of some of the
bills the island on the west slope appears
To he covered with glaciers that fill the deep
canyons. which at one time bore water
down to the sea. They are Of sand, and in
stead Of flowing down they flow upward.
Some are evidently 100 feet in depth and
filled from top 10 bottom with sand that
Is ever reaching up. threatening the island,
or portions Of 1t. with devastation. Some of
the rivers are so incrusted that they re-
ssmbie frozen snow. the surface IN places
being covered with small shells In such
numbers that they can be ScOCped up by
hundreds. The animals have evidently died
and become buried In the sand, which grad
ally blows away, leaving the shells In re-
lief.
That these sand rivers have been here
for ages is evident from the remains found
OF the ancient inhabitants of the island
in one spot what had apparently been a
battlefield appeared, two score or more
skeletons being piled together in confusion.
Skulls were crushed and broken and leg
bones fractured. Some OF the bodies lay on
their faces. others were doubled up as
though after a battle they had been COW
cred with sand. In the river bed were
found many curious implements. mortars
of stone and ornaments of the pearly hall
otis The writer found a shell filled with
heads near skull. and by one skeleton.
buried in a sitting position, were two flutes
made from the bones of deer. each inlaid
with pearl that had been selected for its
beauty.
In walking over the surface of one sand
river the writer suddenly found himself on
the edge OF d remarkable pit or depression
lp or more feet deep and perhaps 100 feet
across The sides We're of pure gray sand
carved by the wind so perfectly that the
surface was smooth though polished In
was pit or cone followed out by the wind
and at the very bottom was q small hare
place ana tree showing how deep the
sand deposit was. The pit was at an apgIe
OF perhaps ga degrees, and by ir,mnino firm
the edge one would slide the thirty or forty
feet and find il difficult to make the retnrn
In the sliding sand. Near here several
smaller pits we've found, illustrating the ne.
cuiiar power Of the wind