The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-09-09
AMID SAHARA'S
BURNING SANDS
A FrightfuI CIoud-B Burst lnuntates
Its Arid Surface.
SIX SOLDIERS ARE SWEPT AWAY.
Story OF a Most Unusual Occurrence in
a Spot Where Water is the
Last Thing Which is
Ever Seen.


men were drowned and the escape Of any
Of them was little short Of miraculous.
The scene of the catastrophe is about 800
miles south Of the city Of Aigiers, where
the desert sands spread away in all direc-
lions but are relieved here and there by
a series Of cases created by artesian wells
that tap underground streams. Many
thousands o. palm trees thrive In these
GASES. and when one Of the wells dies.
! as occasionally happens from the eNhaus-
ton of an underground vein of water, the
incident represents a loss Of from l,0pJ 10
q 200 palms. for they are wholly dependent
for life upon the subterranean water
sources.
II is well known that sudden and heavy
rainfall sometimes occurs in small areas
Of the Sahara. II is a very unusual event,
however. and its duration Is seldom more
than a few minutes or two or three hours.
The doWnpour of April 18th last, that in
a few minutes covered the dry, fiat bed
OF the Wady Urirlu with "A raging torrent
In which six French soldiers lost their
lives was wholly unprecedented There Is
no record Of any similar occurrence In
the Sahara on 50 large scale.
A RIVER BED.
The Urirlu, like many OF the wadys OF
the Sahara, is the trace left across the
country by the river that flowed there at
time when precipitation was more album
dant than at present. 1t IS not river bed
Of great length for il Is merely western
tributary Of the large system Of the Wady
Mia. The stony bed Of the Urirlu is de-
pressed only a few inches below the fiat
surface Of the desert sands. and, in fact.
there are no elevations for some miles
around except the occasional MOUNDS
raised by heaping up the material exca-
waited in boring c. digging wells. 1T lt
had not been for these mounds, raised a
few feet above the level Of the flood there
is little doubt that every one Of General
Pedoya's men would have persisted.
The detachment Of soldiers numbered
ninety men and on the evening Of April
18th they camped in the bed of the Wady
Urirlu. Most Of the day had been brilliant
with sunshine but the soldiers were sur
prised about $3.50 i. VI. by gathering
clouds and q fine rain fell which lasted
only a few minutes. II was probably
about that time. or a little later, that the
cloudburst occurred. miles away, among
the hills from which the former river de-
rived its supplies of water. II any signs
Of the cloudburst could be seen from the
camp they were not observed, and the
men pitched their tents. ate their evening
meal and prepared TO retire without the
slightest thought of danger. They We're in
a region inhabited by peaceful palm
growers. and that either man. beast or
the elements might drive them pell-mell
out Of camp scurrying for shelter and pro-
lection was the last thought that would
have occurred to any Of them
RUSHING WATERS.
Most Of the men had already gone 10
bed at $50 =. VI. when a sentinel came
rushing among the tents, from his post
on the outer edge Of the camp. shouting
again and again the startling warning:
Save yourselves. The waters are COM
ing"
In an instant everyone was on his feet.
The water was already ankle deep among
the tents and the thirsty sands were drink
ing IT up with Kissing sound. The roar
Of the onpouring flood from the west
almost drowned the noise OF the startled
camp 4 minute later the water was knee
deep and every man was out Of the wady
bed and bending every energy TO reach
one of the mounds. In five minutes an
area about three-hfths of a mile across
was under six feet OF water. BY this
time most Of the soldiers had clambered
up on the hillocks of dirt and were out OF
harms reach for the food did not asst long
enough TO sweep the mounds away. a
lives. and six were carried on and over
whelmed by the food and their bodies
were found next day several miles from
e. camp.
ALL WAS LOST.
Nothing was saved. A few men had
grabbed their guns or clothing. but lost
them in the fierce struggle to get away
from the flood that rose TO their waists
and then TO their necks before they We're
out of danger All the tents and camp
equipments were swept away and streNn
for several miles over the sandy plain.
The men escaped only with the clothing
they had on. and In most cases there was
little OF that. They were dazed as much
by the surprising nature Of the catastro-
phe as by the terrible peril II brought.
They could scarcely realize that 1t was
possible to be overwhelmed with water In
such place and It was some time before
they had any idea how 1t came about.
THIS IS what had occurred. There had
been a frightful cloudburst over the high
hills among which the Wady Uriru has Is
sources. Doubtless many hundreds OF tons
of water fell in very short time upon
an extremely limited area, and nearly all
this water was carried in torrent down
the bed OF the wady, and when It reached |
the plain where the camp was pitched IL |
suread out over It and covered 1t TO
depth exceeding the ordinary stature Of
man. In the morning there were no traces |
OF the food except the havoc IL had |
wrought. The waters, spreading over a |
considerable area, had disappeared in the |
sand. The well known fact was again ex
emplifed that in great wastes, only the |
Dersistent application Of water has any
particular effect upon desert vegetation. |
ITora x+ac a fifflo district that had sudden
liz absorbed an immense quantity OF |
water. and experiments were at once made |
TO see whether it would give any greater
TO plant growth than the |
parts of the desert II did |
not. The temporary drenching had i'm |
parted no WALKING quality TO the surface |
POSSIBLE OCCURRENCES
This interesting incident illustrates pos |
sible occurrences In the Sahara desert |
which few persons have supposed could |
come TO pass there. The more the desert |
Is studied the more evident II becomes /
that il Is not quite so deficient In water /
as ID was once supposed TO be. During |
he eight journeys into the Sahara which |
NJ. r. Foureau made between 1883 and /
1896 he observed a number of hail storms /
and found that snow falls in winter on
he tops Of some OF the mountains lie |
found also the interesting phenomenon
known as fulgurites, or tubes formed in
he sand by lightning strokes which vitri-
~ the sand and leave the tubes. as a
more or less enduring evidence OF the
electrical discharges. lie discovered many |
'ulgurites and this year he has collected |
evidences of considerable recent rainfall
IN the very heart Of the Sahara. In jan
iary last. in his Journey across The
4.aart no .pfaret tho rppfnn of Tolapt