Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1904-08-27
As If HILLS OF WHITE SUGAR
THE THIRTY MILES or SNOWY
SANDS or NEW MEXICO.


t feature of mRIchIcea beauty and
violent CONFUSION of nature Cn tho
face of this tragic couutonunco OF
.hC southwest s1i.I - laoro .iss ono
beauty patch; spot 500 white $50
pure. so dazzling that the SUMS rays
seem tu concentrate and reflect
worm white glow up into tho face
.f la heavens Tiia wonderful pho.
H.W.uuu ls called tho white Sands
u. Sow MeNc1. and Its orIeIn ls var.
i0us.y explained
Somewhat south of tho stakod
IamH. where iho uuuumbercd army uf
white wneOnol pioneers met death
from thirst while unwiituRly tbcy
Tud Jhe slight stratum of soil over
% l1st underground body of water.
another great dosoriHtroakod plain.
wide and Ftill. spreads from noun.
tain range to mountain range "a vary.
iug hundred miles between ON the
bosom Of thls plain llo tho white
snnis. consisting OF 10000 acres OF
pure white sand hills Tho sands
form 90 thiriy.mIlo chain OF white hn-
locks averaging holght of thirty feet
For miles nluHe this chain there FOL.
lows O. road. which ai ono time form
rd "a branch of che oli Santa Fo trail.
ana Is still used as o. highway between
Fi Peso and the northern part of rrp
territory of NV Mexico. Since the
building oft % railroad in this region.
the habit of fr..rhUng nlong ftis road
h8H passed into dIHuFp. and the road
bed De- travelled Internationally hy cat
fl0mou. prospncI0rs and scientists
Few pass tbIs way by choice. since
fho lack of water ls found 0n This
plain la so lmrrom8tod with nllnU as
fo hU unfit Cor man 0r beast
u Brings to Mind the Surf
From the railroad the first casuo!
el.mrso of che White Sands ls so read.
ily ukouod Co a long line of surf that
tho travellers mind frequently fails
tu grasp the meaning Of SOD unusual
O. sight na ten miles OF spray dashed
beach iu the heart Of a desert country.
From AlnmOgorlo to Koarncy tho
white limo Or su markedly visible as to
Doc of necessity remarked. There 70
lies. curling white for many miles. 90
che vision an unImpoachahlc coast
lino and tho sllt tang OF the sea may
rccur 90 the u0strIIs. IN me first inaB.
tent moment of seeing the white line
and sniftng che luyigoratiug air of
that high altitude
a good road loads from Alamor1r
40 t1 the WhIto Sands. twenty miles
away A closer Wow OF the sands is
Infinitely moro amazing Tho sand
Dies 'n great white sand duunB IKE
ir'f'"d snow Hl whitley dazzling as
fo blind tho vision. after tho Kramer
uI U.w fallen SNOW under 70 morning
sum- Tho White Sands have not tho
appearance of belonging t0 ihc soil
Tor country Thoy occur abruptly and
ln q Herios VI Scoops which hubble
close together. aHl end aa abruptly as
They have begun Tho sands acom to
have hoon spilled from tho sky. or
thrown uD from the Utmost recossos of
tbo earth, lIko eomo outcronplur of
urccious stone or metal
Tho various theories IN REGARD 90
tho ORIGIN of thls sand heap are based
upon me definite knowledge Of their
composition Tho white Sands are
almost pure gypsum Tho theory
most generally accepted is that ~ a
great lake once covering tho region.
which recodod. leaving bohlnd tho de-.
poslt 1f gypsum Tho grains ~ mo
sand arc tho same as that OF o0lItlc
limestone. and the recent discovery of
strata of lime and sandstone ln the
vicinity OF thc sands has rlyon rise
to another theory ln regard to tho
deposit
According 90 this second theory tho
sands OF one time are supposed 90
have boon 0nl'tIc limestone. During
volcanic eruption tho sulphurIc acid
gas OF Che volcano has driven OF the
carhouic acid gas thereby producing
th0 chemical constituents OF tho sands.
IN which are found phosphate of lime.
potash. mamosia soda. alumina. H1.
lea and traces of horav and nltrates
Tho SALT coda ana potash ingredients
nra abundant
The substance of tho White Sands
Ia peculiarly dry and white. not un.
liko granuIated sugar n i8 n fact
almost pure plaster OF paris Under.
meath tfe dry surface mo sand Or
moist ana cohesive, and may further
Dee rosgmuIeI to snow in that Do packs
Iu tho hand l.ke snow. and a sand
BAN irhi on Top ot tho white sands
u summer is quito aa exciting as q
SNOW BAN fIrht in winter and less pro.
ducfiyc of cold fingers and pneumonia
The sand lcs ORA % has driel lu thC
wind. and ia constantly changing con
tour much a8 tho sand dunes lf amy
hCach but tho weight of tho sand
naturally prevents more than n grad.
NAB and SLIGHT deviation. such as tho
altering 0f Jlc course 0f the road to
ward inc south oud which has been
moved out several feet during tho
last few years Tho sand dunos aver
age ton mll0s 90 width and may be-
easily assembled. though tho feet clip
through me upper crust and sink into
several Inches of sand with each siop
An oujgrOWth of various small shrubs
from the sand ls another curious f.a.
a'aaas..llala'tl.1 -1a-l..as.a1.e.sr-1a-a