Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-29
SAND HOLDS UP TRAIN
EXPERIENCE OF DIR. DAVID t.
DAY IN THE WEST.

AT the meeting of the Geological Society
last night there were a number OF papers
on scientific topics read, and DIR. David t.
Day of the geological survey contributed
hMrnan-interest story, describing the way
the Black sand got back at him and held
up the train on which he was travelling over
the Oregon Short line last season for sew
enteen hours. DIR. Day has been at work
on the black sand analysts of the Pacific
coast for many months, and has obtained
some remarkable results, showing the value
of the sand from the amount of gold. silver.
platinum, magnetic iron and other minerals
that ii carried.
On the tTip in question. he said. the sand
had chance to turn the tables on the
analyst, and did II in good shape. It was
at the time of the nearest approach to a
blizzard In the east, and at the same time
there was one of the most violent sand
storms on record IN the section of the west
through which DR. Day was travelling.
The June flood of the Columbia river,
ne said, deposits upon the lava floor of
the present river valley large quantities or
siit and after the water has subsidized the
prevailing summer wind blowing through
the gorge of the Columbia blows the dried
sands into the enormous sand dunes, which
are the Characteristic feature of the seem
IT follows the Columbia river from Una
Una to the Dalles The railroad company
has found great difficulty in keeping this
sand from the track. where even an ac-
cumulat1on OF two inches on the rails is
frequently sufficient to overturn a train,'
with disastrous results.
Plans to Prevent Drifting.
Among the efforts to prevent the sands
from drifting from one dune to another
are, particularly. the planting of quick
growing shrubbery. The most successful
device has been placing low board fences,
two feet high and sixteen feet long, at an
angie OF forty-five degrees with the track
SO as to use the force of the wind to di-
rect the sand away from the track on both
sides. This has proved fairly efficient for
the prevailing easterly wind But on March
IL of this year blizzard of unsuual We
locity blew down the Columbia in the re-
verse of the usual direction and piled large
amounts of sand on the track. stopping
the trains for the greater part of day.
Inc position of the sand fences in this
case was such to produce a funnel ef-
feet, and blew the sand directly the
track instead of away from it, and the ef
fective work of the sand boards was very
evident. The amount of work done by this
Windstorm was very great. Unfortunately,
little data could be obtained from the
weather bureau as to the exact velocity
of the wind at this point.
Forty Miles an Hour.
At Walla Walla up the river, 1t blew
forty miles an hour. and at Portland thirty
miles an hour. but whatever the velocity
Its effect was to I'LL the air with sand SO
that the sun was entirely obscured from
morning till night, with the exception of
an hour, when 1t could be dimly seen al
though the weather map reported clear
weather at this point on that day
The amount of sand blown can be indi-
Gated by the fact that two cattle cars with
Ihelr doors open to the windward side were
filed four feet deep during the night