The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-11-09
A LAND OF BLIZZARDS
THE FIERCE GALES THAT SWEEP AND
WRECK SEISIAN.
These Terrific Windst0rms Always
Blow. ns They Have Done For Ages,
From the same Direction-A Pam
demonium of Noise. sand and Dust.


Every one who has visited Seistan or
written about Seistan has mentioned
it's celebrated wind, called the "bad-i-
sad-o-biSt roz," or wind Of 40 days.
which blows in the summer. Few or
these have had the misfortune TO ex-
perience il, but as we went through
two seasons of this wind we are able
10 say something about it. II more
than justifies its reputation. II sets In
at the end of May or the middle or
June and blows with appalling vio-
lence and with little or no cessation till
about the end Of September. 1t always
blows from one direction, little west
of north. and reaches a velocity OF
more than seventy miles an hour II
creates Il pandemonium of noise, sand
and dust and for time gets OH ones
nerves. but il is in reality blessing in
disguise, for II blows away the insects
which from April TO June make life in
Sestan Il perfect purgatory, mitigates
the awful summer heat and clears the
country of typhus, smallpox and other
diseases rife i'm the country in May and
June. one would think this 100 day
wind enough, but violent winds prevail
all through the winter from December
10 April. and blizzards are of constant
occurrence. These winds always come
from the same direction. The winter
bliZzardS are terrible, and the wind at
tainS Il terrific velocity. In a blizzard
az the end Of March the thermometers
registered Il maximum of 12O miles an
hour The average velocity for whole
sixteen hours was more than eighty.
eight miles an hour.
The extraordinary frequency and vio-
lcnce Of the Scistan wind ana the reg
ularity with which il blows from the
same quarter are very remarkable.
That il has blown from the same quar-
ter in past ages is proved by the fact
that all the ruins OF Seistan are built
Mt the same angle, with their front and
back walls at right angle 10 the
wind and their side walls at the same
angle as the wind No wind can blow
with such violence and frequency
without leaving its mark on the coun-
try. Its effects are everywhere visible
in Seistan. Everything looks wind
swept and wind stricken. over the
greater part of the country not single
tree exists
The present villages and habtations
are all built with their backs present
ing lines of dead walls on the wind
ward side The old ruins are oriented
at exactly the same angle on account
Of the wind. The effect Of wind is cv
erywhcre visible on these ruins. Their
bases are undercut by wind as though
by water action. The thickness Of the
walls the excellent quality of the
burned bricks made and used by the
ancient Inhabitants for the low +
courses of their buildings and the ex-
tremc hardness and durability Of the
Scistan soil when made into the sun
dried bricks Of which the upper por-
tiOns of tho ruins are composed, have
withStOOd the destructive effect Of the
wind in Il wonderful manner but in
the older ruins we often find that the
walls facing the wind have entirely
disappeared. and only the side walls re.
main. while in still older ruins only
one or two solitary pinnacles remain TO
mark what were once large, massive
and extensive buildings.
The wind has buried large tracts Of
the country under sand. Many of the
old ruined towns are wholly or partly
buried in sand, and this burying process
goes on all the year and every year and
is covering up not only valuable lands,
but inhabited villages. In Seistan, as
elsewhere, the invading army Of sand
is preceded by lines of skirmishers in
the form Of travelling "burkhnns,"
horseshoe shaped sand hills, which
steadily advance until they meet some
obstacle which retards them until the
reserves come up 10 their support and
bury all before them under hills Of sand
ON our arrival I'm Selstan we found
Kilainau. big and hourlshlng village,
built on the south side Of q high -ldge
for protection from the wind. Before
we left the sand had attacked that
ridge. surmoumted il and buried the
village. forcing the inhabitants 10 build
now village elsewhere. An example
Of still greater rapidity was afforded
at the village OF Kllaikohna. Up TO
June, 1904. this village had large,
deep pond on It's northern side BY
September-that Is, less than three
mogths-this deep pond was converted
into n sand hill some ten feet high.
The wind, however. did not confine
It's energy to burylng only. While it
covers some tracts deep in sand, it also
sweeps other tracts clear OF sand. rcn-
dering valuable land available for cul.
tivation and exposing long buried ruins
once more 10 view. These are. how
ever, only tho mlder effects Of wind
action. The Seistan wind I'm it's more
destructive moods has IN places re-.
moved not only sand from place 90
place, but has secured away the whole
face Of the country. Everywhere we
find the sides and banks of the canals
which irrigated the lands on which the