The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1910-06-02

tion covers the surface
and protects Il from the
denuding force OF the
--esI wind. can have little realt
,rRTa King sense OF the effect
#O iveness Of this e~ver-aetiye
geological agency. Yet
even In some well-watcred regions
dunes are familiar phenomena Dunes
are simply drifts" Of sand. closely re-
Eembling the snowdrifts OF winter and
protection against them Is secured BY
similar means. AS In snowy regions
one sees long lines OF close board
fences some distance from the wind
ward side OF the railroad 10 stop the
drifting snow On It's onward career. 80
be may In many places see wind
breaks 10 stop the drifting sand. But
IN many cases where the windbreak
Is not sufficient a constant force Of
workmen Is necessary 10 remove the
sand from the track at stated inter
walls or after every unusually severe
storm. AZ such places ths railroad
companies, 20 their sorrow, learn the
enormous power OF this constantly
acting. geological force in transferring
nnely comminuted earthly material
from one place TO another.
One OF the best known localities for
observing dunes is found on the south.
eastern shore OF lake Michigan.
Nearly all. n not an. the railroads ap-
preaching Chicago from the east pass
through this series Of dunes as they
come around the southern end Of the
lake. Many Of the dunes are very
fresh. with no covering Of vegetation.
and rise. like snowdrifts, 50 feet or
more above the general level. Others
are Of such & that they have been
covered more OF less with vegetation.
trees OF considerable size being found
upon them. But In all cases the &C
ton Of the wind. Ia moving the sand
southwark from the lake. is evident
The wind blowing from the north
keeps an exposure OF bare sand upon
that side and drifts Il over into expo.
Eures OF equally bare sand upon the
outer margin. The width OF this belt OF
dunes around the south end OF Lake
Michigan averages a little more than
one mile. The material. being clean
wnahed sand. s. unit for agricultural
purposes and the area s. occupied by
very few houses, and those mostly be
longing TO railway employees,
The source Of the material Of
which these dunes are composed and
The rate OF its movement are subjects
Of great interest The sand e de-
rived, IN the hrst place. from the
shores OF the lake farther north.
which are constantly being eaten
into by the waves and currents. An
along the western shore. from Evans.
ton 10 Racine. the waves are wearing
away the shore az an average rate Of
three or four feet per unnum The
material that falls into the lake from
the bluffs thus eroded is worked over
BY the waves until the very finest
particles arc washed out and hoatod
into deep water. while the sand re-
mains near the shore and Il gradually
washed southwark by the prevailing
currents. Everyone IN Chicago knows
how land Is forming on the shore.
giving rieo 10 legal contests as 20 ov n
ership From observations Of the
United States engineers Il was found
that 10000 cubic yards Of sand were
annually stopped by the two piers
which were extended out into the lake
60 deep water, This vast amount rep.
resented, however. but a fraction Of
the whole amount Of sand that was
being carried by the currents past
Chicago 90 the south end Of tho lake.
on reaching the south end Of the
lake the sand "a washed up by the
waves during storms and left for n
considerable portion 81 tho year ox.
posed 10 the action 90 the winds.
which have dnfted it out into the belt
Of dunes. with which 90 large a por.
ton OF the travelling public 81 famil.
far. But. owing 60 the fact hat the
prevailing winds Of this region arc
westerly. the largest accumulation Of
dunes a. found upon the east shore.
" Michigan. Travellers upon the
Michigan Central railroad cannot fail
TO have noticed these sroat drifts %
sand. nearly 100 feet high. az Miehi'
gar City. This belt Of dunes. about
a quarter OF a mile wide. rising some,
timea 20 moro than 100 feet Ia height.
extends northward an along the shore.
being specially prominent az St 10,
feph and Grand Haven. In many
places they threaten to ovorwholm
whole villages and 10 compel the rail.
roads 10 remove their tracks 20 get
out OF the way Of the drifting mate.
rial, while in some cases houses aud
forests have been completely buried
out OF sight
u has been profitable "a dwell thus
fully upon the dunes around tho
southeastern portios % Lake Michi.
gan, not because they are the largest
or the most conspicuous In the world.
but because they are the most acccs
sibie and tho best known 20 the
people Of the United States In some
respects a sun more Interesting belt
~ dunes occur IA western Nebraska.
stretching nearly across the northern
part Of tho state. approximately par.
ailel with the course ~ the North
Platte river, but az a distance OF many