| Show 44 1 D fling drifting sand dunes menace to railroads As one ona the tha ascent of uio the and andas ea from the tha pacific port of mol mo lendo iwao in ih peru following ollow loe the line of alie 1110 southern bachle railway the cumb climb to tho the divide is broken by two great steps or wide spreading shelves of desert or pampa on the first of theo steps sieps about two hours steep climb from tho the sea and at an altitude of from to feet are ara located the tha famous drifting sand hills of peru the plateau la Is here about go 0 miles wide buu air imn and ana dry and ana no trace of vegetation to be sow only these gigantic itic crescent shaped sand band dunes dotting tha pampa as far as aa the eye can call see composed Comp omed of alne gray crystal sand they gleam white against the brown of tho the desert and their horns point toward the tha prevailing south wind of this region they ire are from IS 15 to 23 25 or even 80 fet feet high 20 feet in breadth across tho the thick part of the i crescent and feet froin I 1 horn born to horn so go tightly Is the sand pa clied red that tho the feet of tho the horses or make little impression on it them sand hills called nien anoa travel with almost imperceptible slow iness inese and when they ahey threaten the railway track they can sometimes bo be dl averted by piling up blocks of stone in their paths patha otherwise the railway bed has haa to bo be altered to go around them an analysis of tho the soil of this region shows that it would bo be very fertile if irrigated from tho tha aval available lable snow fields of the tha andes so that it Is possible there will como come a oily day when its dezo deso sand dunes will cease to be |
