The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-07-03

emily, from the Northwest, and |
destruction to every green |
thing. From this place to Fort
Dodge [ passed through three swarms
Of them, the largest about five hun
dred yards wide, and found the whole
population in a state of nervous anx--
Iety and alarm. | turned aside and
examined a wheat field which the
large swarm were in. They were
eating off the blades and SPAR
ing the stem. leaving the ground
colored with fine yellow
sediment behind them. At Fort
Dodge, where | spent Sunday, halt
the population were out in the coun-
try, prospecting and calculating the
probable damage done or about to be
done. To an Eastern man, knowing
nothing of this insect as plague,
there was something at once ludicrous
and affecting in the nervous earnest
ness with which these people discuss
ed the "critter," and the attempted
cheerfulness with which many as
serted that they would soon leave;
they would prove a trife," etc.; while
the undertOne clearly showed that
they could not convince themselves. !.
On the little green beside the hotel
a swarm of the insects were collect
ing, in little punches about the size of
a saucer the little boys were busy
catching them, and the men carefully
examining their budding wings, even
looking at their incisors with eye
glasses, and guessing at their proba-
Bile agel So far. they are quite small,
and their wings undeveloped. 1t
seems they have never visited this
country till last Fall, when small
swarm came and laid the eggs which
produced this visitation.
Passing on west, Monday morning,
L found the grasshoppers much larger,
and some with wings, flying to the
height of fifty feet, and learned from
the eountrymen that at least half the
growing crop was destroyed, and yet
no sign of abatement.
| had intended to turn south here,
and take the railroad to Omaha, but
meeting a Jolly party of travellers, /
cast In my lot with them to go as far
west as Sioux City. Thus far the coun-
try had borne some general resemb-
lance to the Eastern States, but west of
Fort Dodge we seemed in one day to
jump clear out of civilization. Frame
houses disappeared. and sod ones
took their place. | left the road and
viewed with great curiosity the
mode of building them. A rude frame
is first constructed Of poles, then
another outside of it, and the space
between. from sixteen inches to three
feet, is solidly packed with strong
prairie sod; the roof is In like man
ner made of poles and covered with
prairie grass 1t makes a warm house,
which will last four or five years.
Near the Twin Lakes | saw one tasty
settler who had dug the whole founda
ton Of his sod house down a foot or so,
and filled the cavity with fine white
sand from the border of the lake. He
was proceeding to build thereon while
his family still lived in the covered
wagon which brought them from
Michigan. That mans neighbors
will call him an aristOcrat.
The country also get dryer as we pro-
| ceed, and the sloughs more rare, but
worse when we do reach them, and
bearing highly suggestive names.
| From Twin Lakes we traversed TWEEN
| ty miles of prairie without a house or
grove in sight; we passed Purga-
| tory safely, but got mired and stuck
in He'll two very bad sloughs,
running into the North Coon Riv-
er. Purgatory = was bridged in the
worst place, and He'll " had been,
but the embankment, made of prairie
sod, had given away. We saw the
skeletons of two stage horses, which
went under there a few weeks ago
victims Of misplaced confidence. We
stripped in the wagon and took to the
slough, and by an hours hard work
in slough mud three feet deep, we
got over. Not SO fortunate were q
family of NOrwegians just behind us
who stuck just in the deepest place
We worked for them a while, and
doubled teams, but having horses
while they had oxen, we could dc
them little good. Our stoutest mer
went in and carried their women and
children to the dry land and we went
on, leaving them tn StdtW QuO-womer
crying, children yelling, men beating
their oxen. screaming and swearing
all in "choice Norway" Well, saith
the proverb, border travel is rough
on women and oxenp We reached
this place at noon to-day, and STOP
a few hours, which occasion l seize tC
write you, sitting on a carpet bag and
making a writing desk of our pro.
vision box, while outside the tent the
sun pours down his rays with fervoI
which would not disgrace an Indiana
August day. Sac City, ninety miles
east of Sioux City, consists of store
blacksmith shop, hotel, and dwelling
house, all large enough to constitute
a respectable suburb of StringtoWn.
We will probably reach Sioux City in
five days, though we travel very
slowly We live on birds and fish,
with an occasional dose of slough
water, sleep in a tent, eat under the
blue canopy, and have all out
doors to breathe in. So we are
reasonably bannv REAnTE