Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-09-22
Curious Scene in Wisconsin.
10000 WOMEN P1ck1xe HOPS.
A Wisconsin paper says +:

a Wisconsin paper says:
% Probably in all the history of hop picking
since yeast and lager were invented there has
been nothing to compare with the scenes that
have been going on in this region, and in Kill
bourn city especially, for the last six or eight
days. For two or three weeks the hop grow
ers have been gathering their supplies, and
the merchants and traders of this place, Bara-
boo and Rccdsburg, have been on the jump
waiting on their customers. The first of last
week the pickers began to come in, and this
week there must be at least thirty thousand
that ships them at this depot. OF this thirty
this village. Wagon loads Of from eight to
fifteen each have been almost constantly
passing through town for the last eight days
generally coming from the north and east, and
crossing the river into Sauk county. OF the
ten thousand that pass through this village,
about eight thousand como On the railroad
from the east and stop here.
'Thc first instamcnt by cars some three
hundred, came last week, Tuesday evening.
Wednesday evening nearly one thousand
came. Thursday and Friday evenings each
five or six hundred. Saturday afternoon it
was rumorcd that very large number were
on the way, and the rumor was corroborated
by the great number of teams that seemed TO
be in waiting. About train time Chalf past
seven) probably one thousand persons had
collected at the depot to witness the arrival.
1t was then found that the cars were two
hours behind time, aud that instead of one
train two were coming, with twenty-eight cars
loaded When the two hours were up the
crowd at the depot had increased; and this,
with the acres of two and four horse wagons
about the depot, and the music and fun of the
merry drivers, formed no small preliminary
show of itself But as the two trains came
thupdcrng along, and as they stretched them
selves away beyond and awayN back of the
depot and stopped, excitement was on tip toe.
''And when two thousand pickers began to
pour out Of every door,of those twenty eight
cars, tic scene beat all other Western shows.
Cheering, luughing, sin@ine, shouting Ad.
mirable conluson-no disorder. Sections OF
tens, platoCns of twcntios, companies OF foTtcs.
all oiIiccrcd, moving in every possible direc-
tion corporals guiding their squads; captains
giving orders to their companies; marching
aud Observation-Disclosures in ccho'on-
forming camp and breaking camp; armed and
equipped with umbrellas, parGso!s, satchels,
baskets, band boxes, bags, bundles, babies +!
Tcamstcrs shouting for their loads-rush for
the wagons tumbiug in; all formed scene
to beat any army camp or movement! We
cant 90 justice to the subject
'But great as was the display OH Saturday
evening, it WAS more than matched on Monday
evening! We have no means of knowing
exactly how many came on the two trains, but
from the best information VIC can get we put
the number at twenty five hundred Two
hours before the trains arrived. two hundred
and forty teams were counted, which were
waiting to take the pickers to their destna-
tons. After the count, teams continued to
come in ; aud when the train arrived there
must have been nearly three hundred. Some
Of the four horse teams take eighteen or
twenty, and the average at least ten. But
some teams do not get their loads, hccause
two long trains could not bring thcm-(we
heard that the trains we're full before they
arrived at Oconomowoc; and that hundreds
who had gathered at the stations this side Of
there, had to be left, to come by the train to-
day-(we write on Tuesday.) But,undoubted-
ly, two hundred and fifty wagons were filed
with at least ten each. .
"Truly, hops are king, and in this region
thirty thousand queens are waiting on the old
fel1w." ...