The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-07-02

Indians, but nowhere on the foRte |
was an Indian to be seen.
After breakfast in the same roomy |
warehouse, the party started for the |
end of the road, some fifteen miles |
further into Colorado. The scenery
varied but little. Clumps of Arees
sometimes marked the riVer'seourse.
Buffalo were said to be within fifty
miles south. Antelopes would start
up quarter or half mile from the
track, and run faster than the fast
est race horse. One raced with
the train so near that revolver bull
lets twice raised the dust near him,
and he turned and ran back. Cranes
stood solemnly in the river bed and
plunged their long bills under the
surface to catch the useless little fish
that abound in that part of the Ar
kansas.
At times the river ran close TO the
track, and was again lost in the dis
lance. The dry, dusty soil,
spotted with cactus aud sage brush,
looked too sterile for grass, aud yet
at intervals was an immense range
of pasture, and thousands of fat cat
tie browsing on it. One herd was
over three miles in length, and q
mile or more in breadth, and must
have numbered 10000 head. The
engine whistle sounded every few
minutes to scare the animals away
from the track. A ride on the en-
CINE showed one the exquisite Gacil=
ity and power of the air brake.
Slightly moving little lever, the
engineer had the train completely
| in hand, and controlled it more
easily than al expert driver could
manage the best trained horse. The
long line of cars started or stopped,
went fast or slow, as the map ato thaf
lever willed, with seRVGe an exer-
ton on his part, and no jar or eff
fort whatever on any part of the
train. Brakemen were entirely dis
pensed with.
Clear to the end of the track the
A, T. s. S. F. railroad is smooth,
solid, well constructed, and the cars
run very easily.
The terminus was soon reached.
About one hundred men and TWEEN
ty teams were at work, with 3 con-
Oh
three-quarters of a mile of track
per day. The sandy soil and hot
sun made the air like an oven, but
the excursionists scattered in all di-
rections. Many walked to the ex-
IRENE front and drove a spike each
into a tie, Governor Osborn, Judge
Brown, and some of the ladies, Ia
king hand. Some dogs from the
Fort chased jack rabbits, but caught
none. GrasshOppers were so nu-
merous and of such odd Kinds as to
show this was a natural home for
them. TO the north recent irriga-
ton had transformed the sandy soil
between the track and the river into
luXuriant meadows, and green corn
and oats. This irrigation we will
describe next week.
In about an hour the train was
speeding on its return eastward, and
reached Granada in good time for a
good dinner, which was followed
by q series of resolutions unani-
mously adopted. Some of the party
bought well dressed but uhtrimmed
buffalo robes for Sl2y anbnSl@. and
dressed buffalo heads. ''as natursE as
life," for 81 and So.
Brick PomerOy's brother was
there in charge of wagon train,
and one of his men. a Californian,
undertook to show-hew horses
were lassoed, but the horse he was
to lasso was too fast for the horse he
rode, and the last seen of them they
were bound apparently for the
Black Hills.
The following market rates were
posted on a grocery store bulletin
all but wood selling by the pound
Flour, 1915 to $500 per hundred
corn, 215 cents per pound; bacon,
20 cents; potatoes, 4 cents; onions,
8 cents; butter, 80 cents; eggs, 80
cents; corn meal, cents; coal, So
per ton: wood, Sc per cord.
Nothing whatever is raised there
yet. All is brought by the railroad.
Dodge City was reached in time
for a hearty supper, and then all
bunked down for the night, and
started again for the east, the visit
ora praising the now deliciously
cool air, after the very hot day.
About eleven o'clock a hesVy rain
storm set in from the north-there
not having been any rain out there
during the day. 1t rained hard un-
ill the train reached Hutchinson,
and the morning showed the ground
TO be soaked everywhere. This
rain capped the climax of Kansas
productions, and removed the last
lingering idea of a drouth setting
in TO wither the fail. prospects. that
had been witnessed. By the time
Newton was passed all were up, and
the cars assumed their usual day
light appearance. The Cottonwood
valley and its diversified scenery of
timbered streams, rofffng prairie,
farms and cattle ranges, was reached
again, and thoughtful comparisons
made between its attractions and
resources and those of the broader
Arkansas. The crops were no.
where better than here, and the
nearer the train got to Emporia the
higher the corn looked. About Z 30
Sunday morning, the train arrived
at the Emporia depot, and the
Windsor, Merchants, Sherman and
Delmonieo again welcomed their
guests to well filed tables. A large
number of citizens came down to
greet the party aud ascertain the
impression which had been made by
Kansas upon the intelligent eastern