The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1878-06-27
What the German Editors Think Of Wichita
and the Surrounding Country.

MI. l. iii. l'lClCi, VA WIS tit hidhC'
the following translation of an articl,
written by the editor of the Illinois
Stats Zietuag, of Chicago, who visit
ed our city two weeks since, IN com
pany the German editors
About three o'clock p. M, altogeth-
er too late 10 suit the anxious people
awaiting us at the depot, we arrived
at Wichita. The Mayer, worthy
German from Gross Gerau Hesser
Darmstadt, at the head of the German
citizens received US Those having
buggies and horses placed them at our
disposal, and after few minutes de-
Law we commenced the inspection OF
the city, its pleasure places, and the
country Immediately surrounding
Fifty years ago it would have been
impossible to produce on any part OF
the earth what has been brought from
the naked prairie here in eight years
and even now, at this age of steam
power and improved agricultural ma
chinery the building of this place and
advancement of surrounding country
seems miracle One imagines him
u
absence of old fruit trees reminds the
close observer that he is in the midst
of new settlement, for there are
thousands of carefully attended fields
of all kinds of grain and vegetables,
and other substantial evidences of old
settlement surrounded the city. A
beautiful nursery containing more
than 10000 young trees supplies the
vicinity with fruit trees. We were
shown vineyards whose vines were
weighted to the ground with their
load of fruit, peach orchards contain
ing hundreds of four and five year old
trees, full of fruit. Wichita lies at the
confluence of the Great aud Little Ar
Arkansas rivers, and is surrounded
by bottom whose soil is from eight
cen inches to three feet in depth,--a
true paradise in voluptuousness and
vegetation. On less rich ground this
state OF cultivation could not have
been achieved even by the use of all
the improvements in agricultural i'm
plements known to this age. Wich-
ia township raised this season 1873
acres of wheat. One finds great
many 40 and so acre fields on the road
from Topeka to Wichita surrounded
by Usage Orange hedge fences. These
add materially to the beauty of the
We saw q three-year-old
hedge at Wichita that had been cut
and bent down once, and that now
over six feet in height. The
city OF Wichita itself is much larger
and prettier place than Cariysle, in
Southern Illinois. 1t has more than
i've thousand inhabitants, of which |
about one-third are Germans; steam |
and water mill ; a brewery, which fur
nishes an excellent quality of beer;
i've churches, whose members dwell |
together in peace fine public school
and, to make the list COM
llete, beer garden, Sing and Turn
society. A large business is
lone here, especially in agricultural
Implements and machinery, whilst it
s the gathering point for wheat from
! large circuit Of country, which is
hipped from here to the larger mar
lets of the west. ABOUT twelve miles
rom here is large German Catholic
ettlement called Germania. Notwith-
landing the great benefit drrived
rom the AtchiSon, Topeka and Santa
e railroad, the Wichitains are jealous
f it, as the company has large
mount of lands lying along their
main line, and are inducing travel that
7ay, while Wichita is anxious 10 get {
lore settlers in its neighborhood. The
of The road will certainly
ct reasonable, and while they have
o lands TO sell in the vicinity of the .
ity they will promote the interests
t Wichita as mach as it is in their /
over in view of returns in freight, {
tc. Something new 10 me were the | I
Iells in the Arkansas valley. A point I
1 pipe one-aad-a-half inches in diam !
Ter, perforated just above the point, I
driven in the ground some ten or /
Selve feet, and pump attached TO i
lis at the top. The ground ut that +
epth consists of'sand and gravel, and j,
so saturated with water that the
mp without iurtaer trouble draws i,
e water through the pipe and throws n
of ia large stream. Il
&. L. BERNAYs. b