New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-03-24
yIEWs From Az EMIGRANT CENTRE.


KANSAS CIIY AID TIE HUMAN TIDE WHICH PoURs
THROUGH Ir-sKETCHEs FROM THE DEPOT
PLATFoEA-A REGION OF ACTIVITY AND PRuI-
ISE.
[PGON ~ OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT oFTiIE TRIBUNE
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, March 1G.-There Is
prob by railroad station In the United States per-
haps none in the world, presenting such cangcfnl and
Heterogeneous stream Of humanity that OF Kansas
CITY The terminus OF ten railroads, 1t daily receives
the freight Of four trunk lines from the East Tue Mis-
souri, Pacific So Louis Kansas Guy and Mort bern, Han
mbal and ST. Joe and Chicago and Alton. daily deposit
here a multitude OF men, women and babies. and one
can pick out indubtaby the human type or infant wall
peculiar each portion of our Eastern world Ihe posi-
ton OF Kansas CITY makes 1t the entep0 tor that vast
region OF emigration, Kansas, Colorado and NeW-MeX-
leo ana this peculiarly Of position gives II many points
of terest to the well the man OF bust
ness Ii IL many aspects city entirely unique, and in
ITS topography and general characteristics 1t carries OUT
fully the spirit which called il into existence and makes
If Of impor to-day. waking through IT'S streets one
receives the impression that the town has been aug out
of the bowels OF the earth irregular is ts conorma-
ton Here one line Of houses ten feet above the
sidewalk which consequently hInked upon one SIDE
by perpendicular wall OF clay, and there deep gully
down at the bottom OF which half dozen small shan
ties surrounded by clothes lines from which
depend the garments of those unhappy strangers
who have not yet found Il regular washerwOman,"
nondescrpt children, VINO spend an evcntfu childhood
IN sliding from tho top of the gully to the boston,, and
then climbing back 10 slide again. OccaSionaly house
is discovered which the disrcspectful graders have
left high and dry above ITS ncighors 80 that II can be
approached only 10y flights Of wooden steps. connecting
il with the world which has deved down beneath IT,.
one feels as if tho city had gone mad, and torn itself
INTO bits 1t is full OF delightful gmp,es, Of sudden
de,crnts Many of It's gu!ches contain deep ponds and
not few OF Its high and wclipayed sidewalks cover one
OF these very ponds, which the perseyerInS labor
of grading Ia, filled III and eyclled of. The town
IL suggestive OF vast amount OF labor ana ingenuity,
for there is hardly single street within its limits which
does not bear evidence OF having been either cut down
or raised up to now level The size of the city seems
TO hayo been "a necessity by the natural huX OF
the lines of trade, and though Topeka, Lawrence aud
LeaycnwOrh In its neigGbOrhOOd, offer much greater
advantages OF surface II Is here that the important
town has grown cutting itself the surface OF
tho ground and gathering grcedily INTO IT'S lap tho
trade Of the great West and the swarms which follow
| the Western impulse
Tnc Kansas CITY depot of RS ample accommodations
FOR the crowd which daily gathers there, and, as II IN
Difference to the great railroad interests which make the
tovp what il H. IT stands by all the finest sruc-
| ture I'm the city. The special emigrant days" are
| Wednesday unJ Thurs lay. and though carloads OF
weary travellers pass constantly the regular recurrence
| of these particular days IS sure 10 bring broader
! stleam Of migrating humanity Watching the lmml-
grants from platform Of the Union Depot through
tine long morning hours pushed and driven by the sruS
| Cling throng wanderers IL suggestive pastimc,
altering many phases OF the picturesque AMI painful
| sides of human nature Las Thursday 5000 people
passed through the city. among thom 600 emigrants
from Bucks County Penn, and the neghborhood OF
Harrisburg who by the cOnstast they afforded 10 the
| larger class OF emlgrlnls, made the morning Vgil
unusually interesting. They seemed filed by spirit of
| confidence and contentnent, very different from
| Al. ,,,nlaa nd rgpl
| many emgIants, and they brought with them
| to the new country all their household goods.
| One woman / saw AiruSgliug with three bird
| cages whose Inmates made the air vocal with
PENNSYLVANIA songs. One man carried with extreme
care a beautiful camela plant, be>peaking the love of
beauty which would follow him 10 his Kansas cabin and
numbers OF others carried endery their violin cases SO
Lna one felt assured, whatever nisGuhes TINS JoFdI
company cred. they would Sill be able 10 dance.
TIc spectacle Was fu Of delicious IN Ito Gehfe pictures
| Here wOm1L leading two httle darA-cStu boys
intent upon tho custody OF nObt-lOOkng dog, winch
they held by cord aud which they evidently reared 10
lose and there family had stopped whlIe inc careful
mother opened 81 her countless baskets 10 hnd The
calnpuUr bottle aud Dathe the aching head OF one oi
| hr ntsnJirg Yonder TAT and IDLY looking grand
mother has gathered her descendants about her Tor
| lunch" of DOog and bread and butter ana Whlc
,heir toueIcs wag with hearty German words.
easily loik iorwaid To the new life they about
| enter, and marx the thrift ana klDdllness winch
Will make them successful III H. In pam Contrast WIN
these however families from Kentucky and
| Tennessee. aud the more Western states, who have
started with hardly money enough 10 pay thor pAss9 o.
and depend upon the great promises they had heard OF
| Kansas to supply themselves with bread and shelter
| one woman with eight lille children and baby IA
| arms stopped nero with her husband and her old
| mother all their way to Kansas, hoping there TO
pick OF existence, which so ar h"d almost
eluded their grasp elsewhere. The suffering OF TINS
class ~ PEG ole Is almost nccuaDc. They travel for
months sometimes Ia wagons, exposed 10 every prlYa-
on destitute OF money, and often obliged 10 resort 10
charity TO save themselves from starvation. They EN-
counter the Ills OF emigration without Mitigation ana
al last settle down us squaters, tther on lhe poor
Government lands, or private lands 80 poor ana u,
healthy IN location that they are not cultivated ana
they drag out the miserable thread O existence
which Nature allows them. Many destitute persons are
led mere OF Kansas Richness but with ho
money aud land they suffer greater Trials mere
than they would elsewhere and merely serve doubtful
good IN settling the county" Charity could not be
WORST bestON ed than Ia helping these destitute persons
to come West aud encounter future entirely unpro