The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1883-02-24
GOING TO GRASS.


tue 'auW huHylhH from ne NONtrju hprpes
From the Denver News
The greatest hardship produced by
the heavy and extensive snow, will no
doubt, fall upon the cattle men. The
inconvenience Of uninterrupted travel
is rgoat, and the hindcrancc TO almost
every branch Of business has been
marked and will result in great loss.
but this is small compared to that which
viii grow from the grassy ranges being
buried deeply from sight
The loss to almost all but the cattle
men will be negative one, simply a |
non production, and is not positive |
melting away OF actual property. 1t is |
hard to estimate what it will be, further |
than that it will be heavy because in |
some sections it will be merely nominal, |
and in others such " decided per cent
rs to make the owners of focks and
herds dra'- rsaSlssce,rl, .stGl Cor al
change ertili2cr and its vatu6-sS ms,
come too soon. w.
In the vicinity Of Cheyenne and for
miles in either direction the outlook is
the darkest The snow lies on level
to the depth of ten to thirty-fve inch
cs on an mbrolien waste. The cattle
on all that vast range, can not obtain a
morsel of grass, and there is no imme-
diate prospect Of their chances better
ing. If the wind had only been blowing
so rs to keep the ground clear in spots,
there would have been no difficulty. If
the bowling waste of atmosphere which
was hurting itself all over this part of
the country, had come at the proper
time, it would have been, instead Of
source of profanity and chapped faces,
boon and Il blessing, Tho barometer
does not indicate recurrence of these
brcczes, and it is probable that before
there is change, crust will have
formed over all the snow, over which
the wind will slide az unayailingly as
water oyera ducks back The cattle
lrr getting hungry and with brute in
stlnct are turning towards the South
If they travel fast enough they may
reach grass, but lettering as they prob
ably will, many will lie down and die
of starvation and cold Two years ago
some stock men lost as high rs 30 per
cent, and the bones of the furnished
herds were gnawed bycoyotos fromChey-
onno to Central Kansas. 1t will hardly
be as bad this year, though the passen-
gers ON all the lines leading into Denver
from the East, will see carcasses strewn
along the track in way suggestive of
that seasons record.
Among the cattle owners of this
city there is great uneasiness, but as
one of them observed last night. "There
is no use to fret" The instinct of the
buffalo always took him to grass and
the same instinct is just as marked in
the domestic animal. The cattle that
passed yesterday were certainly from
some distance because those near Dem
yer are on ranges inclosed by substan-
tial fences.
Mr.. Mc.Illhinny, n prominent cattle
man, is now in the city, and was seen
last night in regard to the aspect of
affairs. He is not inclined to take q
gloomy view, not having heard from
the north where the prospects
are so decidedly bad He said that in
the southern portion Of the state
around Trinidad and Pueblo, the snow
was not heavy and where it had faller
the wind had been sufficient to clear
enough surface to afford grazing. If
cattle further north could only get TO
this locality they would be all right
but there was danger they would start
too late. He thought there was moth
ing improbable in the passing South of
10000 cattle, as they would go to grass
where there was any possibility for it.
They were merely hunting food, and
did not move from that presentimcnt
with which some dumb brutes rush from
cold to more congenial climes.
A passenger ON the Burlington and
Missouri, which came in last evening,
reports the range in good condition
beyond Hugo. At Hugo there is about
six inches of snow ON dead level.
The cattle wander aimlessly and weari-
ly about, struggling ultimately to the
south As the train approaches Denver
the snow is deeper but still on n level,
presenting dreary impenetrable sur
face to the shiyering herds.
An endeavor was made to obtain
some reliable estimate of probable loss
es, but no one would venture one, It
being impossible to know how long the
snow will stay or the severity of the
weather continue. But it will be heavy
enough to suit the yeriest croaker.