Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-03-20

Ten years ago, when the earlier settlers
of this county were struggling in their pow.
erty to subdue into profitable cultivation the
wild soil Of this great valley, and the bust.
ness men, mehcaEics and other residents Of
this city were, with their limited means and
credit, endeavoring with all their pewers to
give name aud stability TO what was a mere
border town Of unknown possibilities, there
came down all OF a sudden and all unex-
pected, from the UNEMPLOYED mountain re-
gions of the Northwest, dense clouds OF
grasshoppers which covered the whole land
and which devoured every living green
thing from the growing fields. While the
older portions of the State were able to take
care Of themselves, they were utterly una
| BILE TO helpnewer settlements. The writer
of this together with five or six other gen.
tlenen met In Topeka and issued a call,
which was sent to the older States asking
for aid. How nobly, heartily ard promptly
the great western States responded to that
viii never be forgotten by the people of this
city and county. Ever since that black year
heaven has smiled upon our people, upon
their homes, their fields and their flocks I'M
Ill now, for three or four years past, no
more prosperous or happy people can be
found anywhere. When, therefore, three
or four weeks since, few gentlemen OF this
city cited, in a set of resolutions, the fact
Of the disastrous food Of the Ohio valley
and the suffering which must inevitably fol-
low, calling upon the people OF Sedgwick
county for a helping hand, the response was
US prompt as it was open-hearted and lib
eral. One gentleman was named for each
township in the county who was to solicit
and report at meeting OF all the gentlemen
named to be held the following week. The
first meeting developed the fact that tine
twenty-six townships Of the county would
contribute at least one car load of corn each.
A transportation committee was then APP
pointed, whose appeal was answered by the
managers of the Santa Fe railroad to the
effect that so generous an effort would be
met by them in the same spirit, and that
they would not only agree for themselves
and eastern connections to see the train
through, free Of cost, to the Ohio river, but
that they would decorate every car, thus
filed. at their own expense. Last Satur-
day. the 18th, was the day fixed to bring the
offerings together when It was found that
besides several hundred dollars cash paid in
hand, there were 1890 bushels Of corn,
enough, after it had passed through the
shelters and elevators, to fill a solid train of
thirty-one cars. In the mean time the Sam
Ia Fe's artist, with twenty or thirty assist
ants. sent to work out his designs, had gone
to work on the decorations and by Saturday
night tbiriy-one car loads Of corn, every car
brilliant with suggestive cartoons running
the full length, stood upon side-track near
the upper part OF the city, ready to move on
its errand of good will. II is not overstat-
ing the fact when VIC say that the decorated
train was visited by thousands of persons
from both town and country on Saturday
and Sunday.
II would be impossible for us to describe
the cartoons that filed both sides OF the
thirty-one cars making in all sixty-two each
feet long, but for the many we
will note the makeup aud character OF a
few.
On the top OF the front car was an i'm |
mense grasshopper. twelve feet long and
four feet high. made cut Of plank and paint |
ed TO life coloring, with big ear OF corn in
its mouth. Above him the motto: Gan
early settler in Wichita, but now extinct"
On the second car was a festooned sign,
held up at either end by grasshoppers stand
ing on their hind legs. The sign read
with compliments Of Wichita and Sedg-
wick county, Kansas. to the people of the
Ohio valley. On a standard were the words
"6iyen in 1874, returned with interest lss4.'
The whole piece was bordered with grass
hoppers about a foot long.
On another car was an Immense ear OF
corn ten or fifteen feet long and two feet
over. with grains As big as southern dar-
keys loot. mounted on wheels, astride of
which was big grassbopper driving long
team OF choppers, with big sign-board
just ahead of the team pointing, "To the
Ohio valley u
On another car was three immense ears of
corn linked end TO end like an ODD Fellows
chain. with the words above and below. |
of the Atchison, Topeka &
Santa railroad, aud the Chicago Alton
railroad, and the Ohio & Mississippi rail
road.
On another was a banner being upheld by
two grasshoppers, in beautiful and artistic
designs, bearing the legend, "Cast thy bread
upon the waters and after many days 1T will
return TO you"
Another taking picture was two immense
cornucopias being emptied by the daddy of
all grasshoppers, out Of which poured im-
mense streams OF corn over which two
grandfather grasshoppers stood shedding |
tears, as big as your fist, into wash-basins
because they could not eat up the corn as
fast as it poured out.
suggestive cartoon taking up the whole |
side OF car. was the picture of great
flood, a flood OF corn which had engulfed
houses. and out of which church steeples
peeped. A big grasshopper in boat was
padding through this food to the rescue OF
a family of grasshoppers perched upon the
roof OF the house which was being washed
away by the flood of corn.
Probably the illustration or tske-off which
produced the most laughter was two COM
paaion pictures, sx14 feet each, one entitled
1874, consisting OF a gaunt, starved settler,
a very living skeleton of a long-horn Texas
steer and a center-breed brier-spltter hog |