Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-06-07
PLAGUE OF INSECTS.
A STORY OF oaAssAoPPERs' RAW.
AGES IN A KANSAS VILLAGE.
On the Railroad Track-Stopping q Pas.
senger Train-A Scene Of Destruc
tion Never Before Dreamed
of-In the Kitchen.

~ - luposSiDc toE Ouc WIZ Las hcN cT
seen the grasshopper in all his glory and
vigor,7 said an old resident Of Kansas, ito
realize what a visitation from these pests
means to the farmers here When first
came here to live the neighbors used to tell
! me about what they had passed through,
and / laughed them 10 scorn. Their stories
Of trains being stopped by hoppers, and
whole fields Of corn being destroyed in a
| single day, seemed to me to be simply alb
surd; but | was destined to learn by bitter
experience that half had not been told me-
| When looked at one Of the narrators in an
incredulous manner, be would say: We'll,
think you will have a chance to see for your
self before the season is over, as the hoppers
| were in Nebraska last season, and it will be
| q miracle II We do not have a call from them
| soon
| Il was employed On the railroad at that
time, and worked with a section gang whose
duty 1t was to keep the track for a certain
pJrtion of the road in good condition Stor-
les of the near approach of the grasshop-
| Pers and the destruction being wrought by
them were becoming more frequent day by
| day, and sc were constantly on the lookout
for them Finally one bright August after
noon, as We were working in a cut in a
large piece Of woods we heard a roaring
sound in the trees coming nearer and nearer.
| / took it to be a heavy breeze. One of the
men who had lived there many years. and
who had often entertained me with hi, re-
/ collections, looked up and exclaimed:
Here come the id hoppars, curse
them!-and all my summers labor in my
| garden viii BE- thrown away
STOPPING THE TRAIN.
In moment a grasshopper lit on the
ground beside me, and then another AMI
another and in less than five minutes the
groUni was covered with them, and still
they came, Lighting on our faces, on our
hair, in our mouths If We were unwary
enough to open them; on the bushes, any
where and everywhere. In an hour it was
almost impossible t. bit of ground, and
the bushes We're so loaded that they were
lent TO the ground The road between the
rails was one living, jumping mass, and the
rails were almost out of sight, deep vera
they getting. Still they continued t. come,
and found myself wandering if they would
never stop. 1t was almost impossible to
! work. If you looked up suddenly and did
not shield your eyes in some manner they
would come with such force that, striking
you in the eye, they would almost blind you
We could not step without treading on them
and crushing them, SO thick were they
"The. place where we were working was at
the summit Of slight grade IN the road.
Up this grade passenger train soon came
rushing along. The grasshoppers did not
succeed in getting off the rail, and thousan
were crushed, greasing the track AMI the
wheels of the engine. Before the train got
half way up the grade it began to slacken
its speed, and then We saw the di wing wheels
of the engine slipping round and round but
ne fnkipp hold nf tho mil Sand
thrown beneath the wheel. but the effect
was only temporary, AMI the train came to
stop. BroJns were fastened Oh the en-
CINE Just in front Of the wheels so that they
tOuche the rail, sweeping the insects aside,
and after much effort and a long delay the
train succeeded IN starting again, and
worked its way slowly along
A SCENE OF DESTRUCTION.
Whenever the pests had settled on any
thing green tLey began at once to eat. and
such appetltes as they possessed. And such
taste they We're blessed with. Their
first It'd bit was the common snartweed,
and in an hours time there waS none of il
left anywhere in sight But they did not
object TO anything unless it had a weet taste
that they would not touch. The leaves
began to disappear from the trees and
IusLc as if by magic On our way home
that evening We had to pass a large corn
field tie owner # which AMI his family had
spent their whole time that season in Guilt
waiting Such a scene of destruction had
never dreamed of as was pre- ,en;ei to my
astoni he'd gaze. Where only twelve hours
before stood "A forty acre field of corn 50 tall
and thick that mans head could not be
seen anywhere in it, and all just coming out
in tas,el, nothing remained but the bare
stalks, locking like SO many reeds.
OVER THE GARDEN WALL.
Turning away we made our way home
with f. ar in our hearts for our own gardens.
l went around 10 the back of the house to |
y hat was left of the neat beds that had |
&c y pride; only that morning had |
been sting To my wife that we had the |
finest garden i'll the village. Nothing re-
manned ut the sweet potatoes and the inner |
red meat Of the watermelons. The outside |
had leen entirely eaten away, leaving about |
two wagon loads of the sweetenei meat w.
ing in the sun; in ten days more they would |
have been ready to pick. The cabbages
were all eaten clean from the stump; the |
bcets, carrots, bean, and all the rest were |
all gnawcd c,osc to the ground. | turned |
away heart sick and at down by the front |
door In front of the house was high |
picket fence, ami n the sun went down | |
noticed the grasshopperS gathering on the |
fence Ike chickens going To roost; before |
dare you could not see between the pickets |
Tn fence looked like one living mass of |
gra->hopper tine side Of the h use was also |
thickly covered The rooms in the house |
We're full Of them; they were heared |
on the chair, the curtains, the table the |
bed. They leapcd into the food Icing pre- |
pared tor our supper. II was Impossible to |
keen them out, The weather was very /
warm, AMI the doors and windows were a.! |
al open
HorfERS IN THE kITCHEN.
For the next Few days we could no. place
Il dish of anything on the table without hav-
ing one or more tumble in il Lefore We could |
eat the contents After going 10 bel we
cuull not move without them ami then /
they would crawl over ones face causing "A /
very unpleasant sensation They would eat |
through piece of cloth or muslin and soon
destroy curtains or clothing if they were
not closely watched. The next morning | |
went To start the fire. which | had fixed all |
ready to light the night before. had left
one of the lids off the stove. and rs | ap-
piled the match 10 the paper | heard a
great commotion inside. | looked in to a.
certain the cause, and found the stove full
of them, and soon they were roastin, in fine
style
in three or four days there nothing
green u be seen. The country looked as
barren and forsaken as a desert