Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-09-04
Crossing the Yellowstone.

Comanche county by Phillips Il Co.. and
Hunter, Evans q Co., have arrived at
their destination, and the Stock-Grow-
ers' Journal at Miles City, Montana
Territory gives the following account
of their passage over the Yellowstone
river:
No grander range scene has ever been
presented than was afforded Wednes-
day by the swimming of the Yellow
stone of 1900 head of cattle. For at
least a half mile the river was filed
with cattle struggling against the pow
erful current of the stream and being
borne down by it in one long, waving
column. Mingled with the mass of
surging cattle might be seen cowboys,
some mounted and some without a
horse, some clothed and others nude,
holding perhaps to some animals tail {;
all working like beavers to secure a
safe passage of the dangerous stream
tor the large herd. The cattle were in
charge of experienced men, and made
the passage of the Yellowstone without
the loss of n single animal.
Twentysi hundred head of the cat
tie belonged to Hunter, Evans 81 Co.,
and were driven from their ranch in
the southern part of Kansas, and are
being taken to their ranch OH the Little
Dry. They came from the southern
country without loss or mishap of any
kind under the management of Tom.
Pettijohn, assisted by quite number of
hands, of course.
The other 1000 head were the prop-
erty of Phillips Il Co., were from the
same country, and were being taken to
the Phillips ranch, some sixty miles
north of here. They were under the
management of G.. W. Jacobs, who
worked eight other men under him.
They, too, have stood the long drive re-
markably well, and enter their new
range in good condition. The two
herds have travelled close together all
the trip, and all hands joined in and
assisted in crossing.
During the crossing there came near
being two or three serious accidents.
On one occasion a boy who was swim
ming his horse in the midst of the stream
among the cattle was seen to sink, horse
and all. The boy first came to the sur
face and then the horse, both complete
ly exhausted. The horse was roped
and pulled ashore almost drowned, and
after many efforts on the part of those
present, rope was thrown to the young
man, who was being rapidly carried
down the current, and he too, was res
cued.
On another occasion one of the men
with Phillips Il Co. was seen floating
with the current, and entirely helpless
so far as turning to the shore was con-
cerned. The ferry-boat below was i'm
mediately run out in mid-stream in the
hope that he might catch on to it, but
he shot by like an arrow. Friends
shouted to him to make no effort except
to keep himself afioat, and they would
save him. Immediately Henry Hanna
plunged into the raging stream and at
tempted to swim his horse to the relief
of the struggling man. The horse be-
came unmanageable and Hanna struck
the ferry boat, both he and horse disap-
pearing under it. His horse was
drowned, but he was rescued by a man
near by. In the mean time a man in a
skiff reached the well-nigh drowned
man below, and he was also saved.
Things looked squally for awhile, and
ali felt relieved when it was known that
no lives were lost. The crossing was
made at the ferry above the fort, and i'm
half an hour after the drowning Of the
horse the animal was caught below this
place and pulled ashore.
The herd of Hunter, Evans & Co. will
soon be followed by another one of
about the same size from their Ne
braska ranch, and Mr.. Phillips also ex-
poets another large herd in ten or fif-
teen days.