Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1885-11-28

300 houses, ana were starting towu ~"
miles east Of the center of Greeley. W.
spenta very pleasant evening with thi
merry, intelligent party, partook of al
evening lunch of cake and other goo'
things, and were never more happil..
entertained. The next day We passe,
westward to within sight of the Colorado
line. At the centre line of Greeley from
the north to south between the forfeit
and forty-frst ranges We found MI
Drake and his family, in comfortable
house, and four other houses without In
habitants. Nh. Drake was the only mai
who denied that he was town. TIT
fact is, the. county bss about as many
towns rs it has inhabitants.
GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY.
The praries of Greeley or much O
them are generally rolling, never aorup
nor steep, except in a. few instances along
the White Woman, sometimes stoni
cropping out of the banks. In many
parts long stretches OF plateau lay before
US. In fertility the soil is excellent.
WATER SUPPLIES.
Of the sour. es of water man knoweth
but little in this region. Near the Colo
RADIO line good water is obtained at a
place called Barrel Springs. which takes
lis name from the fact that the govern.
ment sunk barrels in the sands of the
White Woman, wherein the water rises
and furnishes ample supply. No other
springs are known-at least to
your correspondent. In places, we
found pools, but We took the precaution
to carry barrel of water with US at
each supply place-and a very necessary
precaution we found it. Once we saw q
herd of wild horses in low district, and
following their tracks found pretty good
surface water. But We propose to specu-
ate on that question in again referring
THE QUEER RIVER,
;he White Woman. We said there was
40 stream, and there is zone perceptible
except at extremes of great rains; but
here is evidently constantly running
supply beneath the surface. The bed of
he stream is a coarse sand, very suit
'ble for masonry or plastering.
six miles east OF the east
I'm Greeley line, Messrs. John
'inn and - Chaffen each have
God water at thirteen feet, from wells
lug near the sandy bottom, but at its
'ery verge, they told us water could be
ound at the depth of a barrel. The
anne is true OF a well Of MIR. Charles
inn almost at the Greeley line. We
ried digging four miles west of the east
inc of that county, and found sand out
f which We could squeeze moisture, but
caved in too fast for success with no
leans but spade; our judgment is that
7ater will be generally found but few
,et below the level of the bed of the
White Woman.
This strange stream drains the water
ned of a vast area of prairie on each
de for distance of about sixty miles,
assing from near the Colorado line
lrotgh Greeley and Wichita counties
, the center of Scott, where its waters
9th above and below the surface are
st in "basin" of about fifteen sections
Fland marked on the map of the gov
'nment surveyors in the shape of a hui
an leg and foot. In all it's length it has
1T a few pools of standing water near its
nix hole or basin. In fact the basin is
1t series of sink holes. We have
.iven through it where we found sink
Dies large enough to swa]lowa horse.
/ wet season, near the basin, the White
oman channel. which is narrow and
eep, a rich sail, will swim a horse, but
seldom remains up for twenty -four
ours. While its wsters are emptying
these holes, gurgling sound of dash
g, sinking waters can be heard at a
distance.
A COWBOYS STORY.
We were told that after dashing rain
orm, cowboy came rushing into the
K. rarche and declared that the water
as rushing down the White Woman in
wall of water four to six feet high. He
rs laughed at, but soon the rushing tor
Mt came. The same stories We have
,ard from other sources, and the de-
is on its banks shows it has risen at
LIST twenty feet.
STONE.
We found no stone further west than
,e miles from the east line of Greeley.
that neighborhood we found lodges of
e flint lime variety, perhaps two feet
thickness, very hard, but not easily
aped for fine stone wall, though it
,uld be very useful for corrals, cellars,
9. Underlying this, we found a ledge
I'm four to six feet in thickness, it
~ be much thicker, as we had no
cans of stripping it-of soft magnetism
nestone. clearer and whittier than the
me in the east wing of the capitol at
'peka; not so porous, but apparently
fter. Specimens of it Sem to harden
the few days we have had it. We cut
with axe in the ledge and sawed out
ocks of it with the common hand saw
thout dulling our tools.
PRAIRIE FIRES.
The last night of our encampment the
Aries were dense with smoke and
nd with flame. We camped within
ree-quarters of a mile of the north
nix of the White Woman, and