New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-04-12
A PLAGUE OF INSECTS.
A STRANGE STORY OF GRAssHoPPERs.

or A CROP MEANT.
tFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT TRIBUNE
HIAwATHA, Kan, April 5.--An old resident
OF Kansas whom the other day the related
to various incidents of his life in that State and
among other things told about the grasshoppers that
visit that region occasionally 1t imr ossble
who has the grasshopper In all his glory aud
vigOr" he said, tO realize what visitation from these
pests means to the farmers here. When first came
here live the neighbors used to tell about they
had passed through and laughed them to Their
stories OF trains being stopped by 'hoppers and whole
fields Of being destroyed In single day seemed to
to be simply abs urd but destined TO learn by
bitter experience that the half had not been told
When looked OF the In incrcduous
manner he would say: Well, think you will have
chance for yourself before the is
the hoppers in Nebraska last and Will DC
o miracle II we do not have q call from them SOON
IL was Employed the railroad at that time and
worked with section gang whose duty 1t to keep
the track for certain portion OF the road In good c0ndi
Stories OF the approach OF the gTasshoppers
and the destruction being wrought by them we're becom
Ing frequent day by day. and constantly
the lookout for them. Finally one bright August
afternoon working a in large piece of
woods heard a roaring sound In the trees coming
aud took 1t TO be heavy breeze. One
OF the had lived there many years and who had
often entertained with his recollections looked W
and exclaimed:
my summers labor In my garden will be thrown away
" In a moment grasshopper lit on the ground beside
me- and another and another and In less than five
minutes tho ground covered with them, and still
they came. lighting faces, our hair. In our
months II unwary enough to open them; the
bushes, anywhere and everywhere. In an hour II was
almost impossible TO bit Of ground. andthe bushes
loaded that they bent to the ground The
road between the rails living, jumping
mass, and the rails were almost ont OF sight.
90 deep they getting Still they continued TO come,
and iodnd myself wondering II they would stop.
1t was almost impossible To work. II You looked up
suddenly and did not shield your In some manner.
they swoud come with force that. striking you in
the eye they would almost blind you We could not step
without treadng them and crushing them. so thick
were they. The place where were working was at
the summit OF slight grade In the road Up this grade
a passenger train came rushing along The grass
hoppers all in getting on the rail and
Thousands crushed greasing tho track and the
wheels Of Before the train got half way up
the grade began to slacken s speed end then
the driving wheels OF the engine SLIP ping rsund and
round but taking hold Of the rail Sand was thrown
beneath the wheel. but the effect vas only temporary,
and tho train to stop. Brooms fastened on
the engine Just In front Of tho wheels that they
touched trail sweeping the insects aside aud after
much long delay the train succeeded IN start
ing again and worked its way slowly along.
Wherever the pests had settled anything green
began AT 10 eat, ana sucn appeuteS they
possessed And such tIso they blessed with!
Their frs, tt-bt the common smar-weed and in
hours time there OF IT lett anywhere in sight
Bat they did not object to anything unless 1t had
sweet taste.-thlt they would not touch The leaves
began to ppear from the trees and bushes II by
magic ON oar way home that evening had 10 pass a
large cornaod the Of which and his family mad
spent their whole time that in cuyaring. Such
A scent Of destruction had dreamed OF IA
presented 20 my astonisheI gaze. Where only twelve
hours stood fory-acre field of corn so tall and
thick that mans head could not be anywhere in
and all just coming out IN tassel nothing remained but
the bare stalks looking like many reeds. The
and his family stood looking ut the ruin with the tears
streaming down their sun-burned cheeks, the very
pictures of desar We stopped to sympathize with him.
A we spoke to him he ooded at us in heart-broken
manner and said:
God only knows what viii become Of M the coming !
winter, We depended crop and now 1t is all
gone il too late TO raise any other crop. and We have
not got u cent to hep ourselves with
Turning away made our way home with fear In |
our hearts gardens. 1 went around to the
back of the house what left ~ the beds
that had been my pride: only that morang had been |
boastug 10 my wife that had the finest garden In the
village Nothing remained but the sweet potatoes and
the inner red meat OF the watermeOns. The outside
had entirely eaten away, leaving ABOUT two wagon
loads red meat lying in the sun; In ten days
more they would have bceu ready to pick The cabbages
all eaten clean from me stump; the boeis' CAROLS
beans and the rest were all gnawed close TO the ground
turned away heart sick ana sat down ny the front door
I'm front OF the house high picket fence, aud he
sun went noticed the rassh0ppers gathering on
like chickens going to roost; before DARK YOU
could tctwcen the plcets The fence looked like
living OF grasshOppcrs; the side OF the house
was also thicky covered Tue rooms III the house were
full OF them: they hcaped on the chairs, the
curtains the table, the bed. They esped into the food
being prepared for supper. IL was Impossible to
keen them ont the weather WAS very warm ana the
doors and windows were all open. For the next few
DAYS we could not place dish anything the table
~ bOut having one tumble IN II before could
eat the contents After going TO bed we could not move
without disturng them. aud then they would crawl over
ones face causing a very unpleasant sensation They
would through piece OF cloth or muslin anu soon
destroy curtains clothing IL they we're not closely
watched. The next morning | went ~ start the fire !
which had liked all ready To light the night before
had left one lids on the stove, and applied tue
match 10 the paper heard great conmotion Inside
loo ascertain tue aud found the stove fu
OF them, and soon they roasting IN line style
In three days there WAS nothing green 10 DO
seen The country looked barren and forsaken ns "A
1ssprt The grass nil eaten away. the weeds also.
and the leaves stripped from the trees aud bushes
Looking toward the sun you could them lying over
head like flakes Of snow III countless thousands Atter
hey had eaten up everything they departed, and God
Dnly knows the suffering their visit caused the poor
people OF Kansas during the following winter"