The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-07-28
The Plains of Colorado Drying
Up.

A Denver Coll special in the New
York Horid Of July II says. The great
plains are hot and parsEled, and daily
they are becoming more ike the verita-
bic desert of the pioneer days. Not for
many years has there been such a searci-
. y of water in Colorasio. and especially in
( the region of the Platte. Vegetation is
becoming brown and crisp The grass Is
withered, wells are driving up. irrigation
/ bitches are dry, crops are burned up by
the intense heat, cattle are dying, and at
some points on the plains the people are
almost perishing for water.
Pitiful are the tales told by the ranch
men Of crops destroyed, cattle perishing
and their families in great danger of stIf-
fering. Reports from the eastern parts Of
AElpahoe and Weed coanties, near the
Colorado and Kansas line, represent a
terrible state of Affairs. This section
seems Ested u disaster and misfortune
Last winter il Is estimated that loo peo-
pie lost their lives near the State line in
the snow biockades and terrible storms
that prevailed Now they are scourged
with an intense heat that's bringing ruin
and disaster No immigrants for many
wears have suffered such extremes Of heat
and cold as they Induced by the favor
able reports of the rainfall Of the two
previous years. and Influenced by the
commonly accepted theory that the rain
fall Is each year increasing and the rain
centre moving westward, hundreds of
new settlers have ATTEMPTED raising crops
without irrigation, but the present season
has been very unfortunate one, not on
iy are their crops totally destroyed and
their stock diving. but the unfortunate
ranchmen and their families are in some
places suffering for water 10 ,irink Moth
ing but misery is ahead Of them, and nm
less relief of some kind is soon obtained
it j. said that they win be obliged 10
move away or perish. Cattle are choking
with ihirst, and often the poor brutes are
seen standing at the dried-up watering
places with tongues iolling out of their
mouths
In some places the Mild animals are
becoming tame, even the antelope, the
fieetest and the most active animal ON the
plains, in some instances have been 80
exhausted from Thirst that they have ea-
SLY been captured by boys from the
ranches The reports from all the ranch
men confirm the statement that unless
water j. procured the suffering among
cattle will result most fatally, and that
the loss to ranchmen will be- immense, as
these little punches are in many cases all
the ranehmen posses; to lose them
would be most disastrous In fact, a.
one ranchman expressed it, 1t is a matter
of life and death to them. The great
stock ranges, which it had been hoped
would escape. are now becoming brown,
and the leading stockmen are beginning
to feel apprehensive. The cattle have
suffered more in the southern sections,
and many have perishel.
About 100000 head have been rushed
through the State from the dry regions
to the ranges Of the Northwest The Rio
Grand River has good volume, but the
Arkansas and Platte Rivers are low, and
in some places the Platte Is now but ankle
deep, below the great irrigation bitches.
and many troublesome questions have
arisen over the irrigation problem. In
many places along the Platte the ranch
menare armed, and will fight unless they
obtain their rights The big ditch com
panies are nonopolizing what little water
there Is, and the feeling Is very bitter
There have already been several encoun-
tiers. but no loss of life has Vet resulted.
Representative ranehmen from the plains
have just held convention in Denver,
and say if they cannot have water by
peaeefuI means they viii take it by force
=. Water, water, give u water" Is the cry
tiidt tfttlIN> nun tIlt list-ii-
Governor Eaton has just given an au-
dience TO committee Of ranchmen, and
i devising means for fair distribution
Of the water, and it Is hoped that he will
sucoeed. Unless something i done there
Is danger OF bloodshed- The great ditch
monopolies are guarding their bitches
with armed men. and the rtnchmen,
hundreds Of whom are now secretly or
eanized and armed. say that unless relief
i soon given they viii cut the canals
Denver Is feeling the result of the
drouth The city's water supply comes
from the Platte, and the Water Works
Company has issued request to all citi-
zens 10 be a. economical as possible in
the use of water. and especially for lawn
purposes Some Of the small TOXINS to
the east of Denver are supplied with w.i-
ter from this city, and were it not for the
water shipped to them on the railroads
the inhabitants would soon perish of
thi Mt