Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-01-01
LETTER FROM KANSAS.
\ Land of Corn and wind Kansas Justice
-Nermonter, Lately Arrived.

CLYDE, KAN, Dec. lSS5
To the Editor Of the Free Press and Times
Perhaps IL few lines from one who lived
near you when "A boy, in Essex, w., but
now residing in this far away state, may
interest your readers. Some things here
Eastern people are not accustomed to,
and the first sight and experience is quite
strange: as for instance, we have Just had
our first hard "dirt" storm of the season.
1t is warm here yet, so we do not need
much fire, but the wind blows great
clouds of dust so one can hardly see out,
and this fine dust Sits and drifts right
into and through the best made houses,
penetrating to every ROOM and deposltlng
its wonderful incrustation everywhere
| But these storms soon pass, and some
| times are succeeded, rs was the case yes
! terday by Il tremendous wind. Thus was
il steady, tearing blow, straight from the
north. which continued all day. Almost
all the small buildings, sheds and out
! buildings, fences, etc, were blown down,
! and the damage to railroad bridges, etc,Wlll
| reach several thousand dollars. Some
tons of hay on my farm were blown away,
| besides IL large quantity of corn cobS,
which are used here for ireWUOd. Every
one here USES cobs for fuel as they make
Il good and cheap tirc-better and ut less
price than coal. y load of cobs costs nifty
cents and will last from two to four weeks
There is no wood in this region. Corn
makes a still, nice fire, and we sometimes
burn that. Wells are made here in vari-
Gus ways. Mine was bored down thirty
three feet with an augur six inches WIDE.
galvanized iron tube 1--WE and hali
inches in diameter was put in ana the well
was ready for the pump or bucket. The
bucket is made four or five feet long and
five inches wide, with hole III the bot
2 tom, covered by pump valve. Inc top
, of the bucket is fastened to il rope which
passes over Il pulley set in Il frame about
seven feet high, which is erected over the
well, and the bucket is lowered or raised
- by pulling up or down on the rope. The
/. water rises in the well ten or twenty feet,
5 and when the bucket strikes the water the
h valve opens and the water Hills the bucket
+ and as soon as il is drawn by the rope The
i weight of the water inside OF the bucket
l. closes the valve. The bucket Is drawn III
: and set in the pail when by touching I
y wire the valve opens and lets the waite
II out. The whole thing, well ana all, cost
t only SD to $50,
II There Is more or less agitation and eX
e element in Kansas now ON the "llquo
question: and the old arguments of VIC
n lence aud burning of buildings are not III
d frequently used by the saloon men. Kun
h drinking dies hard in Kansas, as well Il
ID in the East. Strange, 1t Is, when every
Id one knows the evil Il 50 great Al a laN
e suit here this week the two opposing law
Is yers in the middle of the trial got 50 angr
y at each other that they had n regula
~ knock down fight, and the Judge let thel
c. fight il out they were so enraged 1t dldn
is take all summer'D and then went o
IL with the court
Boston Corbett who shot Lincoln a
by ~as~in Booth, lives Il few miles from hel
ny alone i'm dug out He Is Methods
ia cNhurtcr, but is none the less rather Il
he unruly old fellow Some of his neighbo
lis came together to help him husl MS cor
ne but he Wasalraid they intended evil rath
OF than good and drove them aWi
re with his revolver. For this lndl
he nifty he was arrested ana