Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-03-25

Dxrzss - v1s1us q fsu - zs7s I
snnnesd b ~ knadzfnR ef I<xxs eas15s
u ths nrni sxs1 bs.s e KansuR I had
p<svidrd - fsod ~ ~ aock fknew
fcss e1fts< eould - ~ v1nse< % tbs
p1ains far nefth sd - u vAers l
rs; 5z< dsd - knDw soax sbere 90
. ds4srxnre IN tke uurf1<icas qnAzlkies
u ~ d18 rsns prni<is GraMsA I did
not sncefstknd TIE pscnirarifies Of tie
eiiDAss VI The serzi-arsd hsas. ncr ths
e4esfs Of rain fsllinz IN dead Rrxsx
ssaesd Of u<. Of ooorse. bss | had
plessy q oosup&ny. Ny Deiahbofs wsre
bri3ht GsfEans, ius<tiieen4 Bnxlinbnen
snd lisa Ausric~rs frau sinoss sve<y
ssxk< In tbs Csiou- we've hopefal
90 eafeersd into or wrsesheA hcxe<s u
tzIk sns Of cattle. caffie, sAttie. The
ssses Of <es>rz Of he rznes AZ sir eens.
par peund. live veixhs. made TIE Ere
! vss repeasediy smored that the Kan
80 waters vefs 90 mild that ! vouid
aef ned . cost daring the s<asou.
he hight the nes prairss gr<ss voald
ssfeiy BE On the La Of March vzs
meAsured on tab}s Ices By cat
stretched and dirty index snesrs fes my
ipstFustsen and sucsaraeemens There
szs not one Of all the bAad Of eager
men who rode The Kansas plains In
shoss days Who did mos frniy bsiisve
that 0ur foFsnnea were made. The
co1nary vas full ~ cattle- November
came IN wrsh q blizzard, and. with
siizef interruptions, kindly allowed By
Nature for ths Durp0se OF ao3fdine 1s
opportunities TO skin dead cattle. The
blizzard lasted until March. and the
cold, stormy weather for too montba
Ioneer- Ihsre vss no usu Rrsas until
the middle Of May. In all the Texas
herds bed IN ksDaas the losses were
heavy. Hardly herd lest iess than 50
per cent, and 60, 10 and 90 par cent.
losses we're oomDon- By spring ve
learned that great heris Of heavy oees
ezttie. bsid on the smoky, Cottonwoo
and Arkansas rivers, had been froxen On
The range and that fhe Texans had sad
died fhsif horses and gone home. Toe
greeks were damned with the decayine
czreasses Of cattle. The air wAs hezyy
with the stencil OF dscsyine anlmAla
Tins orusifies Of the business % ssArv-
inc cattle 20 death we're wildly impress
ed upon me- Every wagon sent from the
cattle ranges TO the railroad towns
vas loaded With hidss- The aext sam-
Her bankruptcy staiked ossr the KIN
sas PLAINS and struck men down Oar
troabie vas that none OF us knew that
the tall blue joint Rrass vas worthless
fog winter feed unless Il were made into
hay, none Of Ms knev that she fall rains
bad washed the butriment out OF il. and
none Of us knew that about once In ten
years there 10 hard winter Ia the far
West, during which the mercury mod
estiy rstires ints the buib Of the Their
nometsF. and blizzard chases blizzard
over the plains In quick succession.
SOME Of us learned the lesson % ones
Others, who claimed that the cattle
need protection. DOT fsod, erected sheds,
shieh proved 20 be death-traps, the cat
tie stacking" under them during cold
weather. and tried il again. and went
into bsrkruptcy promptly altar the sec
ond venture. AZ it vas IN Kansas, % Is
~ In = less degree in the 90 called !" cat
lie eountsy.r wet autumn. followed
~ hard winter, kills the cattle held on
Northern ranges by the thousand.
Fraas Wilkssoa, il Harpsr's Aagaxi.s
for Aprl.