Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-25

tieth street. A displayed" headline an
nounced; GAS silent as the grave; nothing
heard from the Pacific. Great excitement
in Chicago and St. Louis" 1 must have
stood there ten minutes poring over the
strange news. An expedition in a special
train had been sent west from Yuma that
day with railroad men and doctors. 1t had
left at 3 p M The train reached Mesquite
in less than an hour, and word was sent
back from the station: "All right
here, track clear, will reach the
springs at 9 P. NJ. A dispatch from
Yuma sent at 10 o'clock and received at st.
Louis said "Nothing further heard from the
special" News from Chicago, where the
excitement appeared to be momentarily
growing, reflected intelligence from Denver,
st. Paul and Kansas City, and it was vain
to ignore the fact that the entire West was
in an alarming condition of anxiety. A
special train was fitting out at Cheyenne
under Government orders to start In the
morning with a corps of signal service men,
army officers and electricians. 1t was to go
provided with every scientific appliance,
and to carry an insulated cable to be paid
out from the car. The accounts said that the
people were all on the streets in Cheyenne,
and an enormous mob surrounded the sta
tion, where the preparations were making.
For the first time felt, as threw the
paper away, what can only call sense OF
misgiving. As I walked up the deserted
avenue this feeling grew upon me, and when
reached Twenty-third street on my way to
the Fifth Avenue Hotel a sudden and en-
tirely new reflection made me stop uncon-
sciously as turned it:over in my mind.
'If this strange news has affected Judge Bris-
bane and his daughter SO seriously, why may it
| not be affecting millions of other people simi-
! larlyf II there is at this moment panic In the
hon lnr,nr nrrvill lat a Qfia w n
reach New YOrk?'
asked myself these questions in a dazed and
wondering way as stood there in the middle Of
| the sidewalk. But / could make no answer to
| them, and presently / set out for the Fifth
Avenue Hotel. 1t was nearly midnight when
reached it, There were few groups in the
| corridor. and three or four late guests regis
tering at the desk. Everything was moving in
the regular rut There was small party of
theater-goers in the great bsrroom. listened.
| They were in discussion over the relative
merits of two popular actresses.
Imet a belated friend. He was hurrying out
of the hotel. stopped him. Amy later news'"
| asked
ABOUT whatT'
| From the West"
mo market in the West" he said. There
was a slump in st. Paul. Been buying?"
''Nonsense; there are extras out with news
| from Cheyenne"
SIS theref' he said, unconcernedly. you'll
| excuse me- won't you, left a girl round at the
theater." and he slipped away.
went through Twenty-sixth street and
looked in at Delmonlco's windows. The place
| was full of late supper parties. They were en-
! joying themselves and could hear the clinR OF
glasses mingling with the buzz of conversation
| as passed.
| The next morning events, or at least the pub
| lication of them, had reached that condition
| which arrests public attention everywhere.
| The news from the West swamped all else in
the morning journals: The editors by their
silence on the Pacific slope was by far the most
important subject for consideration before the
world. The moment glanced at the sheets 1
saw that there was but one theme in the jour
| nalistic mind.
Two days had passed and the silence was un-
| broken. Never before in the history of the
| world had the absence Of news become such
| important news Public attention was now
mainly centered on the attempt to get train
Of observation through from Cheyenne.
On the night OF the 18th avoided the Bris-
| bane establishment, although my desires drew
me in that direction. L resolved to wait until
| the morrow, If nothing happened to change the
| then make my arrangements to go with him
and Kate. That night there was q visible
change in the metropolis. The theaters we're
deserted, men and women were congregated at
the corners and were talking in the roadways-
a sure indication in great city of some popu-
lar disturbance. The bulletins and news CEN
| tiers were crowded, and the mystery of the
great silence was being discussed by everybody.
One thing struck everybody with vague ter
ror, and 1t was the accounts Of the strange
wind that was now blowing at Cheyenne and
Denver. One special correspondent at Chey-
enne said that it seemed to him that the at
mosphere of the earth, influenced bv some in
comprehensive suction, was all rushing to an
unseen vortex" 1t was not in any sense dis
turbance of the atmosphere that we usually
| call wind, but steady, silent draught And
the spectacle of trees bent over and held all
| day by the pressure, but unfuttered and unre-
| lieved by huctuant variations, filled them with
! wonder and dread.
Goth, for had slept lightly and itfIlly. To my
| surprise / found that almost everybody else
| was up. 1t made me realize as i had not done
tnn be TTe news If 1eMs oan Se c.ed Hss
| startling. Let me try and repeat it to you just
as it was presented to my sense. The special
train, upon which the eyes of the whole country
were fixed had been heard from. 1t had gone
| west from Cheyenne and passed through
Pocatello withoutinterruption. Then followed
the dispatches received from il at Cheyenne as
| it passed the stations beyond Pocatello. They
| were in this order and to this effect:
MIcHANo. 10 A. NJ.
All right instruments working well. Track
| clear. Inhabitants appear to be moving east
No intelligence of a definite character OBJ
i tanned. Shoshone los miles west Expect to
BANNocK, 2:3O p. M.
Conditions unchanged. Passed moving set
| tiers all the way. They are going east with
chattels Wind from the east has the pressure
without the violence of q gale. Party in good
| spirits.
| SUNSHlNE, o:lo.
Vast herds of wild cattle now impeding
progress. Wind increasing road otherwise
| clear.
AMERICAN FALLS, 4:4O.
Signs of the exodus decreasing. Country
strewn with household goods. Reports here
| that all the teams that went out on the roads
west have not returned. Expect to hear some
| thing definite at Minidoka.
MINIDoKA, 6:l0
| Electrical and barometrical indications un-
| changed. Signs of life disappearing Party in
| excellent spirits and eagerness to reach the
| facts.
The next dispatch was from Cheyenne, and
| was sent at 8 O'Clock. 1t simply said: "Noth-
ing further heard from Government party.
| Wire in good order"
Then followed two kilograms of gruesome
| brevity and significance.
PocATELLo, o p. n.
Nothing here.
CHEYENNE, 10 p. N.
| Nothing has come over the special wire up to
| this hour. Microphonic tests at Pocatello in
dicate that the train is still moving Electrical
! tests indicate that the current is unbroken.
| Finally there was a special message from the
| Worlds correspondent at Cheyenne, dated IL
| P. NJ. 1t was about to this effect:
| tine current ON the Government wire was
| broken at l0:40. Delicate tests show that the
| wire is now grounded. The dire conclusion of
| experts here is that the train ran from some
| point west of Minidoka from about 6:l5 to l0:40
| without human control and then met with an
| accident. AT the rate at which it was moving
the train must have reached Shoshone. Ter