Evening journal., 1889-04-23
THE GATES THROWN OPEN
Weary Boomers Take Posses
sion Of the Land.
A STIRRING SCENE Attic START.

A Multiplicity of Claimants for Each Farrn
in the Territory -Hetwsen Twenty nna
Thirty Thousand People Carried b. ths
santa re Railroad.
GurHRIE, T. r., Apil e3-Oklahoma was
thrown open at noon yesterday, and rshtlcss
torrents Of humanity began to p9iir over Is
soil From the Cherokee st ip came tie great
feet Of prairie sclooners across tae Canadian;
from the Chickasnw nation came troap after
troop Of sturdy ponies, each one carrying .
boomer; from the Arapahoe and Cheyenne
reservations on tie west came yelling mob
of horsemen, who fired volley after volley to
celebrate their final victory. The Kiowa Of
the southwest and the Cherokee and Creek
nations on the east also furnished their con-
tingent Of boomers
stirring scene.
At the starting signal they moved alto
cetAer, great waves Of cheering breaking
upon the air The wagons continued on over
the level, green plain until they were about
half way across the northern tier Of claims
and then upward Of hundred Of them were
brought TO a standstill The others rolled on
to the lower tiers. Men, women aud chillisen
poured from tie stationary schooners, and in
an incredibly short time the foundations for
the pioneer homes OF Oklahoma had beer leid
by willing hands Every farm had more
than one claimant all ready to swear that
they crossed the b rider first and that theirs
were the first improvements SO is all over
the territory and especially on the sections
adjoining Guthrie and Oklahoma City.
Bcwildered settlers.
Between 10000 and $4,000 people were
dumped here today by the Santa Fe road.
which ran twenty immense trains from Ar
| kansas G ty The trains moved across the
/ Cherokee strip cautiously and slowly and ar
rived here scarcely more than five minu tes
apart As they approached the land OF
| promise thousands Of heads protudod from
the windows and curious eye feasted on the
green panorama that lay before them. There
was much lighting to get out OF the cars when
the little building which answers for a sta
tion was reached. Nobody was hurt, how
ever, and the coaches were soon emptied It
was a curious 81 ht 20 watch the boomers
tier they had got fairly ON foot The ma
| / rity Of them seemed 10 be dazed by the vast
ness Of their surroundings. Many OF them
gazed stupidity 10 the north, south, east and
west, and then moved like men who wera
lost Others started for the hills, and stiEl
others bent themselves 10 the task II raising
tents which they brought with them 10 open
various kinds Of business Those who went
for the hills were after claims just how
well their explorations succeeded isnot known
for very few Of them have returned
The Rush at the Land once.
II is safe 70 say t'at every farm in tho ter
ritory IS in possession Of one or more claim
ants and that besides there are from "a, 90
( % 10000 more wandering afulessly about Il
I search Of land The rush at the land otflc
s here is terrific The building is surroandt.
BY a mob Of howling men, which is being con
stantly augmented by horsemen who are gal
looping IN from every quarter Land Agen
I Dllley and his force Of assistants are unabl
70 give attention to a hundredth part OF th
I business that is being forced upon them. tn
detachment Of troopers which has been De
tailed around the building with view {
keeping tue mob in an orderly line Is CON
Z p.etely worn out
4 A dispatch from Oklahoma City states Cha
the rush here is even greater than herr
+ Over at Kmgfsher station, where the crowd
brought in on the Rock Island are gathering
I there has been no trouble as yet