Wichita eagle., 1889-04-23
JUST BEFORE THE BREAK.

KANSAS CITY, April pa Star special
from Arkansas City says: Saturday night
there was a continuous line of camp fires
from Wharton, the last station in the
Cherokee Strip, to Arkansas City. There
were fewer fires along the border line Of
the promised land than would have been
expected. Comparatively few of the
wagon men reached the Oklahoma line un
til last night and this morning. Salt Fork
creek. which winds through the strip and
on the banks of which the Ponca reServa-
tion is situated, caused the settlers much
delay. The rains had made it so high that
for'iing was dangerous and only lew
were foolhardy enough to venture it.
Friday morning fully 800 wagons want
ed TO get across. Captain Hays and his
company who escorted the settlers to the
border rendered them most valuable serv-
ices by his influence He induced the
Santa Fe road to permit him to lay planks
beside and between the tracks of the rail
road bridge and get the emlgrants over. A
soldier with a red flag half a mile from
each end of the bridge prevented any
train from approaching until the bridge
was clear. In spite of all precaution a
woman and two children and number of
cattle were drowned at the bridge Cap
tain Hays good work at the Salt fork
bridge kept him and his troops from get
ting TO the Oklahoma border till this
morning.
4 careful estimate by a reporter who
was on the border last night is that within
radius of five miles from the border en-
trance on the Ponca trail fully five hun
dred men were at least a mile over the
line. Wire fences divide the strip from
Oklahoma The men did not know the
fence was the dividing line, or If they did
needed it not. No soldiers We're there to
dispute their entrance or tell where the
line WAS Without let or hindraDce a
great number of the people went into
Oklahoma as early rs Saturday night. y
cattleman at Red Rock said last night
that as he came through Oklahoma from
Galveston he counted over 100 men in the
bushes along through Oklahoma.
The sky was cloudless and it was ccol
this morning. The crowd at the depot
was larger than was expected. From the
top of the dispatchers office photograph
er took the crowd. Four trains with ten
coaches each stood around ready for the
start Crowds OF people walked up and
down on the tops of the cars The moment
the doors were thrown open the cars were
filled. The crowd followed the newspa-
per men hoping TO find by them which
train started first. Fifty tents which were
pitched about the depot were down before 8
O'clock. 1t Is estimated that ), 900 people
were at the depot awaiting transportation.
The outfits at the depot were striking
One man with a silk hat carried hoe
over his shoulder to which was attached n
bundle of clothing and a box of chuck
Spades and axes were the most common
equipments. Before the train started the
town was almost deserted. There were
many women among those to 60 to Guth-
RE People walked TO the end of the yards
TO get night coaches, knowing that all
would go during the day. Danger seemed
TO have been lost sight Of Many crawled
under the cars until the police stopped
them.
THE FIRST TRAIN STARTS.
1t was just S:45 when the first train
pulled out A shout from a thousand
voices announced the fact. The press car
was next to the engine and eight cars
were attached. There were fully fifty
persons in the press car. Many had no
credentials. Many freight trains have
been supplied with seats to follow later.
At the St. Louis & San Francisco crossing,
where a stop was made, as is necessary,
people besieged the first train, but guards
kept them OF. Just outside the city two
daring men got on the air brakes under
the press car. E c. Heck was the con-
ductor of the first train, and Harry Liv-
ingstone the engineer. At the speed at
which the train started the train will reach
Guthrie late. The wagon bridge across
the Arkansas river was full of settlers
Wagons, Two men jumped on the cow
catcher but were put on.