Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-04-18
TENTS DESTROYED.
The Old Soldiers Colony get Touch OF Rough
ing 1t Difficulties Encountered.

The old soldiers Oklahoma colony Tues
day night met with reverses brought
about by the violent wind and heavy rain.
The winds destroyed all their tents with
one exception, and injured some Of their
canvasses. There was enough covering
left however, to protect them from the
rain.
The colony sent Mr.. Dean back to the
city to buy tents and have them shipped to
Caldwell
The colony expect to arrive in Caldwell
tomorrow evening and will travel on
Oklahomaward next day.
Some of the comrades were
sympathizing last night with
the colony owing to heavy rains.
Fears are entertained that the Cimarron
and some of the other streams will be on
high and greatly impede their march.
In talking yesterday of the difficulties
which will be encountered by boomers at
tempting to enter Oklahoma by road, a
retired officer of the Fifth cavalry said:
I'm June, 1885, the Fifth United States
cavalry were marching by battalions
changing stations from the department of
the Platte to the department of Missouri.
The authorities at the Cheyenne and
Arrapahce agency, anticipating trouble
with the Indians. requested that troops be
sent to that point as rapidly as possible.
Troops 3D." Thomas; 3D." Montgomery;
"K," Woodson; all under Major Sumner
being in northern Kansas were dispatched
at once by rail to Caldwell and thence
overland to Fort Reno on the North
Canadian. Heavy rains, such as We have
had for the past month, had been prevail
ing in that country and such trip as the
troops then had cannot be described or
even comprehended except by those who
experienced the hardship. Streams that
ordinarily would have ten to twelve inches
of water were found to be raging torrents,
some of them twenty-five feet deep. The
horses had to swim the streams and i'm
provised pontoons were made by taking
the wagon covers and wrapping them
around the wagon beds and in this man.
ner such of the supplies as were not car
ried away were carried across the rivers.
Between streams the wagons sank to the
hub and the men were obliged to pull the
train for nearly the whole distance. Not
withstanding the fact that forced marches
were made and stores abandoned this bat
tallion was five days in marching ITO
miles
''The Mckinney battalion. troops c,
Adams; Z, Price; L, Forbush; and l,
Kellogg, under command of Major Car
penter were dispatched from Red Cloud,
Neb., by rail to Caldwell and thence
ordered TO Reno. Arriving at Caldwell
three days later than their comrades they
had worse time that the advance battal-
lion. The water had subsidized but the
mud was left, and such mud, sticky clay
into which the wagons, each drawn by six
mules, would sink to the axle. Every few
miles some would have to be unloaded and
lifted out of the mud by levers, jacks and
every appliance available. At each creek
the mules would have to be unhitched and
long picket lines attached to the wagons
and $50 men would have to drag the
wagon down to the creek bottom and then
up the incline on the other side. In this
manner of marching and working all day
the command reached Fort Reno after
six days hard work. and much
suffering for want of good water,
there being no springs or wells and the
available water only the thick red mud
which flowed in the water courses. Fuel
had to be carried as none can be found
north of the Cimarron. What with delays
and hardships, such as swimming the
Cimarron ana making three return trips
across the river for stores, the men and
animals hardly recovered from this trip
for six months, and the troops still talk
about the expedition as the one in which
they were turned into government mules.