New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-20
PRICE THREE CENTS.
HALF THE JOURNEY DONE.
LONG LINES OF WAGONS ON THE pAwHEn
AND RENO TRAILS.
AND WITH EEw ACCIDENTS STILL IN
DREAD OF THE FLOODED RIVERS.
lBY TeLKanApH no rnr rnrpuMzl


fBr TsLEonAPH TO raE rRrBuHzl
Indian Territory. thirty miles south of Arksnsas
City, April 1s.The end of the second days journey
nnds the majority Of the boomers camped midway
between the Kansas line and the Oklahoma border.
IN the heart Of the Cherokee Outlet All day hong
they have followed the trail which, scarcely dis
nngulshabie at ordinary times, has been converted
ny the passage Of so many heavily frcighted
wagons into succession Of black quagmires, Wis
ible for miles against the green of the surrounding
prairie. There have been heavy showers and
lowering skies so far, scarcely relieved by oo-
casional riffs in the clouds permitting the san 10
draw the dampness out Of the ground and atmos-
phere. But, despite physical discomforts and un-
told privations the spirits of the boomers rise az
they contemplate the approach Of Monday, and
with it their entry into the promised land
Viewed from neighboring hill, the line OF
wagons extends from end Of the
horizon to tho other, as it moves
slowly along, winding its way over tbs
broken ground Of the country. For q moment
disappearing from view then suddenly emerging
again upon high knoll, it suggests the move
ments of huge snake gliding cautiously along tho
grass, the white duck covers OF the wagons al
ternating with the black soil of the road Al
group Of horsemen in front. spreading over tho
sides of the track, remind one of its head, tho
stragglers behind seem to be the tail Of tho
monster. At night more than 500 camp fires give
ruddy color to the sky. Black shadows pass
and repass ftfully before your eyes, The neighing
of horses and barking of dogs occasionally disturb
the quiet, but long before midnight everybody
has turned in for early start In the morning.
1t is a motley crowd, this crowd of boomers. All
classes and conditions of life are represented, the
farmer the laborer, the professional man, the adj
yenturer and the speculatOr are met One fellow!
whom no one would suspect of being anything
more than a brolxen-down farmer, trying by
change of residence to improve his fortune, is
pointed out to be a man worth 100000. He Is
an old frontiersman and has been at this sort Of
business all his life or, at least, whenever an
opportunity presented itself. Presumably he
knows what he is about but he is secretIve and
does not proclaim his intentions from the house
tops or, to be little more correct in the present
case, from the wagon box. There are not many
like him, of course. In fact the vast majority
of the boomers are poor, very poor, many having
no more than span Of sickly, half-spavined
horses and a miserable, rickety wagon. A fair
proportion, however. are believed to have money
in bank; not much, perhaps, but at any
rate, enough to carry them through one season.
Before leaving Arkansas City, the correspondent
Of The Tribune was informed by one of the lead
uIH VI tLc UOWu uldb ulb Dduk I4u ONcE
$4,000 in deposits belonging to boomers.
Comparatively few merchants are In the crowd
that is crossing the Cherokee outlet. AS rule
they seem to have preferred to wait for the trains
that win start in large numbers from Arkansas
City and other. points In Kansas, ready to cross
the Oklahoma border at noon Of Monday next The
railroads have undoubtedly made extraordinary
preparations for carrying both freight and pas
sengers into Oklahoma on that day, but most
of the statements that one hears concerning the
establishment of stores and warehouses and hotels
are to be taken with grain of allowance. The
statement for instance, that a contract had been
concluded for the erection Of a hotel at Guthrie,
to cost $4,000 is absurd. Neither is it true that
500 houses ready made are now on their way from
Chicago to Oklahoma. Such stories may appear
picturesque at distance, but they arc laughed
at here, because it is known that they have no
other foundation than the heated Imagination of
lonely correspondent. They belong in the
same category as those stories about a balloon
lying in readiness near Caldwell to carry some
enterprising boomers into Oklahoma through the
air, and about the great raft which Harry Hill
was to float down the Arkansas River. The
average boomer is altogether too much a matter
of-fact man to take to air and water when he
can travel on solid ground.
AhC oboChSc VI hCSIoco hUn Unc uOUucro prO-
cession is one of its noticeable features. Among
1900 men that compose it, there are not more
than ten negroes probably, and they are miserably
equipped, the outfit Of one consisting of light
wagon drawn by a cow and mule. Another
seems to foot it entirely, carrying an old rusty
shotgun on his shoulder. Still another seems
to have absolutely nothing except half-starved
dog. All three, however, hope to locate claims.
AS the caravan approaches the Oklahoma bor-
der there is discernible among the boomers q
certain feeling Of distrust Of each other, in strong
contrast to the ties of friendship which were
formed when they were yet encamped along
the banks of the Arkansas and Walnut Rivers
It is due obviously to the keen spirit Of rivalry
which animates every one TO secure the most
valuable lands in the new Territory. That moth
ing is likely to occur which could soften incpent
cnmites at this stage of the journey must be
assumed. While, on the whole, good
temper yet prevails, there have been
number Of incidents which tend
to show that the feeling is not so harmonious as it
ought to be- A number of eiques and associations
are quietly forming, each including five TO ten
outfits for the purpose Of protection and self
defence.n What that means is easy TO guess. 10
is nothing less than the preparation for warfare.
What holds the boomers who are about to enter
oklahoma from the North together. more than
,nything else, just now is the fear that their
Southern rivals, who will rush into the Tcrritorv
by the way of Purcell may get advantage by
reason of the high water In a number Of streams.
notably the Cimarron River, which the former
have to cross The latest advlces represent the
stream as almost impossible II that is true. then
the Kansas boomers win indeed have a hard time
Of it, The race will be practically in the hands or
the Purcell men, There are many deet horses In
the northern camp of the boomers but accidents
~re almost sure to occur. II attempts are made by
venturesome individuals to swim across with the
horses, the wagons would necessarily have to re-
uain behind until the streams became fordable
But all this would certainly give the Purcell BOOM
srs o tremendous advantage.