The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-09-18
Many Were Disappointed in Securing
Claims and Others Say the
Land Is Worthless.
NO MILK AND HONEY THERE
Water and Bread Scarce, but Hot
Winds and Sand Plenty.
Uncle Sam Denounced as BuncO Steerer
Scenes at the TOwns-Crimes
and Fatal Accidents.

ARKANSAS CITY. Sept. 1.-THE mystery
which through so many long years of
anxious waiting shrouded the real charac-
ter of the Cherokee Strip. the gauZy veil
through which expectant home e-seekers
thought they saw a Canaan, has been swept
away. The Cherokee Strip is now a real
ity. and very grim reality at that. There
Is no Canaan about II, either. lt was q
promised land; but it he's not kept Its
promise. It may do so year
hence from now, but at present the
strip Is as uninviting as any quarter on
the face of the earth. Water is obtainable
In only few places. Food is so scarce
that loaf OF bread costs 50 cents. and q
pound of smoked ham is worth u dollar.
The weather is suffocating. aud another
hot wind is blowing from the south that
would parch ell vegetation if there was
any to parch. The drought of the last
month he's left the country burned dry.
smOthering dust. composed or a combina-
tion of fine sand and ashes of prairie fires.
fills the air and adds to the thirst and gem
eral discomfort of the unhappy boomers.
The careless building of camp fires has set
the parched prairies sblaze in many places
and boomers are out fighting Off the flames;
in other places unscrupulous men have
started the fires In the hope of driving
some timorous claimant Oft valuable
tract
To-day'wss generally given over to an ef-
fort to BRING order out of chaos. The
farmers families have put up tents. ar
ranged their primitive houses as comfort
n lxy n nI IA h.
for water. either in creeks. springs, or In
driving wells. While the head of the fam
lily has hustled off to the nearest land of.
fee to file his preliminary papers. this
work is done by the remainder of the fam
lily. The county seats and town sites have
become busy communities Those reached
by the railways have been fairly well
supplied with provisions. In those OFF the
lines of travel, tho commonest commodi-
ties command fancy prices. SO great Is the
demand exceeding the supply. At Willow
Springs water sells at 10 cents glass.
bread at 50 cents a loaf and other supplies
at pToportiOnate amounts. Restaurants.
shops OF all kinds. drinking places and
gambling houses have been -esta blished in
tents and are doing thriving business.
The centers of interest have now been
transferred to the government land offices.
At kinghsher to-day six hundred JIred,
weary boomers lined up IN front OF the
office. and Will keep their places until the
Office opens up tomorrow. At Guthrie not
leas than ,2OO men and women are IN line.
At Perry, the new town site on the Santa
Fe. q line OF men a elile long stretches
away from the land offices. and
at Wharton 1000 people are
in line. At Pond Creek. on the Rock
Island. the crowd of people deslrous of
dong business with the land Office il
enormous. The crowds at the land offices
must have suffered intensely to-day. The
sun was hidden behind the clouds, but one
of the famous hot winds was blowing u
gale from the south carrying dust IN clouds.
The men and women who dared the dan
gers of yesterdays rush, end who endured
the hardships for the ten days preceding.
held their places resolutely in line, aud
will do SO until they make sure of their
claims by filing their papers.
Thousands of people who yesterday made
such. jan effort to get into the Cherokee Strip
get out to-day. Even as soon after the
rush as yesterday evening hundreds of peo-
pie came out and took mp quarters Eere.
Some failed IN the great race 60 get claims,
and others, having located claims, relin-
quished them rather than endure
tho disc0mforts and hardships Of
frontier life in a desolate country
such as the strip now Is. To-day the
return move became an exodus. and to-
night the city is as badly crowded as lt was
the night before the race. Many are de-
parting by the trains, but others too poor
to buy even railroad tickets, are stranded
here. What to do with this latter class
will be question to be decided by the city
authorities. All those returning tell the
same story of lack of water and scarcity OF
food. but of an oversupply of heat, hot
winds and dust.