Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-11-08
CORRIDOR TALK.

Mr. Robert MeCulloch, who is engaged
In raising fruit at Arcadia, near Calves
ton. was in the city yesterday returning
after an experience in the Cherokee
Strip. He was in the rush of the 18th
of September. and has been In the Strip
ever since. The Strip has left a bad
taste ia his mouth. and he talks fluently
about the country and the condition oil
affairs there. This Is what ne told
Perry i! a town of 1000 or 5000, in
the midst Of q prairie dog country,
which Is ilablttiaily an arid region. There
are no running streams OF water ht or
near Perry. Water that sometmes talis
there sheds off to the Cimarron river
on the south and the Arkansas on the
east There has been a good deal OF lot
jumping there but the chances now are
that a man il much more apt TO be
jumped by a lot, for the DUST mes
around there in a sort OF wiz dellfluu
almost every day. IL II tue uustlest anu
afflicted tlhs earth. The people of that
town are living upon themselves. Many
are wisely getting away whhe they can
When the money gives out most OF THOSE
who remain will be beggars, Tor Tue
town can draw no support from inc
country surrounding IT IN me way on
agricultural yield for nearly year, ana
there Is nothing else 10 contribute any
maintenance whatever. There Is a build
ing craze there. such as IL is, that sur
pnsses anything known in that way,
unless 1t might have been III some 81 Ihe
mining camps Of the Rocky mountains.
AT tho opening Of the Cherokee out
lot water and whisky, for the first time,
sold at the same price per drink
''Soouers took most of the Yaluub.e
lots in Perry and turned them over 10
those by whom they were employed.
but many angry disputes, gun nights and
killings odcuued IN the might, whgl
heard, no one knowing what moment ne
might have his head shot oil, and IN,
decd there are some cases reported
whore non-combltants were Killed by
buEets aimed at others.
1.-THE question of water supply is at
tracting n good deaf OF attention uP
there. The deep wells are salty ana
most of the surface wells weak.
AT present there is quite Il demand for
office room for there are swarms OF law
ycrs and others requiring them. but TIE
whole movement there started many
months before the opening of the outlet
and Is simply "a concentration of ill-ad-
ysed plans. The town of Perry will
probably settle down TO be place of not
more than 1000 people, and poor one ut
that.
what Is tic natural character of the
country, and It's agricultural possible
ties"
AS | said in former part Of this
talk, there is u slope from Perry toward
the Arkansas and CimarrOn rivers. and
IN the near and remote vicinity of Perry
II is generally high rocky and arid. The
further you 20 away from Perry the bet
ter 1t appears To be-, In the vicinity of
Perry there is no timber except few
struggling trees along the water-holcs, for
there are no true water courses In that
region. Thy are all bastard streams,
which an occasional torrent fills up.
There " u suspicion Of coal In the forma-
ton in TIE vicinity Of Perry, but no coal
has been found In measures nearer than
County q, about forty miles east of
Perry
MANY claimants are offering their
claims for sale, ull the way from S25 to
500 for quarter section This couvcys
only the right Of the homestead claimant
TO the grantee for title"
Did the Texans whom you met there
appear to be Satisfied with the couutry2"
Several of the Texans whom | met
have returned to Texas, disappointed, aud
some told me that had not the Strip
been misreprcscntcd TO them they never
would Lave gone there, but some went
rurthcr along and found fur better lands
than those at Perry. and have no
doubt that they are more or less salts
led