The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-03-04
Yours Truly
BENJAMIN +. BUTLER
Boston, Mass, August 9G, 1887.
Grasshoppers in Kansas.
From n. Y. Tribune.

From N. Y. Tribune.
We were engaged that day in preparing
to move the tracks further back from the
encroaching river The heat was intense,
no rain having fallen in several weeks, and
the parched and baked earth reflected the
rays of the burning sun until the air
seemed to come from an oven. About
four o'clock in the afternoon, while we
were working in half-hearted, listless
way, about ready to drop from the ener-
waiting effects of the heat, we suddenly
heard rustling among the branches of
the trees on the bluff near us.
''Thank God p cried one of the men,
dropping his Shovel there comes breeze
at last"
"We all Strengthened up to catch the
| first faint breath of the welcome stir of the
superheated atmosphere, and lifted our
hats to let it play upon our throbbing tenn
pies. All at once the foreman cried out
in tone of CONSERVATION, Hoppers, by"
The long-threatened visitation Of grass
hoppers had come sure enough, and what
we had fancied to be the gentle rustling of
the longed-for breeze was the sound of the
onward rush of the countless multitude of
grasshoppers through the foliage of the
forest nearby. First one settled upon the
ground at our feet, then another and
another, and in an incredibly short time
the ground was swarming with and liter
ally buried from sight by the ever. increas-
ing army Talk about blizzard / have
never seen blizzard in Kansas that oblit-
Grated everything as quickly as that grass
hopper blizzard did. They swarmed all
over us-in our faces, down our necks, and
we had to keep our mouths closed to keep
them from getting down our throats. We
could not step without crushing a mass OF
them under our feet. To me who had
never seen them before the sight was ap-
palling Still they continued to come, the
air being darkened by the oncoming hosts.
And as soon as they touched the ground
they went to eating.
What appetites those varmints had
Soon the weeds and grass and leaves on
the trees and bushes began TO disappear as
if by magic. Almost everything was to
their taste unless it was sweet. They
would not touch sorghum or sweet pota-
toes, or anything like that. Pretty soon o
passenger train came tearing along down
grade some distance below, but near us the
grade began sharp ascent, and as the
train drew near, the driving-wheels Of the
engine flew around at tremendous rate,
and the train slackened its speed, while
the engineer frantically sanded the rails,
trying to make them hold. But it was of
no use. The grasshoppers covered the
rails so densely that myriads OF them had
been crushed. under the wheels, greasing
them so thoroughly that the train was
stalled. The train hands got couple of
brooms, and shortening the handles, fast
ened one on each side of the pilot Of the
engine so that they just swept the rails.
The mass of crushed hoppers was cleaned
from the driving-wheels, the rails were
well sanded, and after several efforts the
train at last started, the brooms sweeping
the insects from the rails before it. / had
often been told of the hoppers stopping
trains, but had never believed it until l
saw it with my own eyes.
When reached home that night my
pretty garden presented sad sight to my
sorrowful gaze. The vegetables had near
ly all disappeared. A few cabbage stumps
were sticking out of the ground in ruined
loneliness The sweet potatoes were the
only thing remaining unharmed; while my