People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-03-02
Stampedes of Cattle,

Among the frequent questions of
the tenderfoOt in Western cattle lands
are, What causes cattle to STAN
pede?" and How can they be
stopped?" Hundreds and hundreds of
cattle, running en- masse madly across
the prairie, look as if a few men could
check them no more than a hurricane.
Each animal is then like runaway
horse in city street, going smash.
bang ahead into anything that may be
in its course. Nevertheless, a STAN
pede can be stopped, and nine times
out of ten is stopped quickly when
COW boys are present at the start.
Of course if stampede goes on I'M
checked the cattle will run until they
drop down from exhaustion. Mean
time many fall and are trampled to
death, the calves in such cases being
nearly all killed.
What causes cattle TO stampede?
Various occurrences. In some in
stances the leaders of herd, perhaps
feeling frisky, caper about for u while,
then stand and snort loudly. This
performance seems to incite others,
and few in every group in sight will
follow the example. These are imi-
tated in their turn by some farther
away. Finally the whole herd is in
motion, becoming more and more ex-
cited. Then they bunch, and in one
mass start on their wild race, making
the prairie tremble under great clouds
of dust.
A man in front of the stampeders is
in great danger. He may escape by
running to one side. or even straight
away if he is speedy. But many a
man has been killed in the attempt
When cattle show signs of fright or
excitement the cattlemen take their
position on all sides of the herd, and
comRence singing and making all
sorts of noises. This in many cases
will quiet the herd. If it fails the
COW punchers keep riding around the
cattle, swapping their long whips until
all are rounded up and heading in
every direction. This bewilders them
so that they know not which way to
turn.
When this is done in time a STAN
pede is prevented; but once the cattle
get started, the attempt to stop them
is full of peril. Yet there are few
cow boys who dare not ride across the
front of the galloping herd, though
one false step of the horse means a
horrible death to him and his rider.
The cow boys try to turn the lead
ers, knowing the rest will follow.
They are kept continually turning
until they close into small circle and
finally are stopped in an exhausted
, state. Then they are content to lie
Fdown and behave themselves.
Although other methods have proved
successful in checking a stampede
this is the surest, and is therefore
most commonly employed when cattle
men are so situated that they can use
it.
What may cause a stampede at one
time will check one at another time
as the following true story will serve
TO show:
A railway surveying party were al
work in Kansas among the Flint hills
Late one afternoon dark clouds wer,
rolling up in the west, streaks O
Lightning were chasing each other OF
the bluish-black background, and dis
tant peals of thunder rumbled anC
echoed.
On the other side Of the hills was
party of rangers driving a herd o
Southern cattle northward to bette
grazing ground.
AS gloom came on the wind fresh
ened, and big drops of rain fell. TIL,
air was filed with birds drinking il
the refreshing moisture that brok'
a monotoIous drouth.
The rangers had rounded up" a
the upper end of little valley, which
the surveying party was entering a
the lower end, just as the storm burs