Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1894-10-18
Correspondence.
A Waif From the West.

To the Editor of the american:
Sometimes one comes across old things
that awaken many varied memories. A
few years since in overhauling, re-arrang
ing and cataloguing the books in the
library of the Young Mems Christian as
ISOLATION, in st. Paul, Mimi, | came
across life of Rev. lothian Sewall, "pre-
scented to the United States Christian
Commission" on the fly leaf of which
the following was written:
"FoxCRoFT, Me-, Dec Is, 1864
| DEAR SOLDIERS, THE FLOWER AND SUPPORT
OF OUR COUNTRY:
| send this good book, life of Rev. Mr.. Sewall,
to you, and may 1t be n comfort to you, and
prove blessing to yOl all who may read it,
| and may this war come to an end when it shall
please God and we be humble as nation, STAY
cry be done away, the rebels laying down their
arms and be humble, and you return to your
| homes. This from your friend,
NATHAN CARPENTER
What part of the army this book visited
is not known, but at the close of the war
it was given to the st. Paul Y. M. c. A.
by the Christian commission.
How many readers it has had it is hard
to say. One thought in the inscription
struck me very forciblv: 1--WE be humble
as II HallOn. NO uOuDI luhJ Is greatly
to be desired, but it can hardly be
realized, when, as individuals, we are the
reverse of humble. "Pride goeth before
destruction, and naughty spirit before
fall' is as true of nations as of persons.
The American people are not noted for
humility, either singly, or collectively.
1t might be better for us all if we were
more humble.
We have around us on a small scale,
what other parts of the state have in
much larger degree - fire sufferers.
Prairie fires have been very numerous,
and, being accompanied by very high
winds, have caused much damage, though
few, il any, dwellings have been burned.
Outbuildings, barns, granaries, hay
stacks, grain threshed and unit hreshed,
have gone up in smoke in all directions
around us. Many farmer has not a ton
of hay left for his stock to winter upon.
All of Tuesday afternoon, Sept. %, the
whole population of this town We're fight
ing fire i'll gale, and, aided by d slight
change of wind, finally succeeded i'll
saving the town. The scene at night
would have been grand, if it We're not for
the knowledge that much hardship must
be the result of tail.
Given thousands of acres OF prairie grass,
as dry as finder, no streams, no hills;
hay stacked in the fields in every direc-
ton, large straw stacks on every hand
/ where grain had been threshed, grain in
the shock or stack in many places where
the thresher had not yet got along; given
also wind blowing twenty to forty miles
an hour, and fire III the grass, and it is
certainly "a condition, not theory, that
/ cOnfronts us"
4 ''tire break consists of few burrows
poWed around a stack, or buildings,
with sometimes other burrows plowed
outside leaving strip of grass OF from
ten to fifty feet wide between them, which
strip is usually burned off when there is
no wind. Many of these proved ineffec-
tual, as in several cases the wind drove
the flames under the turf, burning the
grass that was supposed to be securely
covered, and hay stacks supposed to be
safe We're burned.
Very little of the hay is housed; more
than four tifths of the hay used is simply
put in stacks of from eight to ten tons
each, III the field where it is cut, and then
hauled as it is needed. The cost of stack
ing is about = per ton. Grain, except
oats for feed, and the seed grain, is US
ually hauled to The elevators on the rail-
roads, and either sold or stored.
Few of the farms are paid for; for the
past two years crops have been cut short
in this vicinity by drouth, the price of
wheat has been very low; many of the
farmers are heavily in debt to the mer-
chants and implement makers, having to
pay ten per cent. interest at least, often
double that, and the situation of the
average farmer in this section of the
country is not altogether pleasant.
A cold rain storm set in on Friday night,
Sept. Is. which will be of much help in
/ extinguishing fires where they still rage,
and will be of great advantage to those
who have ploughing to do this fall, the
ground having been so dry that il was
slow and hard work to break the sod
The political pot is beginning to boil
here. II is rather early to make predic-
tions The populstic element has been
strong in this section; the settlers are
very largely Swedes and NorWegians, and
! those who are not very prosperous fancy
hat the peculiar ideas of the Populist
party VIII cure every i'll and restore good
times.
With many, if the money spent in the
saloons was otherw ise applied, a very per
ceptible change in circumstances would
be observed at once,
Wheat sells here for is cents a bushel,
oats % cents eggs 12l cents dozen, but
ter 10 cents pound.
The repair-shops of the Great Northern
railway for this division of the road, are
located here, and usually furnish en-
pleyment for from 100 to 100 men, but
now every car that will hold wheat and
every engine that can pull car is ON the
road, and the shops are deserted, not