Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1896-07-25

During Mr.. McNaughton's cam
paign of work and enterprise he
has received may setbacks which
would have discouraged a man of
less perseverance and energy. But
he kept everlastingly at work and
now he is beginning to see what
will be left for his children to enjoy
when he and his estimable wife
shall have passed away.
First, we shall undertake, in Our
feeble way, 10 tell something of the
farm house, and we venture the
assertion that there isn't a better
one in the West. II is two stories
in height. the first floor being five
feet above ground, and is composed
of large airy rooms. The second
story has a like number of rooms
aud the entire first and second
floors are finished in oiled hard
wood. A broad porch extends clear
around the house. The basement
is composed of cold storage room,
wash room, coal aud wood room,
kitchen, and a dining room 1sxa
feet. In the basement there 10 also
a first class cyclone hole, arched
over with vitrified brick. In most
dwellings, the frame work Is 2x4
studding and 2x6 joists, but Mr..
McNaughton desired something
more substantial and built his
house of 2x6 studding and 2xi2
joists. The studding and joists in
most houses are 16 inches from cen
ter to center, but in this house they
are only IL inches from center to
center. The house was sheathed
before being weatherboarded and
the walls are filled with concrete
made from jig sand and cement .
from foundation TO roof, three'car
loads of cement being used in the
filling of the walls. During the
cyclone on the evening of July5,
1895, which devastated Baxter
Springs, extending south into the
territory and shaking things up,
Mr.. McNaughton, knowing the
strength of his house, lay on sofa
in his private Office and said to
himself, "Let 'er blow" The site on
which stands this house is one of
the most commanding in the coun'
try. The town of Miami, seven
miles away, can be plainly seen and
were it not for the big hill south of
Baxter this town also could be seen
distinctly.
About three years ago Mr..
McNaughton began the erection of
a barn. II is onlya small building
"but large enough for all practical
purposes" being 70 feet 9 inches
wide and l22 feet 8 inches long and
Is feet high. or rather four stories
including the basement. In this
barn are watering troughs, two hay
mows, the second and third floors
being used for this purpose, bins
for corn, corn chop, oats. wheat, big
mixing tanks, set of wagon scales
and stalls without number. The
harness room is about Is feet square
and clear around the barn is a shet
for implements, wagons, etc.
There is nice stone quarry near
the barn from which McNaughton
get his building stone.
Within 200 yards of the house and
barn are three wells which supply
an unlimited amount of water, one
of them-96 feet deep-having 95
feet of water in II.
The farm proper comprises abou
1900 acres, but Mr.. McNaughton hal
under his control large amount o.
other land. His crop acreage this
year was immense, there being 600
acres in oats, 600 acres in wheat, Co
acres in fax, 600 acres in timothy
and clover, and $500 acres in corn.
All the small grain and grasses
have been harvested and his corn.
on a small average, will yield 40
bushels to the acre, or 100000 bu.
A better piece of land there is no
in the whole Indian Territory. Th'
soil is of the black loan variety, Ii
some places being ten feet in depth
There are springs all over the farm
aud il did look strange to the edit
ors of the NEWS to see water rum
ming in bitches on either side of thu
roads through the big fields of
waving grain. The farm proper lie
tiled where drainage is necessary
and seven miles of ditching has
been completed this year.
Mr.. McNaughton is now making
arrangements to make q fish pond
out of one of his big springs. Tn
soil is 10 feet deep and he proposes
to make the pond that deep, 10 feet
wide and 800 feet long. II will be
stocked with game fish of several
different varieties.
In addition to the big farm over
which Mr. McNaughton and his
wife preside they have under theiI
control about 1900 acres of pastuI