The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-24
He Came Back
Man Visits Wichita
After Fifty Years.

Man Visits Wichita
After Fifty Years.
To the Editor of the Eagle: 1 left this
world in 1850. but as special favor1 have
been granted furlough TO come back TO
; earth to see what improvements, Il any,
had been made in the fifty years of my
absence Knowing, as I did in lie, from
| history. that Kansas was a bowling VII
derness, inhabited only by Indians ard
tunaloes, I selected this state as the best
/ field for my inquiries.
I struck westward and reached in Wich-
tia an improved street different from any
thing / had seen in life, and feeling that
1 was a stranger in a strange land /
concluded to employ a guide, which L did.
told him 1 had seen streets maoadam-
lied with broken stone, had seen streets
blocked with stone or bculders and had
seen roads pianked and corduroyed, out
this skating-1oor street was new one
to me. My guide explained that the pave
ment was a composition Of asphaltun
and other minerals, and that II was con-
sidered the boss pavement Of the present
daE
At the crossing Of two streets I saw
suspended very brilliant light, and, re-
Numbering that tallow candles and sperm
oil lamps were the lighting power In my
day. l was about to ask my guide If the
candle makers or the lamp makers haQ
so greatly increased the power or their
manufactures as to make such light as
that when 1 noticed a wire leading OIL
from the light to-I don't know where
and instead asked him if that wire was
hollow by which it conveyed oil to the
lauan fl om an elevated tank.
He laughed at my simplicity and said
that the light was electric; that the force
behind il was electricity, furnished from
a station that might be located in dis
tant part Of the city or might be many
miles in the county. The invention, he
said was one of many of a man named
Edison, who made himself world re-
nowned by the importance Of his inven-
tons about twenty-five years after 1 had
left the world.
I was next attracted by an omnibus
coming down the street at a very rapid
rate of speed. At least 1 took it for an
omnibus, for it had windows all along
the sides, and the people in it sat with
their backs 10 the outside. But, 10, where
were the horses? My guide, noticing my
amazement, explained that it was not an
omnibus but an electric street car, that
the propelIing force was electricity, and
that it was furnished from the same sat
ton that made the electric lights. This
was a sumner to me- The idea of pulling
street cars, or omnibuses as would call
them, and lighting a city by the same
power.
While standing in the street wrapped
in amazement at this last information /
was unconscious of being in danger OF
being run over by the rapid but noiseless
approach of another street car. At least
1 took it for a street car, as it had no
visible propelling power. And in jumping
aside to save myself from that danger 1
came near being knocked down by a two
wheeled vehicle, ridden by an Indian.
knew he was an Indian because he wore
bracelets around his ankles instead of the
wrists, as I had seen white people wear
them. And then he had the same disre-
gard for human life that that people were
notorious for in my time.
1.-The first machine" said my guide. sis
an automobile. and. though I don't know
the propelling power employed in this one.
1 do know that in some places they are
employing electricity by means of a stor-
age battery that will carry the machine
for forty miles,
As 1 was informed that the automobile
was making a mile in two minutes and
that the other machine was making
time of 1:4O. I realized the narrowness of
my escape when 1 called TO mind that
2:40 was the best time made by a horse
M, IN 10 told
me that the thing ridden by an Indian
was bicycle.
At the corner Of Main and Douglas
found the town tied together by wires.
At least that was my conclusion from
the way the wires centered In there from
all directions Rvt my guide informed me
that it was the center of the electric
street car system. and the wires were the
means by which the electricity was con-
veyed to the motors in the cars.
The next thing that caught my eye was
a big lot Of rolls OF carpet. At least they
looked like rolls Of carpet that had seen
during my lifetime I was badly shaken,
however. in my conclusion ON looking
up and seeing that I was in front of the
Eagle publishing conpany's house instead
of a carpet store. The sight of a publish
ing house brought to my mind the pub
fishing houses OF my day and the differ
ent landings the paper went through
before 1t was ready for the carriers. The
paper was first dampened ny wetting
every third quire. Each cylinder Of the
press had to have its feeder, and after
the paper had all been fed through II Sad
to be turned and fed through again for
the other side of the paper, Thus you
can imagine my surprise when my guide
informed me that those rolls were not
carpet. but white paper, on which the
Daily and Weekly Eagle were printed; |
that by the use Of the Webb perfecting
press the paper is rolled right from those 4
rolls. printed on both sides at the same /
time. cut into the required lengths and /
folded ready for the newsboys. And all /
this with only one man TO see that the 4
is working properly.
I was next attracted by seeing a man 1
singing q comic song from a stage, as I /
supposed. bat on entering the room from 1
which the sound proceeded could see
no stage nor singer when my guide % 4
relieve my perplexity. said that the voice |
came from that big brass horn: thai The
instrument that reproduced the voice Of 4
the man was another Of Edison's inven- 1
lions.
On leaving this place my old appetite /
came to me for a smoke and. noticing
a grocery nearby. I dropped into It just I
as the man in charge walked Ut 20 the 1
wall, on which was attached a box with 4
a crank 10 Il. The man turned the ser-
aral times savagely. and then said 20 the .
COX in loud tone: Give me I'D" /!