The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-09-27
Ole Awful.
DrOVth Of 1854

The present devastating drouth in
Missouri. Kansas and other western
states recalls to the mind of ]. H.
Wright. president Of a bank at Callao,
No, a drouth in 1854 to which the
present is Insignificant Mr.. Wright
says.
Il was about 10 years old. A large
.party Of us left Missouri, for Texas in
1 April. On the 10th or 18th of June.
while in camp on Red river. near
Prestin, a heavy rain fell, which was
general throughout the country, but it
was the last one that year. Up to
that time the weather had been I'M
usually favorable, and there EVE had
been better prospects for crops.
GAS the summer went on without
rain we began to get discouraged, and
most Of us decided to return to Mis-
souri,. There were seven covered
wagons in our caravan, containing as
many families. AS we slowly drove up
through the Indian territory the scare
ity Of water became a serious problem.
l remember one day we travelled 40
miles with only five gallons, the heat
and dust were awful, and toward the
afternoon our thirst became intoler-
able. At nightfall, instead Of camp
ing we resolved to press on to a place
where a spring was said to exist. Some
Of the teamsters were in an ugly mood
and nearly delirious. My heart nearly
failed me in thinking what would hap
pen should we not find the spring, or
II It should be played out. But we
reached It at 10 o'clock in the night,
and such a yell and scramble for It you
never saw. Men, women and children
fought for places, and accidents were
only averted by the men in charge
taking their stations between the
crowd and the spring, and passing the
water out in moderate quantities. They
were so thirsty they would have killed
themselves had they been allowed un-
restrained liberty at the water.
"All along our route was the dreary
picture OF the drouth fields Of stubble,
leafess trees and dust white roads.
There were no birds singing in the
trees and very little sign Of animal life
anywhere. There was no relieving
spectacle anywhere along the whole
700 miles Of our homeward journey,
which showed the absence Of rainfall
had been general.
1--WE reached Missouri about the
middle Of August and found vegetation
on every farm burned up. The corn
that looked so promising in the early
hummer was cut for fodder. and that
Is all that saved the stock. There were
no railroads, and It was impossible to
get anything I'm the way Of vegetables.
fruit or cereals. Cornmeal cost $3.50
a bushel when brought In from Glas-
gov or Hannibal. We lived on bacon.
cornbread. coffee and molasses pur-
chased at those places. Farmers moved
their stock over to the Charlton river,
which ran until late IN the fan. The
stock too far back in the country to
reach the river persisted. There was
nothing to be done on the farm, and
people just sat around and looked at
the sky. Some OF the emigrants who
had taken up large tracts OF land
abandoned It and returned east. under
the impression that a drouth was a
regular thing in Missouri.
at last winter set In, and It was
hoped early snow falls would furnish
water, and n right good storm came
up. But the snow was dry mt It blew
away with the dust, without even
dampening the earth.
THE dust on the pixies was fright
hl on a windy day, You could hardly
see a vehicle just ahead Of you. The
old Glasgow stage coach would roll H.
TO Callao With everything about it,
F! passengers. driyW. horses, harness and