Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1921-03-03
"REMINISCENCES.
Personal asesllsctIons ot,a Trip to Texas
In Pioneer Days, and Some Incl.
dents IN Gov Boy Life IN
the West.
(By L. N. Perkins.

. After moved to town the
first work l did was hauling in
wood from the river bottom, q.
bout three miles distance. For
this work Mr.. Adams turned a
team of horses over to my care
that had not been worked or fed
for a month or more and the last
time they had been hitched up,
he told me that they baked with
an empty wagon going down hill
and had to be taken out. l did
not make any protest against be.
ing entrusted with such a team,
but went to work, and had very
little trouble with them. l was
congratulated upon doing good
work with them.
~ During the month of January
and most of Febr uary the wealth.
er was ideal, with the exception
Of q Northar every two or three
weeks, but they did not last long
and were dry. The river oppo-
site Fl. Worth, when in normal
state, is about seventy-five yards
in width, and is a clear, pretty
stream of water which is easily
forded.
Texas is the most freakish
state in climate that have ever
seen. One night late in Febru.
ary l was up ubout midnight.
The weather was clear and pref.
ty but l noticed 1T was tighten.
ing in the North" l thought
nothing of it, as l had seen the
same thing many times; so l
went on to bed, only to be awak-
ened about three o'clock ir the
morning by the worst storm l
have ever heard. The rain was
torrential, with the terrible wind
and the lightning and thunder
incessant, and continued until a.
bout 10 o'clock in the morning.
During the storm no one could
stir out. l could not even get to
the stable to feed my horses. but
by noon it was subsidized and the
pretty river | have just described
was two miles wide and deep e.
nough to carry a steam boat. 1t
was estimated that half of the
cattle in the county perished du-
ring that storm, besides a num-
ber of horses and hogs. The
storm drove them into the river
bottoms and the sudden overflow
of water overlook them and they
were drowned.
There were some men at work,
camping in the bottom short
distance below town. When the
storm awoke them they under.
took to make their way out to the
foothills, but soon encountered
swimming water and as the tim.
Der was thick they climbed trees
and remained in their place OF
refuge until their friends made a
raft, padded tothem and brought
them to terra frma. The river
continued turbulenJ, and the en-
terprising people put a ferry
boat in operation which was used
for about three months until the
river got normal again.
Prior to this time the winter
had been very favorable for the
stock men, and cattle we're ir
Ane condition, but the heavy rain
bleached the grass, aid stock Of
all kinds did badly, and then af
ter the grass had started to grow
there came another cold snap the
18th Of March with sleet ant
snow which lasted about three
days, and many cattle died from
the exposure. But notwithstand
ing all these losses, when 'th'
season opened for the cattle work
there, seemed to be no scracit,
of cattle. They were everywhere
it did not matteri in which direc
ton you would start you woul'
find plenty Of them.