The Omaha guide., 1940-01-06
Recall Story Of WindwdgOn' Thomas
Who Built the Queerest Vehide That
Ever Travelled the Santa Fe Trail
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON

w 3 On 3 oAo
creaking up long prairie
slopes; wagons rolling down
hills; wagons grinding
through heavy sand, sucking
through sticky mud, swishing
through tall grass; wagons
with locked wheels plunging
down steep river-oanks; wag-
ons snaked through clinging
quicksands, or juggling over
ribbed sandbars rough as
cobblestones; wagons hauled
yard by painful yard up the
forbidding rocks of the Ration
Pass, two slow miles a day;
wagons corraled against the
attack of treacherous red
skins; wagons broken down.,
abandoned, stranded by the
loss of animals stolen by raid
ing savages; wagons burned
in prairie fires; wagons
warped and shrunken by the
heat and drouth. Wagons
crammed with rich furs,
Mexican silver, gold bullion"
Thus writes Stanley Vestal in
his book, "The Old Santa Fe
Trail" published recently by the
Houghton Miff1in company Of Bos-
ton, and the first chapter in that
volume of interesting yarns is de-
voted to the story of what was
probably the queerest vehicles
that ever travelled over that trail.
The scene of this true story is
laid in Westport, Mo-, the eastern
terminus of the trail, and is de-
scribed by Mr.. Vestal thus:
Zone spring day in 1853, the
citizens of that frontier town were
amazed to see a light vehicle
steering down the street, driven
by the wind which filled its white
sail. Horses reared and ran
away, women and children fled
into their houses, dogs scuttled
for safety, and the men of West
port stood with open mouths,
watching that strange craft come
sailing in.
Its pilot lowered the sail,
locked his brakes, and rolled to
"a stop before the entrance to the
Yoakum Tavern. He disem-
barked, and the startled citizens
gathered to inspect his bark and
question him.
Navigator of the Prairie.
"They learned that his name
was Thomas, that he had come
from somewhere east, and that
his sole cargo consisted of a COM
pass, a water butt and a carpet
bag. He walked like a seafaring
man, and they suspected that he
was tattooed under his faded
monkey jacket. Was he a whaler,
had he ever struck a fish? They
could not tell, for Thomas wasted
few words in telling of himself.
He announced that he had come
as the Navigator of the Prairies,
and invited them to join with him
and form a company to engage
in the Santa Fe tradei
SIN Yoakum's Tavern, leading
citizens split a bottle with him,
while he diverted them by explain
ing his plan. He proposed to
build-with their backing-a fleet
of large prairie clippers to carry
cargo to the cussed Spaniards.
The advantages of wind-power
were numerous, according to the
nautical stranger. Speed, econo-
my, freedom from the expense of
buying and the trouble of feeding
draft animals, freedom to leave
the Trail along the Arkansas Riv-
er (since there would be no ami
mails requiring water) and sail on
the high prairies by compass.
Westport was the Quitting place
for all travellers bound west; it
would be easy to have the wagons
built there. Injuns would be
scared of the strange craft. And
there would never be any lack of
wind to drive them"
All of which sounded perfectly
logical. But, according to Mr..
Vestal, there were skeptics in the
crowd who suspected that there
was a catch somewhere in the
scheme proposed by this clever
Yankee. They scoffed at his idea
Of building what they derisively
referred to as a "dryland navy"
BY gum, they weren't going to
put any money of theirs in such
a crazy propositionl
Proved 1t Would Sail.
But Thomas wasn't discour-
aged by their skepticism. Just
10 prove that his plan was prac-
.icahle he announced that he
would sail his queer craft to
Council Grove-150 miles away
and then come back and make
hem eat their words about his
'windwagon." AS he left town
n a cloud of dust and numbered
IF across the prairie, they were