mi..u.i i.A I i.Ki-i.l.M., THUiiSDAY, AP1UL 25, 1912.
J
The Desert
Ship
She Sailed Between
Omaha and Denver
By JOHN TOWNSENO
When gold was discovered in Colo
rado there was a hegira across "the
plains" lying between the Missouri
river and the Rocky mountains. The
vehicles used were wagons with a
white canvas top and. were called prai
rie schooners.
That is a historic period in American
history. The distance was but about
500 miles, but there were no roads,
only flat alkali plains, with no shade,
and the sun, together with the dry at
mosphere, so shrank the fellies of the
wagons that many a prairie schooner
sank down in a heap. As the sea is
strewn with wrecks of ships, so were
the plains strewn with wrecks of wag
ons. Pike's peak was at the time the
principal point at which gold had been
discovered, and most of the caravans
were headed for that mountain. A
BOMB OF THEM WERE DISCOVERED CAU
TIOUSLY RECONNOITEKINa.
story has been often fold of a prairie
schooner on which was chalked "Pike's
peak or bust." The vehicle broke down
and additional words appeared. "Bust
ed, by thunder!"
One spring day a band of mounted
Indians making their way down the
Platte river not far from what is now
Lincoln, Neb., looking for a solitary
wagon to attack and plunder they
were not strongenough to attack a
train saw one "of "the "bucks deployed
, In front coming back, evidently with
' news of some kind. All pulled up in
the hollow between two plains rollers,
j where they would not be seen, and
i awaited the arrival of their vedette,
j When he came be told them that a
wagon such as never before had been
seen in that region was coming. Its
top was made of the same material as
an ordinary -plains wagon, but very
much higher, and there seemed to be
three tops, one very little one in frout
and two large ones back. But the
strangest thing about it was that there
were ne horses, and yet it moved
moved faster than the ordinary wagon
with horses to draw it. The great spirit
must be propelling it
The chief, dismounting, went to the
top of the roller, where he saw the
strange vehicle in the distance. It was
coming rapidly toward him. There
was the forward cover of triangular
shape and the two behind rectangular,
the bottom end being broader than the
top. The body and wheels were an
ordinary wagon, though larger than Its
kind. It was these three pieces of can
vas that puzzled the redskin, and the
fact that the thing moved of itself
struck him with terror.
While the. Indians are wondering
what Manitou is riding in this strange
vehicle let us" get aboard of her and
see what Is going on there. She is
simply a prairie schooner rigged with a
canvas jib and the two sails with
which schooners are equipped. Instead
of sailing over ocean billows she was
riding the rollers of the plains. Over
the center of the rear axle sat a man
working a wheel much like those now
used to steer automobiles.
This man was Abner Swift, the own
er of the veritable prairie schooner.
Hearing of the difficulties encountered
by the argonauts of the plains, the
danger of his wagon wheels collapsing
by means of the beat of the sun and
the dryness of the atmosphere, the
fact that fodder for horses must be
carried in bulk, that the horses might
fie and leave the wagon without mo
tive power, learning that the ground
to be passed over was a dry. hard sur
face without a stick of timber on it,
he conceived the idea of propulsion by
sails. He had bought the largest
plains wagon he could find, set upfcn
it two masts and n jibbooni. fitted
them with sails and attached his own
steering gear. For a cover he had none
except when not moving. When laid
up on account of adverse winds or at
night the sails afforded ample protec
tion. And so this man In search of gold,
having provisioned his land ship and
put his family aboard, one bright morn
ing, when a fine breeze was blowing
from the southwest, hoisted sails at
Omaha and started for the land of the
sunset
A crowd saw him off and previous to
loosening the brakes Bred innumerable
remarks at him.
"What y' goin' to do when the wind
blows dead ahead?"
"Tack," was the reply.
"See yere. stranger; don't y' know
that one man and two or three boys
ain't enough to resist an attack of In
juns? They'll raise yer ha'r for y"
"I'm relyin' for that." replied Swift,
"on the Injuns bein' skeered at some
p'n they hain't seen before."
"So long! Hope you reach the peak
all right" -
"I've got to get there. And 1 expect
tojlo it in a third of the time it would
take "norses or "mules to carry
there."
The men holding the wagon wheels
at this order loosened their grasp and
the land ship sailed down the street
toward the roadless west, "ainid the
shouts of the populace.
AH the first day he had free sailing,
for the wind held and was from the
most advantageous quarter The chief
difficulty was the bumps, and h:id he
not used his brakes unsparingly he
would have been wrecked in. some of
the rough places be was obliged to
pass over. But even with this restric
tion be made twice the distance be
could have made with horses.
, It was on the fifth day after starting
that the desert ship was espied by the
band of Indians looking for prey. Ab
ner Swift sat at the tiller, sailing be
fore an easterly breeze, unconscious of
the danger that lurked in bis front.
Suddenly a dozen Indians came dash
ing over a roller a couple of miles dis
tant and dead ahead. The moment
Swift saw them he put his tiller hard
aport, swung round in a circle and.
coming up into the wind, lowered all
sails.
The effect of this maneuver produced
instant consternation on the redskins.
Pulling heir horses back on their
haunches, tbey wheeled about and fled
across the roller over which they had
come.
Abner with the headway be bad on
brought his ship up so that it faced in
the direction of the savages, it was
near sunset and he had been expecting
soon to stop for the night and the
meeting determined him not to go any
further. His children, four stout boys
and three girls, each grasped a rifle,
but their father, relying on the super
Btitious effect his desert craft had on
their enemies, ordered them not to fire
a shot
Anticipating trouble during the night
the argonauts got their supper, made
the beds in the wagon and were ready
for an emergency. It" was still an hour
before dark, and what they feared was
that the redskins would overcome their
terror while they could still see." In
deed, twilight remained when some of
them were discovered cautiously rec
onnoitering. But meanwhile the oldest
boy, Peter, had brought out a hollow
griffin's head that had been brought
from a theater property room in Chi
cago as an implement of Indian war
fare. He set it upon the ship's bow
and as soon as darkness bad fallen put
a kerosene lamp in it.
During the "night half the party
watched while the other half slept Not
a sound of an " Indin was heard.
Could the ship's crew have seen the
savages they might have all slept, for
It was not till near morning that a
redskin could screw up his courage to
take a second look at the monster who
was guarding the argonauts. Then a
squaw was so frightened at the sight
that she gave a shriek and ran away
as fast as she could go.-
The cry awakened the head of the
family, who listened and, hearing oth
er sounds among the savages, felt same
fear of an attack. He therefore got out
a roman candle, with a number of
which he had provided himself, and,
fixing it in the griffin's mouth, touched
a match to it The sight of the un
earthly monster spitting red, green and
blue fire balls at them was too much
for the redskins, and, starting in the
opposite direction, they did not stop
till they had put miles between them
and rheynonster ship.
The next morning, a favorable breeze
springing up. after breakfast the party
got aboard the wagon ship and pro
ceeded outbeir journey. Having thus
far averaged some fifty miles a day.
they were not more than .li miles
from Denver, where they proposed to
stop for awhile Leaving ihe -Platte,
they steered a southwesterly rour?e.
finding the country still perfectly level
and easy to travel over Once again
they saw Indians lurking near them,
but they kept so great a distance that
the argonauts felt assured they ex
perienced the same tt'iror the desert
ship had inspired before Not far from
Denver the travelers struck a stage
road, and with the wind blowing out
of the northeast they spun along gayly.
passing the daily coach on the way.
It was about midday that they sailed
fato the then village of Denver, and
the inhabitants who were taking their
nooning lined the streets to see them
pass. Luffing up to the wind at the
hotel, the family disembarked and went
In to enjoy for a few days good cooking
and comfortable beds.
The desrt ship is now a legend. Old
men who were boys when it sailed the
prehistoric bottom of an ocean bed tell
about it. but younger persons shake
their beads and whisper that the old
fellows are beginning to believe that it
actually made the voyage.
Ma
kes Sewing a Pleasure
V
rF vou could eliminate the tiresome rlmdowv nf
pedaling-wouldn't sewing be a pleasure instead
of a task?
Heart to Heart
Talks.
, By EDWIN A. NYE.
"ENTERING JOURNALISM.
A young1 man wants me to tell him
what is necessary to "enter journal
ism." ,
Everything is necessary.
Daily newspaper work on the ed
itorial side is the most exacting busi
ness on earth.
First the beginner must have ..a
strong body. He should have a reser
voir of vitalityto withstand the kill
ing strain of Intense . labors concen
trated Into a brief time.
Next he must have that sixth sense
known as "the nose for news." It is
a faculty difficult to describe, usually
bred in the bone. It is the ability to
"see a story" where others do not.
Then add to these requirements the
scent to follow a lead, accurate Judg
ment, ability to make and hold friends,
patience, poise, initiative, loyalty to
orders.
What about ability to write? you
say. Any school graduate can write.
It is only necessary to tell things in
straight simple, clear English.
Mind you. all these things are neces
sary to put your foot on the lowest
rung of the ladder as a "cub" re
porter. You can climb only by expe
rience and trials under difficulty.
Young man. don't enter journalism
unless
You feel you were predestined from
all eternity to be a newspaper man
or
Unless you know you will not be
happy outside a newspaper office or
Unless the stern requirements are
like a bugle call of challenge.
Because
The demands of a modern, daily
An electric sewing machine motor attached to your
machine does all the WORK, giving any speed de
sired by the mere pressure of the foot on the treadle.
Current can be drawn from any one of your electric
light sockets-at any time-in any room-at. a cost of
but a half-cent an hour.
Let us explain how simply the motor is attached how easy the con-rol-how
safe the operation. Ask us today.
Portland Railway, Light
and Power Company
MAIN OFFICE SEVENTH & ALDER STS.
PHONES MAIN 6683 AND A. 6131.
newspaper, if you would ciTmb.are
keyed as high as human flesfj and
blood can stand, and the pay is not
In proportion. The discipline is as se
vere as that of military service, and
there is no mercy for those who fail.
But-
If the odor of printer's ink is in
cense to your nostrils, if you feel It Is
In your power to make good, if tb
Strong soul of you rises to the""call for
service, why. then -
In the name of Benjamin Franklin,
pitch In!
You will get your chance once start
ed, and never, never fear. "Pull" will
not promote some fellow less worthy
above you. You stand on your own
foundation. Merit wins.
And there are compensations. The
fascination of fheBuslnessls"'beyoud
that of any other.
But. by the price of your eternal
salvation, do not misunderstand the
requirements.'
The time to read the Morning En
terprise is at the breakfast table or
a little before.
y
O
Working for the other fellow and
Get Busy for Yourself
What can be won with a little
work a fine prie every 10 days
THE
AUTO
To what people are saying and
yot will see how popular yoa are
THEN GET IN AND WIN
r . jsyfeM ..... -
Yours for the
asking
i,
" " J-UT -MP MM '1 "' ' Z, -W'WJV' - -JfrjsrS"
v - - ' t -t
, Al ' , -
f
11 ; ... f '
nriiiirT'-'-- i
Don't it look good
toyou
To stimulate interest in the voting and 'we each one a chance to profitby their
work we will give a prize every ten days. These prizes will not affect the fina'
count in any way as all votes will count on
THE GRAND AUTOMOBILE
These prizes will be given to the one that hands n the largest number of votes
very ten days.
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the $ 1 00. Just think; $ 1 00 for a few week's work in the even
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