egistrations would be
accepted after a certain hour. Captain Yates, assistant superintendent
of the Opening, started from O'Neill, Nebraska, bearing the applications
from that registration point. So that there would be no danger of his
not reaching the town of Dallas with the applications before the
deadline, a special train was waiting for him. In his excitement Captain
Yates rushed past the men waiting for him, crossed the track where his
special was getting up steam, and took a train going the wrong way!
Telegrams, another special train, cleared tracks--and he was finally
able to rush in with his applications at the last moment.

Others were not so fortunate. Tired horses, a missed train connection,
some unforeseen delay, and they arrived an hour, half an hour, perhaps
only a few minutes after the registration had closed. Too late!

Oddly enough, one of the last to register was the foreman of the U Cross
Ranch, who came galloping across the prairie at the last moment to make
his application for a homestead. And when a ranchman turned to
homesteading, that was news!

On October 19 the Drawing began. The government saw that every
precaution must be taken to make sure of fair play; any suspicion of
illegality might cause an uprising of the mob of a hundred thousand
excited, disappointed people.

The great cans were pried open, and the applications put onto large
platforms, where they were shuffled and mixed--symbolically enough with
rakes and hoes--for it was quarter-sections of land they were handling.

From out the crowd applicants were invited onto the platform, and if one
succeeded in selecting his own name he would be entitled to the first
choice of land and location. Business firms, townsite companies were
making open offers of $10,000 for Claim No. 1. Then two little girls,
blindfolded, drew the sealed envelopes from the deep pile.
Superintendent Witten opened them and announced the names to the crowd
filling the huge tent where the Drawing was held.

The hushed suspense of that Drawing was like that of a regiment waiting
to go over the top. The noisy excitement of registration was over. The
people waited, tense and breathless, for the numbers to be called.
Ironically enough, a great number of the winners had gone home. They
would be notified by mail, of course. It was largely the losers who had
waited.

The first winner to be present as his number was called was greeted with
generous applause and cheers