10 o'clock
I must have stood there ten minutes poring over the strange news . An expedition in a special train had been sent west from Yuma that day , with railroad men and doctors . It had left at 3 P. M . The train reached Mesquite in less than an hour , and word was sent back from that station , `` All right here ; track clear ; will reach the springs at 9 P. M. '' A dispatch from Yuma sent at 10 o'clock and received at St. Louis said , `` Nothing further heard from the special . '' News from Chicago , where the excitement appeared to be momentarily growing , reflected intelligence from Denver , St. Paul , and Kansas City , and it was vain to ignore the fact that the entire West was in an alarming condition of anxiety . A special train was fitting out at Cheyenne under Government orders to start in the morning with a corps of Signal Service men , army officers , and electricians . It was to go provided with every scientific appliance , and to carry an insulated cable to be paid out from the car .