The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-10-04
IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS,
Pack trains Freight. They c.s.
ry-How They arc Loaded-Sasao-
tty Of tho Mule.

ry-HoW They arc Loaded-8a&aC-
tty Of tho Mule.
Any one who travels through the
country west Of the Rocky mountains,
will find cause for wonder at seeing, in
places most difficult of access, towns Of
substantial buildings. Of which the ma.
terial could not have come from any.
where in the neighborhood. And yet
they may be hundreds of miles from q
railroad. These towns do not differ In
appearance or in their interior equip
ments from those in the east, except BY
the natural distinctions resulting from 4
different sort of inhabitants. Of course,
nearer the Atlantic, we do not meet
with the pondefous mining machinery
so frequently seen id the mountains;
but in the mountain hotels will be found
the same furniture, heavy and light,
which is used in the east; in the saloo his
the same billiard tables on
which the tournaments are
played in New York. Indeed
everything that is provided in places
having easy c'mmunicati N with all
manufacturing centres, can be found up
in the mountains; where it would
Seem that only q practised climber
could 90, or an animal entirely free FROM
burdens. One article is certain to be
met with III CHI places in greater pro.
ilsioh than Is ever dreamed of in the
East, nan ely, the ivory checks used for
gambling. For gambling goes on in
most OF the buildings. and in certain
cases it never stops. There are some
saloons which opened their doors ten
years ago. and never once closed them,
| or put by their gambling tables. night or
day. The princip sport is stud horse
poker; and in this variation 6fthe stand:
ard game the first card dealt is the only
one known to the holder alone; everv
card after that being thrown ON the
table face upward, and the bets being
changed after each card.
| And yet the whole OF that town has
| been carried there, and some of it on
the backs of horses and mules. In what
are called pack trains they have carried
the brick that made the houses and all
that the houses contain, including bill
lia'd tables and poker checks over Jour
! neys that may have taken weeks to
/ make. and through places where the
chances were that before train went
past, some of the animals would 20 over
a .prec,pice, and perhaps spoil q whole
! blizzard table by dash:ng to pieces part
OF its bed. Pack trains are OF course
gradually retreating before the introduce
ton of railroads, but it will be many
years before they 20 entirely out of use ;
and in some parts of the country they
are likely to remain the only means of
| transporting freight. For many years
there have been large companies which
| have owned and managed freight routes
| by means Of pack trains, in the same
manner that other companies have con.
'2ss Tia yftSHs 5 9s{s 3f' sometimes
have fifty animals, generally all mules,
although horses are used. Mules are to
be preferred, not because of greater
surcness of foot, but for the reason that
their backs are more level, their hips
more prominent; and their withers low.
er than is usually the case with horses,
so that they are notso liable to Ue chafed
by their loads. A mule can carry from
two hundred to six hundred pounds,
but those that can bear the greater
| weight are exceptional animals. No
mode can be devised for fastening such
load that will prevent it from moving
| slightly when carried up and down steep
hills; and when back is once chafed;
there is little chance for healing it be-
fore, the end OF the journey. Tue sight
of chafed mule will often make q man
sh1dder. The back may have great raw
and blee ling patches on it, the withers
become festefed and swollen, the points
of the hips, which come in contact with
the load. may be worn nearly to the
bone. the tell be rubbed BY the crupper
| until it is bloody, and perhaps. in ad-
dition, the belly may be cut and pinched
by the girth until it looks a. fearful as
the back. Yet on such an animal the
load must Dc put every morning until
! he reaches the end Of the jour-
ney or breaks down entirely.
There are two styles of apparatus for
mules back to which his burden is
fastened. One is called pack saddle,
and resemblea very closely a sawbuck
or the continuance used on the backs of
unbroken colts. The other is much
more often seen, and it is called by it's
Sp .nish nome, apparejo. This consists
Of two great saddle bags, each about two
| feet wide aid three teet long, stuffed
with hay until they become three or
| four inches thick, and also with half q
dozen willow rods running lengthwise
inside, to make them keep their shape
ard hold their load better.
These two bags are Joined at the top
by leather of their own width, 80 that
when flung across the back they hang
| down the sides and reach the belly.
Then their two lower ends are brought
together by broad gjrth. or as it is called
in the west, cinch. This girth must be
broad, indeed sometimes as broad as six
inches, for the severity with which it is
frightened under the animals belly
would make even q hunters groom
stand aghast. The packer winds the
buckskin thong that fastens the GRIT
around his hand, and he and his assist
ant place their knees against the appar-
ejo, and by the united strength Of two
men, who are we'll used to making their
weight and strength felt, the girth is
drawn so tight that it sinks deep into
the animal belly and makes him Rroan
est discomfort il not in positive pain.
And yet this arparejo must etay on per-
haps for ten or Twelve hours.
When this is done. the animal is ready
for its load. To put this on requires
two men, one standing on either side. II
the load consists of several small packa-
ges, they are made up into two bundles,
Zach one of which is securely dashed 9 o
that It will not come apart. Then o
double rope, called the swing rope, is
thrown over the apparejo, aid the bun:
tiles are lifted up on the beasts back and
the ends of the rope hung over them %
that they hang suspended, one counter
balancing the other. After these have
been shifted and adjusted so that the
weight is rightly distributed, they are
ready to be securely fastened to the ap-
parejo; and to do this a rooe is used
longer and heavier than the swing rope
called las rope.
When this is finally tied, it has the ap.
pearance of a cats cradle. It seems to
have twice passed straight around the
animal snd twice round him d,ayonally
that is in the direction from his neai
shoulder to bis eff hip, and from hi
near hip to his off shoulder. In reality
it has only zone once nnder Ills belly
and then has been caught on the corner.
Of The apparejo, and has had couple o
turns in it by which the two raighl
strands going over the pack that at first
were swayed on with all the packer't
strength, have been further drawn apar
on top until they make the figure Of {
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