Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-01-17
MULE-BACK TRANSPORTATION.
How Towns ar Built up Among Noun
tains Whar, no Rad May Come


most difficult off access, towns of sub
stantial buildings. of which the material
could not have come from anywhere in
the Geighborhool. And vet they may
DE hundreds of miles from railroad.
The whole OF that town has been car
rled there, and most OF it on the backs
OF horses and mules. In what are call
eel pack-trains they have carried the
orlcks That made the houses and all
mat the houses contain over Journeys
mat may have taken weeks TO make.
anu through places where the chances
were that, before the train cot EAST.
some OF the animals would 90 over n
precipice.
a regular freight train will sometimes
have fifty animals. generally all mules.
although horses are used. Mules are to
be preferred, not because of greater
surenesS OF foot, but for the reason that
their backs are more level, so that they
are not liable to be chafed BY their loads.
n mule can carry from 200 to 600
pounds, but those who bear the greater
weight are exceptional animals.
There are two styles of apparatus for
mules back to which his burden is
fastened. One Is called pack saddle.
and resembles very closely q sawhuck.
or the continuance used on the backs of
unbroken colts. The other is much
more often seen, and it is called by its
Spanish name, GppGrej0. This consists
OF two great saddle-bags, each about
two feet wide and three feet long, stuff
ed 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
and hold their load better.
These two bags are joined at the top
by leather of their own width, so that
when flung across the back they hang
down the sides and reach the belly. II
the load consists of several small pack
ages, they are made up into two bundles
each one of which is securely dashed so
that it will not come apart. Then \
double rope, called the swing rope, is
thrown over the appareio, and the bun
dies are lifted up on the beasts back
S and the ends o. the rope Joined over
them, so that they hang SUSPENDED. one
counterbalancing the other. After these
have been shifted and adjusted so that
the weight is rightly distributed, thew
are ready to be fastened securely 10 the
apparejo; and to do this rope is used
longer and heavier than the swing rope
called the lash rOpe
When this is finally tied, it has the
appearance of cats cradle. 1t seems
to have twice passed straight around
the animal and twice around him di-
agOnally, that is in the direction from
the near shoulder to his off hip, and
from his near hip to his off shoulder In
reality it has only gone once under his
belly, and then has been caught on the
corners of the appareio, and has had
couple of turns in it by which the two
straight strands going over the pack
that At first were swayed on with all
the packers strength. have been furth-
or drawn apart on top until they make
the figure of Il diamond, and it is this
which gives the name to the loop called
the diamond hitch" without which
no pack can be securely fastened. The
man who packs on the near side first
throws the lash rope across the pack,
and in doing so he gives it peculiar
twist that looks simple enough, but a
person could watch him do it for weeks
and yet have no clearer idea how it was
done than a mere observer could get of
the trick by which q monte man man
ages to hopelessly mix up his three
cards.
1t is wonderful to see the wisdom of q
pack mule on the march. Except that
d man, followed by the bell mule, rides
in front of the train to lead the wav, he
Is lett 10 his own resources. As rule
he whole train marches in Indian file,
5uJ when the road lies across a smooth
ana even prairie, the train is apt to
scatter a little. and five or six animals
70 side by side. The moment that ford
IS reached, however, or a diff :ut pas
sage of any sort, they instinc lively fall
back again into rank, and each passes
in turn. In going up and down asteep
hill, if there is trail, it will not be di-
verged from; but if there is none. the
greatest freedom of progress is taken.
And yet the whole train will ascend Oh
descend on the same principle; that is,
they will all follow q zizzag path. They
may approach the hill in perfect order,
but the moment that it is reached they
scatter along its sides, crossing back
and forth among themselves, making
only short tacks, and thus passing over
a seemingly impossible hill with little
greater effort than would be required
for gentle slope.
In pack train recently travelling in
the ROCKY Mountains, mule that car
ried pack rather wider than the others
was seen to stop before two strong trees
and although several animals had al
ready passed through without difficulty,
he carefully examined the distance from
one tree to the other, and after decid-
ing that they were too close for his load,
he turned from the trail, plunged down
steep and rocky bank, and came
round on the other side rather than try
to force his way Thoroughbred York
Sun.
a Wasps Strategy.