Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-20
THE CAMEL IN AMERICA.

An Attempt to Naturalixe the Animal
In This Country Years Ago.
From the Rider and Driver.
The introduction of camel riding at the
| worlds fair enabled visitors to acquire a
knowledge of the peculiarities of the ships
of the desert" such as they could not have
| obtained except by trip to the Orient.
Doubtless there has been many a regret
expressed that the experience named was
necessarily so short and incidental: that.
with the departure of tine Cairo camels.
camel riding in America would only be a
worlds fair memory.
1t therefore seems to be one Of those
things not generally known that the camel
has been-if not now-an actually natural
lied citizen of the United States. This is,
however, a fact known to few.
About a year ago 1t went the rounds that
! "Gustav Bender Of Texas informs the pub
lie that in the wilds of Arizona sixty cam
els roaming about at their ease or rath-
er would be if they were not kept on thejump
by the COW punchers. who use them for
practice targets These are relics Of an
attempted naturalization of the animal
made forty years ago for use in the arid
regions.
About 1852 the problem Of the transporta-
ton of army supplies became such a serious
one that the War Department recommended
such an attempt. Some time elapsed before
the necessary animals could be secured
Their first successful employment, so far
as can be learned, was in 1857, when a
train of camels conveyed the stores and
baggage of a surveying party locating
wagon road between Santa Fe and Califor-
MIA This first trial was attended with
such good results that some time after one
hundred and fifty camels were imported
for use in the southwest, and as late as
1876 a camel train was in operation be-
tween Yuma and Tucson, Arizona The
camels throve we'll and did their work sat
isfactorily, but the hostility of the team
sters soon thinned their number and their
Use was further rendered unnecessary by
the spread of the railroads"
We also read that it was found that the
pebbles and boulders were too severe for
their feet, and that while doing very well
On the sandy desert, as soon as they reach
ed the foothills their feet became so sore
that they were unable to travel, and fin
ally were turned loose to take care of them
selves. Indian superstition protected them
against native hostility, so that they in
creased to over a hundred head" Then
they began 10 be a source Of annoyance to
proprietors of ranches on account Of the
fear displayed by the horses, who have a
natural antipathy to that animal. After
that the killing began.
Such are some of the "reminiscences of the
naturalization of this animal in this coun-
try.
Some time ago we discovered the follow
ing, given in the Zoologist of London, June
1875, as to the introduction of the camel
into America: "On a farm in the state of
Nevada, near the river Larson there is a
troupe Of twenty-six camels, all of which,
with the exception of two, have been reared
there. few years ago nine of these ami
mails were imported Into America but only
two survived. and these two being fortu-
nately a male and female, have produced
twenty-four-ten of which are now alive
The soil Is sandy and sterile in the ex-
treme.' and the animals thrive we'll, al
though their only food consists of the
prickly leaves of a small shrub and bitter
herbs which cattle will not touch They
are employed to carry merchandise and per-
form considerable journeys across a very
ba,ren country"