Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1895-02-20
= CAMELS IN AUSTRALIA.
AS Useful There as in the Des-
ertS Of Arabia.
a Splendid Raco of Animals Being
Raised In tho Australian Colonies
The Beasts of Great Service In
tho Gold Fields.

Some interesting particulars con-
corning the part which the camel is
playing in the development of the Aus
tralian colonies are given in special
issue of the British Australasian deal
ing with the gold-fclds of western Aus
tralia. The great central depot for the
animals imported from India is Port
Augusta, two hundred and fifty-ninc
miles northwest of Adelaide. licrc q
camel quarantine station has been cs-
tabli2hcd, and the arrivals are kept in
it and carefully watched for the firat
three months to guard against out
breaks of certain deadly mn1re~
which carried off IN, t Of the CARL.
animals. Once accliInatiHcd, the Ca,nyl
re not liable to the complaint. -:
thcy thrive wonderfully uDau l.:
.t"tural shrubs Of AuStralia-aaltl l.y,.'
.Tattlc. nulga. acacia and other v;,ri.
rs. The imported animals, h0w,,:y.
re not nearly so valuable ~ IL" IN
"@iian-brcd camCl3. The p"3tol~.ii
recdi his cam@ls as he does Iii; .auC,.
II scientific principles, so that IL
lady, within twenty-five years, thur.
: boon produced in Australia a rac,
ca!IclS larger in. frame, HounIicr j:
:..!I and limb and possessed of greater
flt-carrying capacity than the In
IA animals originally imported. By
!c ms of camel caravans-tAcrc ar,
~" close upon ten thousand calacls Il g.
work. III hepastoraliitj have
- y enabled to take up and stock nov.
'Hhtry Which was formally incapable
u being utilized because a broad bell
= land that is either watcrlcss or IL
ilc to long periods of drought inter
ned between the good country anG
'Att!ed regions, whence all supple.
i;;"" to he drawn and where all prod
ct" must be marketed. 1t is ONLY
Tit:un the last few years that minin~
lrH have awakened to the utility OF
.iHrl% in their industry, and larrr
.1InbcrS of the animals have recently
'ccn drafted to western Australia. o.
'c Older gold fields of that colon,
nc camel caravan has already knocked
III the bullock team by reason both OF
""nomy and efficiency. But, moro i'm
rtant still. the camel is enabling
&C" gold fields to be reached and
vorlicd which were previously, if not
absolutely inaccessible, incapable of
oSSbipICNl anu uJll-
i@ed. Mining machinery is being made
~ sections convenient for Singing
ross the back of the pack animal.
%mcl wagon transport, unknown both
Asia and in Africa, has also been
.cvclopcd in Australia, the animals be.
.Ag yokcd in teams of eight, Just like
hullocks. Well-sinking machinery is
likewise being sent out into the water
less country on camelbacl, and after
the magnificent results achieved by ar
t""inn boring in the arid region of
Queensland, where some of the bores
yield two million gallons day and have
caused rivers to run where water was
never before seen except in the form of
nn all too scanty rainfall. There is no
saying but that by this means tho
West Australian gold fields, now
worked with difficulty owing to the
scarcity of water, may be converted
into regular oases. During the Lind
say expedition, it is added, the camels
had spells of twenty-three and twenty
one days without drink of water.