Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-06

ing the camels he managed 10
his wish to possess a fine weapon peions-
ing to the storoship. Ii was conveyed !"
him with proper expressions
Major Porter and Lieutenant Porter had
not vet realized the opera boune nature
OF their proceedings. and the Major about
this time wrote long letter entering INTO
certain physiological details touching the
camel OF sort that even Uncle jerry
Rus,< would have hesltated TO insert In
his famous volume upon the horse.
The expedition received at Smyrna thir-
tv-three camels from the Interior MAJOR
wayne reports the price as varying from
SIS to $1,000. In Egypt the beast OF BUR,
den. in good order could be purchase
al prices ranging from $50 TO $50. Inc
swift dromedary ranged In price from $40
to $1,000 The range OF price IN ASIA
Minor was not 40 wide.
While In the far East Major Wayne en-
deavored to learn by inquiry as TO the
habits and nature of the camels. lie al
dressed directly or indirectly a long INST
of questions 70 a missionary and received
a somewhat disjointed reply along with
an apologize note, saying that the ms
sionary was at that moment ABSORBED III
the task Of lettering certain Christiah
tombstones with an Oriental stone-cutter
Unsuitable for copy at his elbow. The
BILE mass Of matter upon the subject IN
question. and all OF this Is duly set forth
I'm Secretary Davis's report to the Senate,
together with elaborate cuts, showing va
rious kinds OF cames, the saddles they
wear and the method of driving the
beasts The Major had engaged Tor a
year three Arabs to accompany and take
care of the camels. Meanwhile several
camels were born abroad ship The
Major did not visit the Canary Islands
TO study the camels there, as he had
been instructed to do by the vigilant
Secretary, because unfavorable winds
made it impossible TO reach the Islands
without great delay.
The Supply reached Indanola, Tex.
February 10th. having lost three camels
on the voyage. Those that survived were
WELL and the whole drove was taken
under the care Of Captain }. n. Palmer
United States army, to Camp Verde
Tex, there to be kept several years
The Suwanee brought in load Of forty
one camels on February 10, 1851, and
these, too, were sent to the interior.
Secretary Davis appends to his report
of the camel quest a grave treatise
upon the animal in all phases and uses
with special reference to its employment
| I'm the army. He lived to see the finest
possible opportunity for testing the valu'
of his importation, but he seems during
the next eight years 10 have been fan
J too much absorbed I'm practical affairs oil
state and war 10 give this interesting
subject the attention il deserved
The old-time residents OF Western Texa.
and Of Arizona have some vivid recol
/ lections Of the effort 10 make the
/ burden-bearer Of the Orient useful II
thS military service OF the Southwest
and especially Of the laughable failur,
/ that 1t proved TO be. From Indianola
/ Tex. the camels were moved Overlan,
at the rate OF forty to fifty miles
day. carrying government stores 20 tbs
weight OF 1000 to 1900 pounds each e
interior points I'm Texas. Almost from
the first there was much difficulty Il
grooming and feeding the animals. II
a few weeks several died Of unknown
diseases. and others langnished and be-
came unfit for work. The military Of
fcers found il hard to get any hostlel
10 attend 10 the camels, toward which
all the cavalrymen and troopers tool
a violent dislike. The horses becam'
restless and ugly when stabbed or cor
rallied with the strange beasts. Their
were frequent reports that a camel o
two had broken away during the nigh
and wandered away by itself across tn
sandy plains. and il has been suspected
that extraordinary zeal was not Away
/ put forth to find the animals and brnl
them back for military service
From May 8 1851. until in 1861, some
thirty of the camels. that had become
| partially domesticated TO American ways
and adapted 10 the climate of the South.
| west. were kept az the United States
forts at FL Paso and Bowie. They were
fed and cared for at the expense OF tbs
Military Department., but, because the
| troopers and teamsters in the servic,
could not be urged TO use the beast.
Instead OF horses or mules. and. espe
cially. because OF the clumsiness of the
camels' harness and the unusual labor
in packing and preparing a "ship-of-the
desert for service, the animals were sci
dom used. In the last year or two Of
their stay at the garrison they wer'
merely pensioners upon Uncle Sam.
bounty, and were never brought into ser
vice. In 1861 the herd had increased {,
forty-four head. Then the civil war cam,
on, and in The stir and wild excitemen
OF those days I'm every army-fort in tn,
South all attention was turned from thu
camels to the great crisis In natona
military affairs. The forts fell into dsusi
and the beasts were allowed to wande
away at will. They travelled in pairs
and sometimes in lunches Of four an,
six, across the deserts and into the noun
tains. Some lived for years In the Pan
handle OF Texas, and in a few year
made their way as far west as the Colo
RADIO river. I'm Southern California. Ii
some instances the camels multiplied
but In twenty years most OF them die,
among the mountains or were killed b,
the Indians
At intervals In the last decade IN
soldiers at the garrisons i'm New Mexic
and Arizona have Seen stray remnant
OF descendants Of the original herd run
ming about on the alkali plains and ami,
the sagebrush and cactus Many a pas
senger on the Southern Pacific railroa,
trains has had a sight of some gaunt
bony, and decrepit old camel away OF
in the distance from the railroad. an,
plodding his way across the Territories
All reports are that the animals hav
grown white with age, are as wild an,
intractable as any mustang, and hav
hard, bony, horny hoofs unlike tn
cushiony pedal extremitie- OF the well
kept camel, and that their hide has as
sumed hard. leathery appearance. l
Is likely there are very few OF thes
ships Of the desert left i'm America The,
have not been seen in the cen
trail part OF either New Mexico or Arl
iona in several years. A number OF tn
members Of the International Boundar,
Commission that recently finished sur
yey Of the boundary line between IN
United States and Mexico report tina
they saw two camels on their progress
through Southern Arizona, and the AM
mails. although seen well only throug
a field-glass appeared TO be in thel
prime. and probably were the descen
| dants of the original herd OF camel.