Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-13
TRAINING PACK MULES.
How the Pensive Hybrid Is Fitted to Acqui
Himself CreditabIy in War.

\ government mule of long training
has l reputation that is bad. but it is
not to lie compared to the contrary
green mule. TO one who did not
understand the process of training it
seemed that Tom Horn and his five
assistants had simply driven sixty
three mules into pen and were gently
whipping them with ropes and lassoing
them just fer the fun of seeing them
kick But after three hours of disor-
der and discord. punctuated With brays,
sri.rts. and kicks, chaos finally ceased,
and the mules stood in line almost as
docilr as so many sleepy kittens, says
the st Louis Globe Democrat.
To understand the process of train
inc. one must first know the routine
duties that a pack mule in the army is
required to perform. Each mule is
branded with the letters u s. on
the left shoulder. Each mule is given
a number, and when in line he must
stand in the place designated by That
number. The number is branded IN
the bottom of the left fore hoof. Each
morning and evening Il long strip OF
canvas is spread on the ground and
sholled corn CT oats are placed on lhe
canvas as the rations for the mule
train. The trained pack mule must
know his exact place in line before the
canvas without any help from the men
Then when the men start to place the
saddles and packs on the mules, the
animals are supposed to stand stock
still until ready for the march.
The green mules yesterday were
receiving training which will eventual
ly bring them under this perfect dis
cipline The government has 3ust pur-
chased another 1000 mules in this mar
ket. and they were branded al the Ma
tional Stock Yards under the super
vision of Capt. j. +. Aleshlre- Assls-
tant soiartcrmaSter. and 600 of them
are HON al jefferson barracks uhde'
charge Of Capt. Won Schroeder. quar-
termaster. and Capt. Knight, who is
now quart of the post. The
mules at the barracks are being
trained for army pack service ana thlS
work is being done under the direction
of Frank Eenham, master of transpof-
taticn. who is an oldtime frelShtel
| from the Western plains.
In The army service the pack mules
are divided into trains, each train hav-
ing sixtv-three animals. With each
| train are one boss packer. one cargo
dol-e. and eleven packers. MAKING thir-
teen men in all. one train, therefore
has fifty pack mules and thirteen rlo-
ING mules. one cook and one black
smith look after each train. The boss
packer superintends the packing IT
general The cargodorc looks alter tue
| physical condition of the ANIMALS ana
eqtlahzes the loads they are to carry
| He washes the sore back with caSi!ie
| soap and hot water, and adjusts the
saddle so that a sore back VIII caus'
as little pain as possible. The black
| smith examines the hoofs of the nuies
| and sees that they are keep III goo.
| condition. Contrary to general oeitel
| an army mule receives much pette'
| treatment than nest mules owned pA
civilians. The army mule is iookeo
after almost as carefully as are th'
men. The short chunky mule, apou
IA to 14ls hands high, is the best loi
pack purposes, especially IN noun
,aiuous country. However. Sfea
MANY mule; now at the barracks are
Is hands high. They are fine lot o
animals. sleek and well fed, for whicf
the government paid $9t head. Al
army pack mule carries a load weigh
ing from 30 to 900 pounds. Each IRAN
| carries ammunition and fatlohs 10
men and animals and cooking utelisis
one pack may be made up of two boN
es of ammunition and two SACKS
cats 0r shelled corn, all weighing %
pounds Another pack may DE com
posed of sides of bacon arranged II
LAYERS and thrown over the mule pacl
in saddle-hag fashion. Another pac'
NAV be made up of cooking utensll
and -four. and another of bedding %e
But each pack is adjusted so ina,
will weigh only from 250 to 3oo pouilus
1t takes an experienced packer u au
just these packs by the weight quich
| L., al; receives SltU