Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-06-23
VALUE OF THE ARMY MULE IN WAR.


Gomez 70 the important ulhAtfA we
porting army supplies. there's only tWo
animals In 1.-THE mule and it, driver
These are proud days for his muleHnip'
a few weeks ago dcspispd ana WuIt h..
less the hybrid Missouri mOckinE nill
IL now a valuable and much aouEhl al
ter article. its price has jumpod rom
$40 to sl95 a head. and army buyers are
olamoffng for II IN i0O00-hcad lots at
this latter figure. The mule u utt'H-
Hty a. well aH n luxury IN war time.
Ills Ddvnntnrea over horse are legion.
He l. the type of tuughnesa. We VIII
do more work than a horse ana 1--WE on
less. As pack animal he is ihr .u-
perior. lio rs like o. camel 10 his
ability to 20 without water
Tho mule can i've on dry leaves or
almost any kind of provcudor and do
good work lie will stand any Kind "
quantity nf uhuso ur hard usage ana
mover murmur. He 10 the patience ot
Job lie ia somewhat stubborn ana
hard-hcadcd. but the sense thl ls litef-
ally beaten into him ~ ns useful 90 him
and his employer as any other sense.
IIe can trot In mud kncc-dccp 40 dny
without weaflucsH. ana Dr. u FAR better
swimmer than the horse.
one can ride u well trained mule Into
a we'll or up tree. Ito a. The sine qua
non Tor o. campligu through tho muuh-
taina ~ cuba. Ola TROOPERS ten me
that MS war animal the mule has ail
these advantage and many othcrF SAID
an old veteran 90 me tonight
"a mule can discover water two miles
on. And h. viii never ran O. tell
you about a. iis voice De- not musical
but Il ~ easy 90 understand.
again. hls ears b. not hlg Tor nuth.
ms. 1ie " as watchful nH ca Q Any
unusual sound viii wake him. lie can
tell the tread Of hIatlle fn1tatCfs or
az la al any
hour N the nlght. aud De- Will never
fail a. let you know ~ a.
The geese that saved ancient
Carthage are nothing In wttChfuInrHH
20 the army mule. a mule speaks put
and tells you about a thousand ihlnra
that "a horse would Jet pass by with
out saying a word"
Aaa pack animal. when the back has
90 be used In lieu OF vehicles. the mule
IL the only animal HC will travel with
Il forever lie will mover break down.
WadinE Marches. swimming rivers,
climbing mountains-it is all the same
20 him. 1Ie fattcna on hardship.
Mules are used nearly altogether at
army posts. They carry the couflcrH
pull the amhulancfs, pillow the potato
patches. a good mule team viii pull
an ambulance six miles an hour Tor 30
hours aud never give forth alrn ~
complaint Any one Of thUm nt the end
81 that journey ~ 100 miles VIII
promptly elevate 10 the ceiling any man
who win Try 20 tickle bin foot
While "a mule can even stand cold
better than horse. hlA powers ~ en-
durance INA best Illustration in hot ui-
mates lie o. the product NJ southern
countries. lie n always Immune against
yellow fovfr or any contagious dis
ease. Tho climate OF Cuba has mo- ter
rom whatever Tor him. He IL not a.
Hwift az the horse In an artillery
charge. but h. VIII pull these engines
Of war All day without fatigue. And
he win listen 90 the roar NJ cannon
without batting an ear. Ills nature IL
not musical. Tho sound Of battle has
neither terror nor charm for him. He
stays whnru you put him. and h. raises
the white nng never.
During the late war u was q stand.
inR Joke. which had great deal Of
truth In Il, that tenmHter could swear
uudsr aud longer aud more effectively
than any other man in the army. When
n MiHrnurlnn was mustered ln. " there
was vacancy In the drivers corps h.
vas assigned 70 that. aa Il was sup
posed that he know how 10 break
mules. one lank son n the ozarka was
assigned 10 Transfers duty 10 ten
Lyons division 1T the outbreak N tht
war lie presented himself APOLOGIZE,
chily hof0rc his superior officer.
"cap'n." he said htchlng hla thumh'
In the yarn rniluHca attached 10 hli
hutternnt trousers. Il wlHi yea pint
nili Jones 20 drlyln them mulcs."
flows hat can't you driver"
what the dovirs the matter. Thorn
"Wcll. So see. Cnp'n." clearing hll
thoat. my wife she KEEP nrryln' m par
ron he kUp taikln' NJ hlirhrd onto th'
iIardahell nnptls. which in dead ngii
curHin."'
II was properly understood that IN
only way To- start a mule team was q
build frp under them, or o. swear un
IN tho atmosphere was blue. Sometime
lot OF young two-yonr-old unhrnkrl
mules would have 10 b. pressed int
service. They were caught ana fhHicnr'
nrmly to a tree. their heads plantrl
against the tree trunk Then % coupl
OF tcamntoru would buckle on the hnr
ness. Tho wagon wheels were locked
the mules backed In, and the trace
nnnpped. Then the tcnmHlcr mnuntr
the near wheel mule, ana ErnHprh IA
Jerk line, and the ChNulC tdr move
forward with a tremendous shouting
kicking, swearing and ioltlng ~ N
wagon.
A good story " told m one ~ Grt
Rhcrmnn'a Missouri tcamHiors. Ito m
juat Joined the service, a raw rrcrul
and was assigned the task ~ drivln
a slx-mulc team When the army halle
the frHt night he was YEARLY unhni
Messing his team.
"Hulio. there" said the wax ~ IN
company IN passing, what dn 80
mean by taking care of thun' mule
yoursclfg Why don't you have III
hostier DO ~"
why. / though, every man had Z
take care of his own team hiid "a
heWlldcred tehmEtor.
you het he doesn't We've got
hoHtlor for that There's his tent, rigl
over there. He's u lazy, contrary, ol
curs. and h. may not want a. 90 I
hut you swear nt him, and h"ll mos
on At douhle-qulck
The Mlasourlan strobe over 20 N
tent Indicated. which ii happened Va
Cen shermunB headquarters.
Here, yuu son M gun ne ronr'
At the general Hereby, get Out ,
here and brush those mulrs''
Needless 90 say tho trumHtrr Hpci
the evening In the guard house.
In 'Gi story went the rounds ahol
Con, Nelson, which had too niue
foundation In fact tu ever down, III
army was forling a swollen Htrrar
one ~ the mule teams began
feundsr half way, ana apparently ".
about 20 drown.
Jump In, men; jump In, and ~
those mules OUT" shouted tho Ernerl
The mem many OF whom could M
swim, hcHltatcd 90 obey. when tho grl
odal turned and pcrcmpturIly order.
them In.
Jump ln," he cried Don't go
know boys, that IN times llhr these
mule r. worth ns much us man.
What the general really HIi ln
jooular voice, that AN Understood, W.
that q mule was worth almost ns ma.