The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-05-18
MAKING UP A TRAIN.
TRAINING MULES FOR TRANS
PORT SERVICES.
a Feature Of Great Utnity In the Army
unhnown Untn the CIo-s Of the civil
Nine Men. Tifty Mule. and one
Horse In q Train.

Camp Carlin are most interesting.
There the men and mules designed for
the service are trained. and from there I
pack trains are organized. equipped /
and sent 10 the various army com I
mands Of the west AZ their services are
required. The latest call for the pack !
train OF the department was for the I
relief expeditions which the /
war department contemplated sending /
10 the KlOndlke. and the best train In /
the service OF the army Is now at SKA /
quay prepared. II necessary. 10 do its /
part In the work Of carrying supplies
across the passes TO the Interior. In /
order to replace the train sent on the
relief expedition the quartermas;er's
department OF the army IL purchasing a /
big lot OF mules and will at once com
menee training them az the Camp Car
lin station. where a pack train will be /
organized a. rapidly as possible.
Nine men. fifty mules and one horse |
constitute a pack train for active sery-
ice. The men are the packmaster, who
has charge Of the train: two supercar-
goes. or 'cargadoras." and six packers.
OF the mules. nine are for riding and
the rest for packs. The horse wears
bell and shares with the packmaster
the leadership Of the train. one Of the
packers must be- a cook. one a black
smith and all mus, be experts In hand
ling mules. Although part 81 the ar
my. the men are civilians and not re-
qulred 10 enlist. They get $50 month
and rations when In camp While In
Alaska the packers Of the train on duty
there are getting 500 a month and the
packmaster 5000
No uniform il required. The men
wear a modification Of a cowboys cos
tune. leather chaps. broad-brImmed
hats and high heeled boots Only able
bodied men are hired None weighing
under TO pounds Is taken. and the
successful applicant Tor a place in the
train must br able 20 ne 200 pounds
10 the level Of his chin. on a cam
palgn. while supposed 20 be- non-com-
batants. the men are armed with cayal-
~ carbines. reviewers and hunting
knives. and IN some o. the Indian cam
paigns they have done some effective
aghting. At the training camp the
men are busily employed 10 feeding
and grooming the mules. training
green animals and every alternate day
taking the train out for a practice
march Of from twenty 10 thirty miles.
For drilling purposes and practice the
animals carry loads Of 300 pounds. In
active service. where the marches are
long. 275 pounds Is the maximum lead.
This Is made up Of tenting. bedding,
cooking utensils and ammunition. One
mule carries 100 field rations. Ordi-
Larlly ono-hali Of the train carries ra-
lions. the res, carrying tenting, am
munitlon and miscellaneous supplies.
A pack mules equipment Is some
what complicated. On the animals back
Is first placed the "corrunna, or crown
consisting Of a quilted pad lined with
canvas. as a sweat cloth. and numbered
70 that IL may always be used on the
same animal On top Of the corrunna
Is placed a good. heavy blanket sil
fee, wide by 7 feet six inches long
This IL folded 10 six thiCknesses and
serves for bedding for the men. on
the folded blanke; IL placed the pacl
saddle. shaped like a sawhuck and tech
nically called the "apperaio" The cor
runna. blanket and apperaio consii
tute the rigging on the rigging arr
fastened the loads done up In tw'
"manteaus." or six foot squares O
heavy duck cloth. They are dashed OF
with a three-olghths inch rope twenty
eight TO thirty feet long. called lh'
layer" A sling rope Of the same siz
and length ties the loads across th
rigging.
The loads and rigging are secured q
the animal by a lash rope nlre-siX
teenths Of an inch In diameter and ~
ty-two feet long. The lash rope has
broad leather cinch at one end. whIc
is passed under the belly Of the ANNA
diamond hitch" across the top q
the load Is the method Of tying
leather blind called the "tapp0io"
nut over the animals eyes while IN
rigging and load are hcing put on, an
the FIRST lesson taught prosperity
mack mule Is to have him stand still d
long as the tappojo Ia over his eyes.
The bell horse Is the nabob Of N
train. lie carries no load or rider an
is kept In prime condition. a soft
toned. tinkling bell. hung 10 a stra
around his neck. announces every NOV
he makes. and the pack mules folio
him when he walks or crowd aroun
him when he stands On the marc
the bell horse is never ridden, but
led by one OF the packers. When N
mules are grazing the bell horse
hobbled excepting when apprehensi,
OF attack. when a man holds him D
his halter Brides are never used q
iNf hNlUlhlfs y AtrNl ~ WhNf VII
the bell horse az the right Of the lin
b mule No tied 10 the bell horses hal
or and each Of the other mules tied
the rigging Of his predecessor IN n
line. a tie-up can be made by an e.
pert train In two mintes
p with a nucleus OF twenty well-trali
ed mules enough green mules to mai
\ up full train can be trained In
month. II requires much longer
break In a full train Of all green mule
Since 1855 over a thousand mules ha'
been broken into the pack service
s Camp Carlin and sent TO ,he variol
I army commands In Texas. Montai
81 and Arizona. The mules are usual
y bought at ST. Louis. None under fol
p years OF age or over six Is taken. ar
o none under $50 pounds in weight. An