Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-13
AMERICAS LAST CAMEL.
Went to Feed the Indians After m
Long Career.
From the Denver Republican

From the Denver Republican
The last wild camel in America was
killed and eaten by the Indians I'm Yuma
few days ago The venerable beast was
one OF the herd of cameIs brought from
Asia Minor many years ago to carry ore
from the Comstock mines. So ends the
greatest attempt at acclimating foreign
animals ever made i'm the United States.
1t seems sad that the noble beast, the last
of his tribe, should have such an inglorious
end; and yet some sympathy must be given
the poor Indians for they must have been
awful hungry to he able TO masticate The
tough seventy-five-year-ol camel. BE-
sides. the poor camel would most likely
have died of slow starvation i'm a short
time for when last seen alive by white
men 1t was very feeble.
Just who the man was who thought Of
bringing camels to this country seems to
be a matter of some doubt. Several men
are credited with having done so, but ever
the old-timers themselves seem to be O
little tangled up on this bit OF western
history. Z. T. Barton of Prescott Ariz,
who was in the Comstock at the time said
he positive that the late Adolph Sutro
was largely instrumental i'm bringing the
camels here. This, however, has been
strenuously denied. Dozens Of similar
stories are told about other prominent Cali
fornians, but little credence can be given
to any of them.
But the fact remains that the camels
were brought here. On all the points con-
nected with this part of the story the old
timers agree.
1t was in the old days. when the COM
stock was in its glory, the days before The
railroad. when Virginia City was almost as
important a town as San Francisco. 1t SO
happened that a certain group of mines
about twenty-five or thirty miles out OF
Virginia City was panning out piles Of rich
ara INN ~
close TO the mines on account of lack Of
water.
Mules were put to the work. and during
the winter months did fairly we'll although
ing expense. Ii must be understood that
as dry, rocky and barren a desert as there
is on the face of the earth lay between
Virginia City and the mines To a
vehicle of any kind was out of the question,
and so the ore was carried I'm bags slung
over the backs Of the animals.
From the first it was apparent that tho
mule plan was not success. In the sum-
mer IL took about two mules to carry water
for the one that carried ore. and all the
while the animals kept dying. The intense
heat and dry, sandy air were too much
for them, and they fell by the wayside 50
fast that a new band was required almost
weekly. But the ore had to be carried To
the mill, for there was millions i'm it,"
AT this juncture some genius suggested
that the miners buy camels for the work.
So the cameiS were bought at great eN-
peIlSe. some OF tnefn were obtained from
the veteran Snowman L. 7. Barnum. and
about twenty came direct from Asia Minor.
under the care of an agent dispatched from
Virginia City.
From the first the camels did all that
WAS expected of them. Each morning they
would eat meager breakfast of any old
weed that happened I'm their way drink
few gallons of water and were ready for
business. Two bags of ore, each containing
between 2oo and 800 pounds were strapped
to the back over the hump of each camel.
When the train was ready all started
off at once. striking a good swinging gait
that was kept up until the mill was
reached The drivers had nothing to do
but follow the train. No stopping for
water. no urging. no beatings. The faith
full beasts did their work willingly.