The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-18
LAST OF Wild CAMELS
THE BIG HERD IMPORTED FROM
ASIA HAS FINALLY DIS
APPEARED.
DRIVEN OUT BY RAILWAYS

They Are Turned Loose to starvc
on the Desert-COwboys Learned
to Their Cost 1t Was DANGEROUS
to LassO Them-They Lived ON
Any Old Weed That Happened TO
Come Their Way.
The last wild camel in America was kill
ed and eaten by the Indians in Yuma q
few days ago. The venerable beast was
one OF the herd of cancls brought from
Asia Minor many years ago to carry ore
from the Comstock mines So ends the
greatest attempt of acclimating foreign
animals ever made in the United States.
1t seems sad that the noble beast the
last of his tribe, should have such an
lngiorious end. And yet some sympathy
must be given the poor Indians, for they
must have been awful hungry to be able
to masticate the tough acknowledgements
old camel. Besides, the poor camel would
most likely have died of slow starvation
In short time, for when last seen alive
by white men it was very feeble, says the
Denver Republican.
just who the man was who thought of
bringing canels to this country seems to
DE matter of some doubt. Several men
are credited with having done SO, but
even the old-timers themselves seem to
be little tangled up OH this bit of West
ern history. P. T. Barton, of Prescott,
Ari., who was in the Comstock at the
time, said he was positive that the late
Adclph Sutro was largely instrumental
cir he
ever, has been strenuously denied. The
fact remains that the camels were
brought here. On all the points connect
ed 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 al
most as important town as San Fran
cisco. 1t so happened that certain group
Of mines, about twenty-five or thirty
miles out Of Virginia City, was panning
out piles of rich ore. 1t was impossible
to put up a mill close to the mines on
account of lack Of water. From the first
it was apparent that the mule plan was
not a success. In the summer it took
about two mules to carry water for tho
one that carried the ore. And all the
while the animals kept dying. The in
tense heat and dry. sandy air was too
much for them and they fell by the way
side SO fast that new band was required
almost weekly. But the ore had to be
carried to the mill, for there was mil
lions in It," At this juncture some gen
ius suggested that the miners buy cam
els for the work. So the camels were
bought at great expense. Some of them
were obtained from the veteran show
man, P. T. Barnum, and about twenty
came direct from Asia Minor under the
care Of an agent dispatched from Vir-
ginia City.
LIVED ON NOTHING.
From the first the camels did all that
was expected of them. Each morning
they would eat meager breakfast of
any weed that happened to be In their
way, drink a few gallons of water and
were ready for business. Two bags of
ore, each containing between 200 and 300
pounds, were strapped to the back over
the hump of each camel. When the
train was ready all started off at once
striking good, swinging gait that was
kept up until the mill was reached. The
drivers had nothing to do but follow the
trail. No stopping for water, no urging,
no beatings. The faithful beasts did their
work willingly. When the ore was dump
ed the camels took another big drink and
were turned loose, being permitted to
make their way back to the mine at their
own pleasure. Very rarely did one of
them fail to be on hand the next morn
ing, ready to take another load to the
MILL
The camel train was strange sight
while en- route across the desert. From
distance the general effect was that of
q scene in Persia. There was nothing
lacking-the intense blue sky, the blind
ing white sand and the distant noun
tains, showing dimly through faint,
purple haze. Many a traveller, seeing the
sight for the first time, has stopped and
rubbed his eyes, wondering If he were not
suffering from som temporary mental
alteration.
But this changed when the railroad
came. Then the camels' work was over.
The iron horse displaced them and once
more the owners began to puzzle over
serious question. What was to be done
with the camels? For months the patient
beasts waited around their corral, ready
and willing to do any work that might
be given TO them. But there was none
for them to do. and finally the owners
turned them loose to get their living as
best they could.
WANDERED OVER THE DESERT.
1t was several months before they ven
tured far from their home, but in time
they managed to wander all over the des-
erts of Arizona, and even into Mexico and
New Mexico. At first some of the bold
cowboys thought to have fun with the
meek. sad-looking camels that crossed
their tracks But they never tried 1t a