The St. Johns herald., 1900-10-27
MULES FOR AFRICA!
Nine Thousand Purchased in Amer
 ica by England
Hundreds of Carloads of Feed, ShOeR and Supplies Shipped with the
 Animals on Chartered f- Steamships. a

When English capital and American
 thrift combine, something is going to happen, and the result is very apt to be
 both interesting and stuPendous. as in the case of the recent purchase in the United States of nearly 5000 mules by
 the British government, and the trans
 pOrtation of the same from interior points, through the port of New Or
 leans, to South Africa, for the use Of ths British army ID the Transvaal-
 In September last Maj. II. J. SeobeIl. of the Royal Scots grays, British cav airy, arrived in New Orleans. and iR the usual lunostentGtious manner of the English man of affairs went quietly 10 work obtaining bids from the various stock dealers throughout the west. making several trips for the purpose He personally closed contracts with dealers in St. Louis, Mo-; Kansas City, Mo-; New Orleans, La; and in north ern Texas, for s,s20 mules, or upward of 300 car loads, at an average cost Of about $50 per head f. O. b. steamer at New Orleans-a total of over S700,000 for the lot.
 In addition to the mules Maj SeObeu also purchased 200 car loads Of hay, oats, bran, etc, from New Orleans. s. Louis and Kansas City firms
 The larger portion of the mules and all of the feed reached New Orleans via the Illinois Central railroad. the entire shipment being loaded aboard the transports at the Southport docks Of that company, where the facilities for handling such large eonsignments are uneXcelled
 The mules were moved from Kansas City and St. Louis in special trains. made up of large patent stock cars. on exceptionally fast schedules-the run from St. Louis to New Orleans, a dis tance of FOG miles, via the Illinois Cen tral, being made in g hours, which is practically passenger train service From Kansas City, distance of SSO miles, via the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Memphis railroad to Memphis, thence over the Illinois Central, the through run to New Orleans was made in 4O hours, including stOp-Over at Mem phis for feed, water and rest.
 On arriving at New Orleans the ani- mals were unloaded and placed in large stock pens, where they were held and cared for until the vessels were ready to receive them.
 The British government chartered the steamships Prah. Montezuma, Cor ir thia, Huronia, Manchester City. An selma de Larrinaga and Hermes 10 transport the animals from New Or leans to destination. The cost of such transportation was about s1OO per head
 These boats were specially fitted up for the service, being lighted with elee- tricity, carrying their own GistilliEg plant, and every stall provided with an automatic cock, from which water for the mules can be let out regularly three times a day. The feeding is done by hand, sufficient number of hOStlerS be- ing taken along for that purpose O1e or more veterinary surgeons accom- panied each vessel, 10 take care Of such of the animals as might fall sick on the long voyage. which will consume as least 26 days from port to port
 The Manchester City, the largest Of the transports, being 53O feet long slowed away 2,O9O mules in her fvs decks, to say nothing of 65 car loads Of feed, 5000 kegs of mule shoes and nails. and nearly 300 men, including officers, crew and hostlers. -zs
 The mule shoes. of which there were 5000 kegs, were specially ordered from Troy, N. r.. via the Illinois Central for shipment on the Manchester City- Is this steamer was expected to clear New Orleans shortly after the order was placed, quick service was essential Leslie's Weekly.