The sun., 1901-10-13
The LAST AMERICAN CAMEL.
NE rs BELIEVED TO HAVE DIED
RECENTLY IN ARIZONA.
Attempt Made Tn the SOS To Introduce
the Camel Into the Southwest
Causes lef the ESperiment's Failure
Wild Cameis seen at Intervals


Wild .Csmels seen at Interval
PHa.Nrx, Ariz. Oct. 1T 10 believed
that the last American camel died In the
Castle Dome Mountains in southwestern
Arizona few days ago, and word has
rrarhsd here from Fort Huachuca that
n Greek. known A. Nj Jolly. who had charge
of the first and only importation of camel-
eysr made hy the United State- Govern
ment. Il on his deaihbrd there
Il was IN 1883 that the idea % employing
csmel- for transporting army supplies
and equipment over the deserts was CON
celv.d Al that time freight could b-
Carried over the wateries~ wastes only
at heavy expense In horsss, oxen and
mul,-. Al that time TOO, the heavy tramc
and the homes Of thirst-k He'd animals
s,r-wed th. trail from Texa well into
California Under these conditions Lieut.
Edward Bealc, who was later Minister
io Austria. hut was then stationed al
old Fort Yuma. conceived the idea that
the use of camel- would do away with the
suffering- ~ emigrantS and give the army
a quick and certain method of transpOrta
tion He believed that the Governm ent
should make the experiment and suggested
the matter to Jefferson Davis the Serre-
taTy of War
The War Department approval the rug
gesiion and a commission was sent out
to ascertain the military uses 10 which
camels could be- put IN the Southwest
II reported favorsbly and an appropriation
was peurd for $4,000 for the purchase
and importation ~ cafnelr
In Dacemlar 81 tho following year Major
Charles WAYNE was sent hy the Depart
mant ~ th. Orient commissioned 20 buy
seveniy-hvo camel- In Egyp' lac bought
half that number and secured the others In
smyrna. paying about 500 Tor each. The
naval transpprt supply brought the camel-.
in charge ~ III Jolly. to tie United states
IN 1857 Thnea died on th" voyage. They
were landed on the Texas coast aud under
the car. Of Capt. J y Palmer half of the
herd were driven 20 Camp Verde. Artz..
and th., others were left at lndianoLa, Tex.
Months were devoted Ia q series of tests
Of ihe physical strength and endurance OF
M. animalr Their employment met wuh
gr,at opposition from the army hc-tlers
and t.amst.rs The camels werc neglected
and a number ~ them died. despite the
Efforts ~ the officers To give them fair
trial II was frequently reported tina,
one or two had broken away and eecap"i
during the night, and u was suspest-u
iha, unusual PEAL was not used to recap'ure
the animals
Until 1891 abou, thirty Of them were ~
Forts Verde El PaSo and Yuma. The
TROOPERS and teamsteTs, however, couIu
not H. induced Ia u-e the bea-ts instead oi
horses aud mules, partly betNus" oi the
chimsinss- Of the camel hArne~- and the
lalor necessary N preparing n camel for a
trip. hut largely b~cau~- oi an Antlpathy
for the beaStz For the last year OF two
- their stay az the forts the caTnes we're
pensioners
Then the civil War came. and In the ef-
cit.msnt of the times the cAmelS wer" Tor
gotten The forts were abandoned when
IN. troops were sent east and the cain"l-
we're allowed to wander away on IN" de~-
orts, sometimes In pairs and sometimes IN
herds They scattered through tho deserts
and mountains Of Arizona, esss hln
New Mexico, and even wandered INTO
northern Mexico. where several of them
were seem wears afterward IN the SIERRA
Mairr Mountains -
In some instances they multiplied rapidly
and numbers ~ them were caught by white
-ettlerS, Mehicans and Indians; VINO M Mt,
usually in vain Co dome-ticate them some
cas... are known in which Descendant. o'
tho original herd were tanned and used as
mack animals, and several OF them wer"
captured and sold TO circus people l
Barnum Al one time secured four oi theh
ami add.sl hem to his exhibition herd
R.rnr,s hay. frequently been brought IN
hy prn-p.Stor~. that stray cameis wef'. -'S',
ip tbn fopth hills and among the carfi anu
sag.hr,l.h 81 the desert They had becoin-
Az wild A. d,-rr and life In the rocky hills
had brought about n change IN thet AZ
pearanc- Their hide- had lost then hair
and their hpof- theiI 'urh'"H'
hard and horny
Then for several wears. none oi them was
seen and the failure of offers ~ large sums
Of money hy circus Jeople Ia secure some
~ ,hern lei 10 the belief that the last of the
cor,.l- had d-apr-ared Nor" than wear
asn a na,r of them aged and feeble, were'
csp,ur,d i'm the Castle Dome Mount aims
and Kept on a small ranch owned 10y, the
Wori.nn brothers A few months later
the female died. apparently Of old age and
snc- then her mate has tT-'n plning away
until ne. too. died n few DAYS ago.
several ,rorts have bcen made To secure
a PENSION for III Jolly on account OF his
care of the camels. and his later servic" a.
a scout under Crook. and during &c war
with Spain In the transport service hut
all have becn futile