The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-10-15
UNCLE SANS TRIAL
Of CAMELS FAILED
Experiment Made in Southwest
During FittieS
THEIR FEET BECAME SORE
Was Problem to Provide Animals
With Shoes and Scheme Was
Finally ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Migrated to the South.
THEIR FEET BECAME SORE

Victoria. Tex. October 1.-THE report
that some camels are roaming about III
the deserts of Arizona is diseredlted ps
Cant Tom Fields of this place, who Is
familiar with the experiment made IN the
fifties by the United States government
In TRANSPORTING army supplies through the
southwest by means of caravans OF cam
els. Captain Fields says that most OF
these camels, which were brought from
Africa. made their way back to the gun
coast of Texas after being abandoned at
the army posts of Texas and Aflzoha.
He thinks 1t improbable that any shouid
have survived and left their progeny IN
Arizona.
"rhis herd of camels was brought TO
Texas from Egypt in 1857 by an agent
of the government" he said. "They were
landed at the port of Indianola, where
thew were kept several months to recu-
us,ate from the effects of the ocean Noy-
age.
Supplies Hauled on Wagons.
"Supplies of every description for all
the territory lying west and north OF the
Colorado, TO and including AUSTIN, TO
Santa Fe, n. NJ, and Chihuahua, Mex
had to be hauled ON wagons ana carts
brought to Victoria from lndianola by
water on the steamers Katie Ward. Liz
zie Lake and William Penn, plying the
Guadalupe river
From San Antonio to Ell Paso and ON
through Mexico there were many
stretches of forty to ninety miles between
watering places which made 1t difficult
to transport the supplies for the troops
stationed in that country, on the border
between Texas and Mexico Camels be-
ing noted for their long travels over the
plains and deserts of the Southern hemis-
phere, the government had conceived the
idea of camel transportation over the
deserts of west Texas and New Mexico.
I'm due season every camel of the lSO
was fitted with a pack saddle and bur-
dened according to its ability, and were
placed under the control of Egyptians
brought with the camels for that pur-
pose, and all under the command of an
officer of the army.
Camel Caravan Moves.
after remaining al Victoria a day or
30 to refit and readiust saddles and packs,
the caravan started for San Antonio.
Everything was lovely and the goose
hung high The first report to the Wash
1ngton government was favorable and
the problem of transportation seemed to
have been solved The news had gone
ahead that the 'camels were coming
and the soldiers as well the people of
San Antonio turned out en- masse to re-
ceive them Here halt was made
ceive them. Here a hai, was MADE for
few days. Then the line of march was
taken up for FL Paso, their place of des-
tination. Everything moved along we'll
at first, but finally the cold, chilly winds
of December began to trouble the cam
els, and it was necessary to supply each
with a blanket to protect ii from the
like leaves of the forests, and sighed for
the Egyptian cline. The rough rock
road began to tell on the feet of the cam
els, which are shaped like the foot of a
COW and have about as much protection
on the bottom of the foot as a negro
has on his heel. 1t was soon found that
the mat or pad was wearing to the quick
and in some cases stone bruises had ap-
peared.
Tried to Shoe camels.
LAS to shoeing divided foot without a
hoof on It, that was the all-absorbng
question. The best blacksmiths were ap-
pealed to for remedy. Half shoes, whole
shoes and solid shoes were made but all
TO no purpose Having no hoofs to fas-
ten them to, the blacksmiths gave up the
job
"rhe butcher was the next man applied
TO, but 1t required piece of rawhde the
size of the bottom of chair, and as
there were 500 feet hide did not go very
far. Rawhide shoes We're found best. but
they wore away like SNOWFALL under a
tropical sun.
After two years the experiment proved
failure. The camels were condemned
and turned loose in 1860 at the forts
where they had been laid up for repairs
After obtaining their freedom camel in
stinct told them that they had come from
the south or eastward, They gradually
turned their heads to the gulf coast, and
curing the civil war part of them were
rounded up on Hines bay In 1876 some
OF the camels were roaming in the east
ern and southeastern portions of Refu
gio county.
In the winter of 1867 | saw John Sid
lex, now living near the mouth of tho
san Antonio river. mount one of them
bareback, not even having a rope around
lts neck. No sooner was he astride the
tslnei than IL ran off several miles across
the prairie, and it had to be ronAd has
fore John could get off"