Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-14
UNCLE SANS EARLY EXPERIMENT in CAMELS
Attempt Substitute the
the Civil War Distracted
Front Tho BnItn feraId

Some time last year visitor to
the menaserio Of travelling show in
western town had his attention
called to a forlorn and decrepit camel
that was apparently without interest
in the gaudy trappings which adorned
it's emaciated form. Making a circuit
Of the creature, the gentleman dis
covered the letters "U S." more or less
artlstlcally branded on its flank. His
curiosity aroused, he asked a few
questions of the venerable and peripa-
tetic attendant and learned that this
camel was the sole survivor of a hand
some herd that the United States gov
eminent had brought to this country
years ago as the nucleus of proposed
race of American camels
Doubtless few persons know of the
big expenditures Uncle Sam made and
the untiring pains he took in experi-
menting with the camel for the pur-
pose of determining that worthy ami
mails availability as a substitute for
the horse. But it Is fact that con-
gress appropriated thousands of dol
lars and two shlploads Of the bumped
creatures were brought to this coun-
try The experiments we're eminently
successful i'm demonstrating that the
camel could be bred In America and
that he was fully capable of taking
the part played by the horse or mule
for most practical purposes.
1t was Jefferson Davis who did most
to provide the means for introducing
the camel to America. AS secretary of
war he used his persuasive powers
upon congress to secure the all-need-
full appropriations and he labored hard
and long to carry the experiment to
a successful conclusion. So crafty
ing were the results obtained that 1t
appeared at one time that the most
sanguine hopes of the originators Of
the scheme would be realized. But the
American camel was dealt a body
blow with the outbreak of the civil
war, and in the confusion of those
troublous days the experiment waned
and thousands of dollars worth of
csmels were abandoned to their own
devices. which led to the speedy ex-
tinction of the tribe. A few of the
animals found their way into shows
which Travelled the country, but in
few years little was remembered of
Uncle Sans big camel herd and how
1t came to grief.
jefferson Davis Interested
III Ine J1TSC Inlr0 or I1e IaSt CEN
tury military men had suggested to
the government that camels would be
useful in transporting army parapher-
MALTA about the land. A little later
Americans who had been abroad dis
cussed the adaptablity of the camel
TO our climate and conditions, and in
the early '40s the newspapers took up
the subject and advanced numerous
arguments in advocacy of a trial of
the "ships of the DESERT
Jeff Davis was United States senator
from Mississippi and chairman of the
committee on military affairs. He be-
came interested in the scheme and his
Investigations converted him to the
idea that the camel should replace the
horse in army pack trains. His plan
did not meet with government en-
couragement at that time, however,
and a proposition to import forty cam
els and dromedaries was not acted
upon.
When he became secretary of war
Mr.. Davis continued his campaign for
an appropriation to test his hobby.
and he submitted voluminous papers
to congress to sustain his contention
that the army would be infinitely bet
ter off with the camel as a transporta-
ton adjunct than with the horse. His
efforts were finally rewarded in 1856,
when congress made an appropriation
of $50, 900 for the Importation of camels
and dromedaries ito be employed for
military purposes"
Major Henry C. Wayne. who had be-
come an enthusiastic convert of the
camel plan, was forthwith dispatched
to Mediterranean lands to get to-
gether herd of the animals, and Lieut.
David d. Porter (afterward Admiral
Porter) sailed with the ship Supply to
bring the creatures to this country
There was some question as to how
the animals would be affected by
long sea trip, and the major and
lieutenant made numerous experiments
to satisfy themselves that the trans
atlantic voyage would not be harmful
to their four footed charges. Having
reassured themselves on this point, they
did not lose time in making up col
lection of the various species of ami