Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-02
MISSOURI MULES
IN FROZEN NORTH
Animals Leave the "Show Me" State
to Take Up Life in Alaska.
Result Considered
Doubtful

Special to The Herald.
ST Louis, March MANY Missouri
mules have left their native blue grass
to take up a new life in Cuba, the Phil
ippines or South Africa but the first
shipment ever started from the Nation
al stock yards for Alaska was lot of
siXty-four. These mules were sent out
last night by Maxwell & Crouch for A.
e. Murphy, formerly of Warrensburg,
Mo-, but now largely interested in the
mines at Fairbanks, Alaska.
Mr.. Murphy, who has been at the
Hotel Jefferson for several days, and
who is now en- route for Boston, wanted
nothing but the best class of mules, and
when he went to the National stock
yards he told Warren Bailey, who
helped him make the selections, that he
could get all the little mules he wanted
on the Pacific coast, but that he had to
come to East ST. Louis to get the big
Missouri bred animals. OF the sixty
four, forty are unusually large, and by
the time they are landed in Fairbanks
each pair VIII represent close to $1,000
in purchase price and transportation.
The forty animals left in two express
cars last night for Seattle, each pro-
vided with a heavy blanket, canvas
covered and flannel-lined. The charge
for the two express cars from East st.
Louis to Seattle was $175O. The twenty
four mules were shipped in a special
horse car, and will be a few days
longer en- route. The entire lot will be
shipped north about March 5, together
with a large cargo of supplies for the
mines. On this north-bound boat will
also be large number of men who will
improve the opportunity to make the
overland trip from Skaguay to Fair
banks, about 500 miles, at the time the
mules are taken across country.
Blacksmith to Go Along
In preparation for the long trip over
the ice Mr.. Murphy has engaged a
blacksmith, who will accompany the
train. The mules will be shod with a
recently invented shoe, the heel and toe
calks of which can be sharpened with
out removing the shoe. Pack saddles
of the type formerly used by pack
trains of the United States army will
be placed on some of the mules, and, in
addition to carrying light loads on their
backs, they will draw sledges, upon
which moderate loads of supplies are
to be carried.
Eventually it is planned 20 improve
the trail from Fairbanks to the sea un-
til it becomes passable for heavy type
of wagon, such as is used by the army,
and designed for four mules. These
wagons, or heavy s4eds. will be used to
take supplies to the mines and run to
a stage line in and out over the long,
cold trail. Pending the beating of the
trail into q road the mules may be used
singly for packs or to draw narrow
sledges.
How the mules will ctand the climate
is problem in which stock yards men
are much interested. The mule on the
side of his sire is a warm weather ami
NAL, his paternal ancestors all tracing
back to semitropical Spain. Most of the
big mules, however, trace on the other
side to mares of the Clydesdale type,
natives Of Scotland and northern Eng
land.
1t has always been considered among
horsemen that a mule would stand
much hotter weather than a horse. but
how they will come out of the low tenn
perature of the Klondike country is
a problem.
The shipment Of this consignment of
mules to Alaska, If it proves success,
will no doubt open up an extensive de-
mand from the far northwest, and will
further justify the claim that "the sun
never sets on the Missouri mule"