The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-05-29
THE CAMEL
IN AMERICA
Imported in 1886 for Military Work,
Samples Have Been Forgotten.

More than one interesting attempt
to induce Old World beasts OF
burden to help solve Americas
problems of agriculture and trans
portation have been tried. One of
the most interesting of these was the
introduction of comels by the War
Department in 1856, to be used for
and postal work in the desert
countries of the Southwest. Jeffer-
son Davis, then Secretary of War,
was the prime mover in the novel
scheme. Though his efforts an APP
preparation of $4,000 for the pur-
pose was secured from Congress
on March 3, 1855, and in May Major
Henry c. Wayne of the army and
Lieutenant ID. ID. Porter of the navy
were sent to buy the animals.
Two voyages were made for camels.
On the first thirty-four were brought
over. Arab attendants being on
board, and careful arrangement of
swinging harness prevented accidents
to the animals while on the transport.
They were landed in Texas after a
three months journey. The next year
the second consignment brought the
number of camels to seventy-five. A
ranch near San Antonio, Texas, was
secured, and men from the army went
conscientiously about studying the
camels and preparing them for work
on the deserts of California, Nevada
land Arizona. The trips were taken.
and careful records were kept of
speed. weight and forage. Wool
from the hump of one camel was spun
and knit into pair of socks for
President Pierce by lady of Victoria,
lTexas-the only garment ever made
from American-grown camel's hair.
up to 1857 the camel herd seems to
have done well. A change of admin
stration lost Secretary Davis his port
folio, and no one else seemed TO care
whit whether the problem of trans
portation in the Western deserts was
solved or not. All that is known is
that the camels were turned loose to
shift for themselves in the new
country.
What became of them? History
here leaves the matter greatly to
speculation. They wandered toward
the desert lands of the west, and il
is claimed that there are still several
running wild in the unsettled regions
of Arizona. Ask the Indians and
they will tell you of the cred ghost
that has more than once invaded
their camps at night, stampeding
the horses. eating the forage and
| fighting like fiend If attacked. Ask
1.-THE cowboys and they will repeat the
story of one of their number who
was found dying in a canyon and who
revived only long enough to tell OF a
great, mishapen red beast that had
turned upon him in the narrow de-
file, biting and tramping him when
he had wounded It. Ask the MeXi-
cans of the border and they will cross
themselves and look quickly from
side to side as they whisper mystes-
liously of 'la phantasmia." great
shape that lives in the neighborhood
of the Upper Salt and ella rivers,
land falls upon them as an avenging
'angel. IL was on the back of such
la "fend" that Indians years before
had bound a captive peon, leaving
him there until his bones had dropped
to the desert one by one, and the
great creature had been crazed by
its horrible burden. Whether one,
or more than one. or none at all, of
the War Departments camels and
their descendants are left, no one
can say.-Washington Herald.