El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-11-23
ARMY MULE WILL
RETAIN HIS job
United States Army Finds
Missouri Product Bet
ter Than Motors.

washington. D. c., Nov. 23.-Ihe
American army mule need nave no 80
fol- his laurels because Of the q o.
part gasoline motors have piaye -,
transportation problems Of EuroPeesiiii
armies in the present war. O ntL+
American roads generally are oIou54Is
up to the high standard OF the IQ S-as
OF Germany, France, Belgium and otnSI5
European countries, the army mule WIZ
determine through his capacity t ~
hauling the Limitation Of operations
for American military forces.
Only one branch of the United STAYS -
army is giving serious attention ~
motor traction. In the quartermasleL :
department experiments are oelnS
made, particularly along the Texas DOT
der, with handling supplies IN moeO1
trucks Motor trucks are in genera
use, OF course, about army posts Wner
ever good roads are aVallaDlei Ous
when maneuvers take the columns INTO
the field and the sandy or muouS
country roads. where mere VIZ" Wiz
tracks across the country are the onIy
highways, the siX-mule team IS sun
master of the transportation SITUATION;
A few years ago 1t was Determines
to experiment with motor IranspOL .
ton as a means to increase the raclus
Of field artillery The most aYa1lable
subject for this purpose was the Oat-
terry wagon, carrying the torgeS Io5
gun repairs and horse shoelng, anu
also the saddler's equipment one Sucn
wagon ACCOMPANIES every battery OF
artillery in the field. 1t trans along
il the rear Of the column and does NOT
90 into action. Thus its actlVlIleS are
largely confined to roads, although the
battery itself must go cross lots Dy
field and stream to take posino1s
against an approaching hostile force
FvDerfmcnf Proves Failure.
Gen. Crozier chief OF the army ord ord.
nance bureau, designed motor battery
wagon which was tried out in maneu-
vers. It proved a flat failure, for II
was so heavy that II broke Ihroug n
bridges, sunk to the hubs in SOFT roads
ard generally hampered the S, batteIy 20
which it was attached The expert
mCnt was abandoned and the ordnance
bureau is now content to await the
results of the experiments Of the quar-
termaster's department IN set-pro-
PEELED army transportation units. Mules
and horses are good enough for Amer
lean artillerymen as yet.
In connection with the newest heavy
siege pieces designed for the American
army it was proposed recently to eX-
pertinent with European gasoline trac-
tion engines. Arrangements were I'M
der way for the Importation of one
OF these at the time the European war
broke out Now every engine of that
character has been turned to actual use
abroad, and instead of importing auto
mobiles or motor trucks, the United
States is shipping them abroad for the
use Of armies there.
Think Motors Useless.
In many ways army officers believe,
the present war will have little effect
on the development of American mill
tary transportation equipment The
armies of Germany, France, and TO
some extent England are equipped to
fight in the highly developed territory
which is the present theater of war
| Transfer them to the interior of the
United States and the greater part OF
their motor equipment and much OF
I their heavy artillery would be found
almost useless, it is said. They would
J have to be reequipped with horse and
mule transportation. The difficulties
encountered by German troops who
crossed the Russian border, officers
say, were those Of transportation. Pool
roads made it impossible for them Il
move guns and supplies as their tao
| teal training directed. Several big
| guns were lost without having fired {
Z shot, it is reported, because they could
| not be Withdrawn swiftly.
| The United States army employs mo
/ tcrcycles to some extent for orderliei
! carrying messages. Even this is linn
I tied by road conditions, however, an,
/ while suggestions for motorcycle
| corps have been made, serious atten
| ton has not been given to the sub
| ject as yet A cavalry horse still an
/ swers the purposes of the army bette
| than any other means of cOmmunica
ton by orderly.