Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-07-05
S[ARCH[RS FIGHT
AGAINST DESERT
Heroic Efforts Of Jenkins Cav.
airy to Save Hors-

Field Headquarters, June %. by mo-
tor courier to Columbus, N. NJ, July
4-Out of the dust haze that hung
over the headquarters camp today, re-
turned the squadron of cavalry sent.
under Major John M. Jenkine 10
search for the survivors Q, Carrizai.
The clothing, of the men was steep
ed in dust and the coats of the horses
were dustier. These men Of the, Elev-
enth Cavalry talked but little of their
experiences, but their description Of
their efforts to save their horses froil
perishing revealed the story Of a
march that has not been equaled IN
the present expedition story Of,
a logged fight against desert heat and
alkaline dust in an attempt to find a
remnant of the American command
ambushed by the Mexicans.
It was while securing the country
near CarrMal for some trail that
would give a hint OF the location OF
the retreating American soldiers that
Major Jenkins made a n:gnt stop at
an abandoned windmill. All J. about
stretched the desert and its poWdery
dust, which the men had inhaled at
every breath. A few ciumps of grease
weed with tiny yellow leaves dotted
the endless expanse of mesa on three
sides, while to the south a low range
of mountains shimmered. No road.
no trail and no sign of habitation
marked the sandy waste. f.
81 rode my horse up to the trough
at the windmill's foot Major Jen-
kins said. "There was water there,
but-such water! Why, man; it was
so rotten with alkaline rust that had
blown into it that the horse, his
throat raw with thirst, reared when
shifted at it.
"Then that night the cavalrymen
cleaned the trough. They repairAd
the windmill by tying handkerchiefs
about the broken bushings. A desert
gale pumped enough Wate: for the
night, but the command aWolIe at
daybreak to find the windmill becalm-
ed and their horses too weakened ny
days of hard riding through the des-
ert to be risked, without a drink, to
the next waterhole.
-Four troopers were sent TO the
top of the windmill with orders TO
turn it by hand. The rickety structure
trembled win age and when a puff
of wind sent the wheel spinning, the
brown, bearded cavalrymen below
cheered. The stream produced was
little larger than a lead pencil, but
after an hour each of the horses and
mules had :beenhgiven a small drink.
"The command encountered for the
first time in Mexico, caliche ROCK, a
sort Of dry clay, the aus. OF Wnicl
filled the air when the wind freshen-
ed, and settled in r:le eyes, ears.
throat and nostrils of the men and an
imals. The horses discovered that
they could quench their thirst temper.
arily by nipping dead and yellOwcd
galeta grass, inside Of which were
new shoots. II.
ut was lack of feed for the horses
that finally caused the squadron to
turn back, abandoning the search Tor
the survivors. It was still many
miles from the headquarters camp
when the last of the oats, small
cupful for each animal, was fed to
the mounts For time it seemed as
if the horses must perish; the men
pushed through by sheer will and
their sense Of duty"
Today the squadron appeared in a
swirl of white dust. The trucks &C
comparying the column were in The
lead and had passed through sand
wastes heretofore believed impassa-
BILE. Behind them came every AMI
NAL in the squadron which left here.