Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-08-28

Yes, South Paris and central Oxford
County saw the famous "20-Mule Borax
team" on it's coast-to- coast tour from
Death Valley, California. 1t saw "Borax
Bill" manipulate the Jerk line'' and
heard "Tarantuls Pete lecture on the
qualities of the team and its driver and
borax, and had al opportunity to ex-
anime the eighteen or nineteen fine
mules that made up the team, as well as
q good pair of horses on the pole. 1t
was touch Of the far west. 1t was an
expensive advertising medium but doubt
less paying one. The motive power,
mind you, would bring up around ten
thousand dollars in the mule market for
they were fine lot of mules, and mules
live to be much older than horses and
stand more work on less feed. Tuesday
noon was the advertised time for the
arrival in South Paris but il was nearly
three O'Clock before the advance guard
put in appearance in an automobile,
while patient crowd that had waited
about three hours filled Market Square
to witness the spectacle.
The train consisted of two immense
wagons and water tank coupled closely
be the strongest ever used. Each was
built to haul fifteen tons of borax out of
Death Valley. Each wagon Weighs eight
thousand pounds. The front wheels are
five feet and the rear wheels are seven
feet high. The hub is eighteen inches
in diameter. The transportation from
Death Valley to the railroad, a distance
of one hundred and sixty-two miles
without hsbitation on the entire route,
over the psrched and shifting sands of
the desert, for which these teams were
used, is now done by a railroad that has
been built into the valley and "Borsx
Bill" and his famous team are thus freed
for the advertising tour. One stretch of
sixty miles was without water, hence
the water wagon" that you saw at
tached to the rear OF the train. Twelve
hundred gallons were carried on the
trip. The mule tractors hauled their
immense loads up and down the rocky
canyons and steep grades Of the Funeral
Mountains and over the burning sands
of Death Valley.
The driver rides on the "nigh-whe
horse" A large strap is attached to the
end of the brake bar, and with a snap
hook fastened to a ring in the back of
the drivers saddle, the brake bar can be
thrown in ratchet on the side of the
wagon, thus keeping the brake on until
it is thrown out. The driver swings
himself into the saddle, reaches back
and pulls taut the brake strap, at the
same time signalling with the Jerk line"
TO the leaders, giving a peculiar call 10
n taar snNn al l.
wake up" and get into their collars"
and tighten up the long chain that
reaches from the leader to the wagon;
the driver gives another peculiar shout
to the team, at the same time giving the
brake strap tremendous pull, releasing
the brake bar from the ratchet; the ami
mails all pull in unison, the brake is of
and the great desert caravan is under
way.
The team has been unique feature in
the history of the west but is now out
grown by steam, electricity and gasoline.
Central Oxford County may never have
another opportunity to witness such an
other interesting historical spectacle
from the far west.
Mind you, this team Is not guided by
reins but by single cord known as a
Jerk line" one hundred and twenty feet
in length. Each animal must know his
name and promptly obey commands ad-
dressed to the team or to him. The
most important and valuable animal in
the team is the nigh leader; the swing
ing Of the team in rounding curves de-
ponds upon his doing his work intslli-
gently. Each span of mules is attached
to set Of single-trees aud double-tree,
booked into the chain which extends
from the leader to the wagon. In going
around sharp curve, naturally this
chain would be on q tangent from the
leaders to the wagon, therefore, in order
to keep the chain in this periphery of
the curve, rs well as the wagon in the
road, il is necessary to have some of the
spans of mules between the leaders and
the wagon leap over the chain, and pull
almost at right angles to the direction of
the team, compelling them to step along
sideways" This they will do upon the
driver shouting the command to them by
name. At the end OF the days Journey
the mules are unlocked from the single
trees, and the chain, with the double and
single trees attached, Is left at full
length in front of the wagons. In the
morning the driver and "swsmper' put
on the harnesses, hanging the brides on
the names, and each mule after drinking
takes his own place at the chain, although
there Is no special mark to indicate it,
and they are not camped two consecutive
nights az the same place.
The jerk-line is one of the most impor-
tant pieces Of the equipment. 1t reashes
from the driver to the leaders, and is
one hundred and twenty feet long, made
of the best leather, soft, pliable and
strong. 1t is the drivers telegraph line,
by means of which he communicates his
wishes to the leaders of the team. Ii is
by this single line the entire team of 20
animals is managed. From the driver it
Is carried 10 the nigh leader, through a
ring on the rump of each mule, and
through the hame rings, or other rings
fastened on the housing. When the
driver wishes the leaders to 90 to the
right he gives . strong, steady pull;
when he wishes the team to 90 to the left
be jerks the line, the latter operation
giving this line it's name.
Major Blanchard Called.