Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-10-17

 ton of a camel which stands in 2 case at the national museum hero constitutes the sole relic of two ship. loads of camels brought from the fal east in the "fifties' while Jefferson Davis was secretary of war in ar effort to solve the problem of trans porting military supplies between tho Mississippi river and the posts scat tered across the western deserts.
 Hostilities of native mule drivers to the "ships of the desert" and the beginning of the civil war are as signed by government authorities as the reasons for the failure of the eff fort to utilize camels as burden car riers over the western plains.
 Dr. Charles c. Carol, of the de- partment of agriculture has written an official history of the importation of camels. He says the idea of transplanting the beasts to America originated with the Spanish after the conquest of South America and toward the end of the sixteenth cen. tury they were introduced into Peru The camels were not looked upon with favor by the ruling officials however, and they dwindled away Some camels also were transported to Virginia from Guinea in 1701. bu' there is no authentic record of the enterprise except that it failed.
 Transportation troubles during th'
 
 ed Major George H. Crosman to ad- vocate the use of the desert beast for military purposes, but nothing came of the plan.
 Some years later Major Henry c Wayne suggested to the war depart mcnt and to members of congress a plan for government importation His ideas were endorsed by Jeffer- son Davis, then chairman of the senate military committee, and aftel MT. Davis became secretary of wal under President Pierce, he pressed the project. Finally in December 1854, congress approved an amend ment by Senator Shiels, of Illinois to the annual army appropriation bill providing $30,000 "to be expednet under the direction of the war de- partment in the purchase and inn rortation of carels and dromedarie' to be employed for military pur- poses"
 Sends Lieutenant Porter.
 Secretary Davis at once sent Major Wayne to the Levant to round up the camels, the secretary of the navy placing at the disposal of MT. Davis the storeship supply, with her crew under the command of Lieutenant David H. Porter (afterward Admiral Porter). It was ordered that tho ship land at Texas port as it was supposed the climate there would more resemble that of the Far East Major Wayne and Lieutenant Por- ter bought their first animal ir Tunis in August and upon applying for a permit to bring the camel away the Bey of Tunis presented to the United States two other animals, one of which finally became the veteran of the American herd.
 line snip tHeu WeHt tO SouStduIi nople, where the officers declined az offer of the Sultan of Turkey to pre- sent four camels to the United States because it was found the animals would have to be brought from Asia and the officers did not want to wait for them. The Supply went from Constantinople to Alexandria, Egypt where it was proposed to purchase ten dromedaries and 30 camels but "red tape" so disgusted the Ameri- cans that the loaded three drome- daries and made ready to sail. Be fore leaving, however, they secured six fairly good beasts. The shir sailed with nine dromedaries and the camel presented by the Bey of Tunis the two others obtained in Tunis hay ng been sold to a Turkish butche, for $44 after they were found to have signs of itch.
 Gwyn H. Heap was sent on ahead to Smyrna and when the Supply ar rived at that point the remaining camels were found assembled. MT Heap had purchased them at prices ranging from $10 0to $A00.
 The voyage home was begun or