Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-10-17

February 15, 1856, with B animals nine dromedaries, or runners, 23 cam, els of burden, and one calf. Six Arabs were engaged to go along with the animals as it was thought they would prove useful in their man agement. A Turk was employed as 2 "camel M. D." but his medical ser vices were dispensed with after was found that his cure for cold was piece of cheese, for swelled legs, tea mixed with gun powder and for triflng complaints, tickling the animals nose with chameleon tail.
 Landed In Texas.
 The cargo was landed at Indian ola, Texas, May IA. 1856 and the beasts were taken, by easy stages to San Antonio, 120 miles away where Major Wayne planned to es. tablish a camel ranch and to at. tempt the breeding of the animals but secretary Davis instructed him to find out whether the animals were adapted to military uses.
 Major Wayne found the animal. highly satisfactory for the purpose for which they were secured and as something over $20,000 of the orig inal appropriation remained, Lieu tenant Porter was sent for another ship load. The Sultan of Turke! gave six dromedaries which were in- cluded in the lot of Al animals land ed at Indianola February 10, 1857 The camels were taken to Camr Verde which had been established as the camel station. Five of the first herd had died, one it was said from blows received from mule driver.
 The senate in February, 1857, di- rected the secretary of war to make a report on the camel experiment which was done and John B. Floyd who became secretary of war under President Buchanan, continued te urge buying of more camels, saying in his annual report of 1858:
 "The experiments thus far made and they are pretty full, demonstrate that camels constitute a most useful and economic means of transporta- tion for men and supplies through the great deserts and barren DOT tions of our interior"
 Secretary Floyd recommended that congress authorize an appropriation for the purchase of 1000 camels, but the law makers did not agree with hin, oyA f,,r%hny were authorized.
 During the summer of 1857, the camels were used in carrying wa& and for scout duty. That fall Lieu tenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale open. ed a wagon road from Fort Defiance of California, using part of herd of camels. The journey took 48 day. through unexplored wilderness, plains and desert. The camels carried wa ter for the mules on the desert, tra. ve1sed stretches of country covered with the sharpest of volcanic rocks and swam rivers without hesitation
 When Lincoln's administration be. gan in 1861 the war department had 28 camels in California. These with several others brought on from Tex as, were held in various forts and military reservations in California without being put to any use. In 1862 Lieutenant Beale wrote Secre- tary Stanton of their idle condition and proposed to use them for fur ther exploration and in packing sup, plies across the Great Basin, but his proposal was rejected as was one [ year later to use the camels in car rying mail between Fort Mohave, New Mexico, and New San Pedro, Cal.
 Government Sells.
 The herd finally was sold by tho government to Samuel Mclaughlin in whose care the herds had been for some time. Some of the camels found their way into circuses and hands of other parties.
 At the beginning of the civil wal the camels at the Camp Verde sta tion in Texas, passed into the hands of the Confederate government which paid little heed to them and some wandered away. Of these there is an official account of three captured in Arkansas by the Union forces and "sent to Mir. Peden, near the Des