Evening star., 1921-07-31

" UCKED away in an obsure
corner of the Army bill for
1886 there is TO be found an
Appropriation of $4,000 to
be used in bringing camels to the
United States for use on the western
.tlains. This surprising act on the
part of Congress reflects an idea of
those times that the western part of
the United States was vast desert
as wild and barren as the Sahara it,
self. From Missouri to California
stretched a region of sand and deso-
lation, thought many Americans.
where there could never be settlement
Sr .habitation. On the other side of it
was the lure Of California, and one
of the chief problems of the period
was how to get across the desert" to
the western state. -
There came to the War Depart
ment. in 1883. a vigorous young man
with q broad Observation-Disclosures
Davis. He was greatly interested in
the idea of using camels on our west
ern desert, both for carrying trade
and for tho chasing of Indians. His
enthusiastic recommendation of the
project to Congress brought the ap-
propriation in 1855. Davis planned to
bring his camels from Persia and to
Start camel colony in western
Texas under the supervision OF the
government. He promptly proceeded
to, carry out his ideas by appointing
Mai. H. C. Wayne and Capt. D. D.
Porter on a mission to the east to
secure the -camels. This D. d. Porter
was tho naval officer who later won
fame in the civil war.
Neither Davis nor Porter nor
wayne knew anything about camels
beyond the fact that they ran large
ly to bumped backs and lack Of
thirst. Wayne felt 1t necessary to
inspect the camels in the English and
French geological gardens before he
went on east. All he gained from his
inspection. he summed up in letter
to Davis. was that there were cam
els in Europe and that they were
Aiving. He and Porter went on to
Tunis with the intention of buying
q camel Of their own for examina-
ton purposes. They bought one. but
when the minister Of state heard Of
it he insisted: on giving them two
from his own herd as mark Of his
affection for America. When the
animals came on board ship they
Eere found to be the mangiest and
most diseased specimens possible. but
they mao TO De ACCeplcu VI
offending the minister. From Tunis
the agents went to Tuscany to in
spect the herd Of the grand duke,
which they found in q very poor con-
dition. owing, said Wayne, to the
fact that the grand duke refrained
from feeding them
From Tuscany they sailed to
Smyrna, In Asia Minor. and after a
brief investigation of the camel
market there they went on to Con-
stantinopfe. It was their plan to
approach Persia by way of the Black
sea. landing at Erzroum and going
overland to Teheran. The willy Turks
assured them that getting into Persia
was the easiest matter. possible, but
that under no circumstances would
they ever get out again. Since q re-
turn home wGS an essential part of
their plans, the agents straightway
gave up their Persian trip and de-
cided to 90 ba4k to Africa for their
camels. Befor9 turning back they
visited the British camp in the
DCfimea (the Crimean war was in
progress) and inspected the Bac-
tsian camels. which. the army was
-
THE Bactrian camel possessed the
great 6atural advantage Of
two humps on hits back and was con-
eequently much more comfortable
xidfng apparatus than the other kind.