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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



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assigned to each mule — one 

 man ahead with the lead-rope, 

 the other behind to steady the 

 load and prevent it from swing- 

 ing and see-sawing. Heavy 

 pieces like these were handled 

 in relays, changing mules about 

 every two hours. 



The method of handling ca- 

 bles is shown in Picture lo, 

 which is of 2,300 feet of seven- 

 eighths-inch steel aerial tram- 

 way cable on 12 mules. **The 

 coils were made up and tied 

 with wire in the factory before 

 shipping, each mule-load being 

 divided into two parts, with 

 about 12 feet of cable between 

 each pair of coils. The coils 

 were so arranged that each 

 mule-load was about 236 pounds, 

 or 144 feet of one-inch, 230 

 pounds or 192 feet of seven- 

 eighths-inch, 240 pounds or 354 

 feet of five-eighths-inch cable. 

 The largest piece (about 4,000 

 feet) of one-inch cable required 

 26 mules for its transport. One 

 man was assigned to each two 

 mules. The mule at the head 

 of the line was controlled by a 

 lead-rope, and each mule's lead- 

 rope was fastened to the pack 

 of the mule in front of it. In 

 this way they were kept at a 

 uniform pace, and with the men 

 distributed as indicated the en- 

 tire train could be stopped sim- 

 ultaneously when necessary to 

 tighten up the cinches or for 

 other purposes."* 



Picture 9 shows a tube-mill 

 head-plate casting (in the lead), 

 weight 200 pounds, and a tube- 

 mill roller bearing, 385 pounds. 

 The latter was an awkward 

 piece to handle, not so much 

 due to its weight as that it 

 rested high on the "lomillos," a 

 small wooden crib made of four 

 4 by 4-inch blocks, which rests 



* "Mule-Back Transportation of 

 Sectionalized Machinery," by F. C. 

 Robert and Walter W. Bradley, 

 Mining and Scientific Press, May 

 29, 1909. 



