The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-08-23
ZIP LOAD OF ELEPHANTS.
flee They Behaved on the Voyage to
Nesc York-FGc:s about the Elephant
Trade IN East India.

Trade IN East India.
The traditional coantryman who
comes to New York solely for the pur-
pose of "'seeing the elephant by fol
lowing in the track of a Times repor-
ter, yesterday, could have seen ten OF
the animals. He could not have been
treated to the spectacle, sshowever, n
less he was willing and prepared to
go to considerable lengths to find
them.
THE VOYAGE TO NEW YORK.
We received the elephants at Co
lombo (Ceylon), and the beasts were
got on board by a Of canvass
sings and ropes and pnlleys hung from
the rigging and main sail BOOM
Eleven of them in all were safely
slowed away between decks. Forty
five natives were employed in the
work of hosting and lowering them
aboard ship. This number was more
than was needed but labor is cheap
in Ceylon, and 1 thought I might as
well have enough of them while | was
about it. Everybody said, 'Smalley,
you'll get them elephants safe to
New York, carrying them between
decks ; they haven't got enough head
oom ; they'll die certain You see
it had been customary heretofore to
carry them in the hold. 1 said to
them, You just let me alone L know
what I am about; and here they are
to-day, all but the n who die on
the passage. / made good prepare
ton for them II hadIstalls built OF
teak wood, strong enoughson all sides
to resist the pressure of two thousand
pounds, and so constructed as to keep
each animal in his place and securely
separated from the others in the rough
est weather. We sailed on the goth
of March, and experienced the best
kind of weather until we reached the
Cape of Good Hope. We had some
little trouble and anxiety about the
elephants. Most of them got sea sick,
which was manifested in their refusing
either to-eat or drink for several days,
but they soon got " their qualmish-
ness and were able to eat as hearty as
when on dry land.
At the Cape of Good Hope we be-
gan to have rough weather. We had
three terrific gales while rounding the
Cape, and the rough weather contin-
ued from the 18th to the 22d of May.
We all felt a great deal of anxiety
about the elephants who sometimes
set up a fearful roaring, but luckily
the bark weathered the gales success
fully, and the elephants, thanks to the
excellent precautions taken to fasten
them securely in their stalls, came
through it uninjured. AS l showed
you when below, there were the two
iron ring bolts driven and riyeted into
the sides of the vessel, and the strong
har of teak wood well lashed to the
font Of the stalls.
We'll, sir, in rough weather we used
to tie their hind legs TO the ring bolts,
and the beasts woulI themselves wrap
their trunks around the wooden bar
before them and hold fast, and in this
position the waves might loss the yes
sci as much as they pleased, but they
couldn't throw the elephants off their
feet. Sometimes, to be sure, an ex-
traordinary Iurch to one side of the
craft would throw the elephants backs
up against the deck overhead, but this
happen often enough to give
them much annoyance. We put in at
St. Helena tt take in a fresh supply
Of water, and to get some green feel
for the beasts. We took in 5000 gal
Ions of water there and treated the
elephants to n feast of green grass,
which they eat with a hearty relish,
and showed in their elephantine fash
on the liveliest gratitude to those who
fed them. They used $4,000 gallons
Of water on the passage. and eat up
125 bales of hay, averaging 275 lbs
per day, which food was i n addition
to two bushels of gramm and paddy,
the last rolled up in the form of little
balls or cakes, and fed to them from
the hands of their Singhalese keepers.
individual on board would oc-
casionally give them a sea biscuit,
which was esteemed by the elephants
to be q great luxury. We selected
names for some of the elephants on
the voyage, which l suppose they will
retain. One Of them was
as Mandoy. The animal was
the king elephant of the whole crew
of them. He belongs to what the ma
tives call high'caste, and ali the other
beasts were afraid of him. He was,
without doubt, with the exception of
another highscaste elephant that was
my favorite, and whom l called Ne
hemiah Gibson, the most2 knowing
creatures in the whole lot. Mandoy
was everybody's favorite, and 1 be
lieve he will make his mark in the
States. Another one that we called
the Ralph was the largest animal
among them, and weighs $4,000 lbs
Then there was the baby elephant.
only eight years old and weighed 800
pounds. The elephant that died on
the passage had everything done to
save him that vas possible, but moth
ing would avail.
Chanum said that his disease vas
dropsy. The other elephants, L really
believe, were conscious and felt sorrow
for his death. When we were hauling
him up on deck to throw him over
board, Msndoy, the elephant 1 told
YOU about, threw his trunk around
the hind legs of the dead beast, in
the same carressing manner that l had
observed them do when they wished
to show friendship"
The arrangements for hosting the
animals from the bark to the pier yes
terday were ropes and pulleys fasten-
ed in the rigging, and canvas sings
There was no trouble in landing the
first three. The fourth n was the
elephant. called Mandoy. This brute