Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-07-26
WRECKED MENAGERIE.
The Escape Of the Serpents, Beasts,
Birds and Monkeys.

From the New York Sun, July5 s.
Old John Roblnson's menagerie,
aquarium, museum and circus,
showed in Bridgeport, Conn, on
Tuesday afternoon and evening"
After the performance in Bridge
port the spangles and tights and
gauze and light that bcwilder the
young circus attendant, disappeared,
and all, from the manager to the
stable-boy, began packing, prepara-
tory to the move to New Haven
Tents were struck, beasts housed,
and the concern was ready to move
by rail. A special train was provi-
ded, consisting of one locomotive
and twenty-seven platform, box and
stock cars, and two coaches. 1t
was three o'clock, on the morning
of the Sd, when the loading was
completed.
On the first car, a platform, were
six cages, containing the white
bear, leopard, heartbeest, and so on.
Next was the ticket-wagon, loaded
on platform. After this were
more platforms with cages contain
ing one of the best collections of
animals that ever took the road
Then more flats with center-poles
and cordage, cars with canvas,
stock cars with horses and ponies,
flats rallied upon the sides for the
elephant, camels, and other large
animals, and last the two passcn-
ger cars filled with men. This
show employs about 220 men, and
many Of them were scattered along
on the flats, stock cars, or boxes,
looking out for the animals and
guarding the property. The start
was made at $3.50 on Wednesday
morning, and a majority Of the tired
men soon fell asleep, Gil. Robinson,
the Treasurer, betaking himself to
the ticket wagon to escape the heat
and confusion.
Prior to the start, the elevation
OF the wagon tops was taken to see
whether any were higher than the
locomotives smoke-stack. This is
a precaution always taken to insure
safety in passing bridges. In this
case nothing on the train reached
within two inches of the top of the
stack.
The train went along safely un-
til it reached a point about two
miles distant from New Haven
Here First Avenue intersects the
track, the crossing beng made by
a single span wooden bridge, of an
old-lashioned style. 1t was just
about the gray of the morning when
the locomotive and first car passed
the bridge safely. Then terrible
crash awoke every man and beast
on the train, and there was a scene
of indescribable uproar and confu-
sion. The bridge had fallen on the
train. Meanwhile the train was
going ahead and the heavy timbers
of the bridge were grinding through
the ticket wagon and the wagons on
the following cars, literally smash
ing them into fragments, Gil.
Robinson was asleep, but he awoke
very quickly. The top of his wa
gon was cut off and forced clear
through the Mexican lions cage
At the same instant the ticket wa
gon was nearly pulverized, even its
desks and other furniture sharing
the same fate, and the fragments
were hurled a distance of fifteen
feet. Mr.. Robinson miraculously
escaped with few slight bruises
The lions set up roar, and their
cage was hurled from the car, sing
ularly escaping comparatively un
harmed. Next was the zebra cage
This was smashed to splinters, and
the zebra, severely wounded and
wild with pain, made for the oper
country. Next came the monkey
cages. The train was still moving
and the falling bridge timbers still
crunching up the cages. There
were iitty monkeys IN the cages
which were smashed to atoms.-
Fourteen monkeys were killed, being
either stabbed by splinters, crushed
between pieces of wood, or run owe
by the cars, among the last being
Crazy Charley, monkey as larg'
as Il two-year-old boy. A few mon
keys clung to the ruins, but nearl,,
all, chattering and scampcring witt
pain or fear, sprang from the wreck
bounded up the embankment, som
perching on fence rails, and thc1
all scampering for trees, many o
them clinging to apple or cherr
trees and wildly scattering TIL
fruit.
The cage containing the casse
| Al.