Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-07-10
A WRECKED MENAGBRIE.
Escape of the Serpemts and Birds and
Beasts.
A Might of Terror ON the New Haven
BaIIrOad-A Rotten Bridge-Great
Snakes Lurking Near West Haven.
From the New York Sun, July s.

Il
From the New York Sun, July s.
/ Old John RobiDson's menagerie, aquari-
UNI, museum and circus showed in Bridge
port on Tuesday afternoon and night. For
a week previous they had been billed to
appear in New Haven, July Q and 4. After
the performance in Bridgeport the SPAN
giles aud tights and gauze and lights that
bewilder the youthful circus attendant dis
appeared, and all, from the manager to the
stable boy, began packing preparatory to
the move to New Haven.
A special train was provided consisting of
one locomotive and twenty seven platform,
box, and stock cars, aud two passenger
coaches. The start was made at $3.50 on
Wednesday morning, and majority of the
tired men soon fell asleep, Gil Robinson, the
treasurer, betaking himself to the ticket
wagon to escape the heat and confusion.
The rail track passes through West Ha-
ven, pretty village on the shores Of New
Haven harbor aud the sound, and adjoining
the city of New Haven. The train went
along safely until it reached point about
two miles distant from New Haven. Here
First avenue intersects the track, the cross
| ing being made by single-span wooden
bridge, of an old-fashiGned style. 1t was
just about the gray of the morning, wien
the locomotive and first ear passed ti,.c
| bridge safely.
Then a terrible crash awoke every man
and beast on the train, and there was a
scene Of indescribable uproar and confusion.
| The bridge had fallen on the train. Mean
time the train was going ahead, and the
heavy timbers of the bridge were grinding
| though the ticket wagon and the wagons on
| ho fol
into fragments.
| Gil Robinson was asleep, but he awoke
| very quickly. The top of his wagon was
cut off and forced clear through the Mexi-
can lions cage. At the same instant the
ticket wagon was nearly pulVerized, even
| its desks and other furniture sharing the
same fate, and the fragments were hurled
distance of fifteen feet. Mr. Robinson mi
raculously escaped with few slight bruises.
The lions set up roar, and the cage was
hurled from the car, singHlarly escaping
comparatively unframed. Next was the
zebra cage. This was smashed to splinters,
and the zebra, severely wounded and wild
with pain, made for the open country.
Next came the monkey cages. The train
was still moving, and the falling bridge tim
bers still crunching up the cages. There
were smashed to atoms. Fourteen mon
keys were killed, being either stabbed by
splinters, crushed between pieces of wood,
or run over by the cars, among the last be-
ing Crazy Charley, a monkey as large as a
two-year old boy. A few monkeys chung to
the ruins, but nearly all, chattering and
screaming with fear or pain, sprang from
the wreck, bounded up the embankment,
some perching on fence rails, and then all
scampering for trees, many OF them clinging
to the branches of apple or cherry trees, and
wildly scattering the fruit.
The cage containing the cassowary, white
pea-fowls, and other rare birds, was crushed
to atoms and the birds escaped. The cage
with the parrots, macaws, cockatoos, silver
and gold pheasants aud the vulture, was
also crushed. Many of the birds, including
the vulture, flew to the woods, the parrots
| and others filling the air with their unearth-
ly screams.
In the variety cage was the tapir, which
was badly hurt. The copiabarra also sus-
| tanned injuries, and its cage was hurled
from the car. The tank cage, containing
the seal, had its front STAYED in. The seal
set up frightful barking, adding material
ly to the discordant chorus of bowling
beasts, screaming birds aud shouting men.
The front of the sea lions cage was
STAYED in, and it is feared that the sea lion
is injured internally, for he has been in a
torpid state ever since.
The front and the back of the cage con-
tanning the hartbeest and the African
antelopes were smashed, but the animals
escaped unframed. A great rent was made
in the cage Of the Bengal tiger, which is one
OF the finest and most vigorous specimens
in the country. With fierce roar the tiger
bounded for the opening. Equally prompt
was man who threw plank over the gap
| and sprang upon it to keep it down. Other
men were summoned, and after desperate
struggle the beast was chained to bis cage.
Another lion cage was broken and the
beasts made frantic efforts to escape, all the
| time bowling vigorously. Men rushed to
| the ground and nailed planks over the gaps.
The alligator and snake cage was broken
| open and some snakes were lost, among
them boa constructor twelve feet long,
which is probably hiding in the West Haven
woods. Tho ostrich cage was shivered, but
the ostrich was secured after long search.
Several other cages remain uninjured,
| and the horses escaped almost unframed,
as did the heavy curiosities. OF these last
! is the big elephant Empress, which was
greatly agit1ted. Just after the shock En-
| press began knocking down the other beasts
in its car. One after another the poor
camels went down under terrible strokes
! from the elephants trunk. Then Empress
dealt telling blow to the buffalo, laid out
the three-horned OK, and finished by knock
| ing down the only animal left standing,
the sacred OK.
They lay in heaps about the floor of the
| car, while Empress still slashed her trunk
| wildly about, apparently regretting that
| there were no more beasts to conquer.
Among other animals which escaped were
| the tapir, silver lion, the ichneumon and
the copiabarra.
The scene above described occupied less
than minute, and all the men were prompt
| ly out and at work under the direction of
Manager John Robinson, Jr., and Assistant
Manager Jas. d. Robinson. The first work
to do was to secure the fercer animals, and
then the business of hunting up the escaped
began.
Three or four men started for the zebra,
found him, and after a sharp fight got hold
OF him and shouted for rope. The zebra
wrenched away before the rope was
brought, but after another chase he was
captured aud tied to telegraph pole. The
cassoWary was captured after it had kicked
down one man, who attempted to seize it.
This bird was badly scrap9d on the back.
Many Of the minor birds were not even to
be seen, and the monkeys threw apples,
cherries and defiance at their pursuers.
Only few of the monkeys were caught,
but those captured included one of the lar.
gest and most valuable, Wallace, which
was brought in after a lively fight. Charley
McCarty, the lame man, limped back to the
wrecked train, with valuable turtle, which
was ascertained to be native of a nearby
swamp. Jim Homer, who weighs 400
| pounds, tried to catch a monkey. He
didn't. Leo, who is the spryest man in the
caravan, tried to catch sloth, but failed.
BEST HAvEN's NEW NEIGHBoRs.
The search went On until nearly all the
animals had been recaptured. Many strange
birds Gncluding the vulture,) the twelve
foot anaconda, and twenty-three monkeys
and few curious snakes, remain at large,
and they will doubtless add to the comfor.
Of the people in West Haven and neighbor
hood. Several animals and few birds
died after the arrival at New Haven, iuclud-
ing South American river hog, boa con-
strictor, sloth, and a cassowary. A fine
/ seal is among the animals iDiured which