The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-08-02
LANDING WILD ANIMALS.

Curious Sight at ~ New Jersey Wharf
Osirfches, GiraTss and Eleph ants Dang
ling in Mid Air.
A novel sight was witnessed at the
Bremen dock at Hoboken yesterday
afternoon, the occasion being the land
ing from the steamship Main of half q
dozen giraffes aud other animals, inn
ported by Reiche 4 Brother, for the
Coney Island Aquarium. The animals
were captured in the Nubian Desert,
and consisted, besides the giraffes, of
two young elephants, two leopards, two
large ostriches, and a great variety of
birds. They were accompanied from
New York, by Mr.. Paul Luhe, who
assisted in their capture, and who was
on hand yesterday, helping in their
debarkation. The lifting of the ami
mails out from the hold of the ship was
witnessed by large number of people,
but the landing of the ostriches and of
the giraffes was the most interesting.
The large birds, with their thin necks
and small heads towering above their
great bodies, struggled and tried to es-
cape as they swung in the air while
being raised from the ship and let
down on the pier. Their strength is
something marvellous, but the novelty
of the situation rather consisted in the
fact that they had to be landed with
rope and tackle and with band round
their bodies, as with the leOpards, ele-
plants and giraffes. The smaller birds
were first landed, and these and the
leopards were sent to Coney Island
early in the afternoon. Then came the
elephants, two saucy fellows, weighing
probably six hundred pounds each.
They were kept on the pier during the
greater part of the afternoon, but
seemed anxious to investigate the
wonders of the great country where
they are to make their home, The
last of the animals to be landed on the
dock We're the giraff.s. With their
long necks and towering heads sway
ing above the band which held their
bodies, and their legs spread out below,
they presented very laughable pic
ture as they came in sight over the
deck of the vessel. With one excep-
ton scarcely a struggle was perceptible,
and they seemed to regard the whole
operation as mere matter of course.
Up they went from the hold until
sufficient height was obtained, and
then they swung gracefully over the
sides of the ship and patiently allowed
themselves to be placed prOstrate on
some straw on the pier. When the
band was removed they were required
to rise, but nothing could be more
awkward than their first attempt to
walk after the voyage. Every step
was stride. The poor animals seem-
ed to regard the whole process of walk
ing as unnatural and unnecessary but
it was not long before ease and grace
replaced the awkward attitudes; and
as the six giraffes communed together
ON the pier, after the thing was over,
they seemed to be of opinion that the
only course to pursue was to be good
natured about the matter. Two of the
giraffes go to the Aquarium, in Thir-
ty-tifth Street, and the others to Coney
Island. All of them seem happy,
however, that their long journey from
Central Africa is ended, and well they
may be, for they were fOrty-five days
in the Nubian Desert on their way to
the coast, and many weary weeks on
the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, and
the Atlantic Ocean.-[N. Y. Herald.