Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-07-18
ONE LOT OF WILD BEASTS.

ONE LOT OF WILD BEASTS.
Hosting Elephants, Giraffes and Os-
triches from Steamer to Wharf.
The steamship Main, of the Bremen
line, Captain Reichmann, which arrived
In port yesterday, brought in an invoice
of wild animals and birds from Africa
for Coup and Reiches aquariums.
Paul Lube, one of Mr. Reiche's employ
ees, accompanied the animals all the
way from Upper Soudan, where the
beasts were captured, to New York, and
to his care, as well as that Of Chief
officer Heinken and Second officer
Schroeder of the Main, is due the
splendid condition in which the animals
and birds arrived The animals, which
were all taken from the steamer yester-
day afternoon, were two baby elephants,
six giraffes and three leopards. There
were also two Ostriches and large
number of foreign birds, canaries, cock
atoos, doves, pigeons, &c. During the
voyage an apartment fitted up on what
is known as the between deck-the
deck between the hold and upper deck,
forward-was devoted to the use of the
animals. Yesterday afternoon the
hatch of the forward hold was removed
pulley and tackle was fastened to the
foremost, the donkey engine furnishing
the hosting and lowering power. A
soft bed of hay was laid on the pier
where the animals were to be deposited
A sling of strong sail-cloth, with ropes
attached to each end, was fastened to
the end of the pulley-rope. Two men
decended to the animals quarters, con-
ciliated the baby elephants with raw
potatoes, and got on friendly terms with
the giraffes, by the judicious use of loaf
sugar. Cobble stones and tenpenny
nails soothed the ostriches, while the
leopards were securely confined in three
iron-barred cages. The elephants were
the first attended to- While the cum
brous little fellows, weighing about one
thousand pounds apiece, were gobbling
their potatoes eagerly, the men willy
slipped the sling underneath them,
made fast, and gave the word to hoist
away. Up went baby No. l at the rate
of three feet a second, and a more as
tonished quadruped was never seen out
side of dog-catcher's wagon. His
through the former the most agonizing,
woful screech possible to imagine was
emitted. Moreover, as No l shot UP
through the hatchway the surprise of
the other beasts was nearly as marked
as his own establishment. Each of the
six giraffes elevated his long neck sky
ward and followed the motions of the
elephant as long as he was visible above
the deck. The remaining elephant
trumpeted sympathy to his elevated
brother. The leopards for the moment
stopped their unceasing motion back
ward and forward in their cages, and
the two ostriches, q la giraffe, elevated
their necks and parted their long, broad
bills in open-mouthed wonder. AS soon
as the elephant came within reaching
distance Of the pier four men each
seized a leg and, taking good care to
avoid the little fellows trunk placed the
four feet squarely on the dock. The
animal was then led off short distance
and tied. His companion was speedily
landed in safety The birds in cages
were next taken in the dock then the
leopards, who spit savagely and struck
with their paws at the men around them.
Next came the ostriches, who proved
the most troublesome creatures. A
square hit from an ostrich's heavy bill
has about the same effect on human
flesh as the forcible application of the
sharp end of a cold chisel. While one
of the men grasped an ostrich by the
neck and devoted his attention to keep
ing out of reach Of the bill, two others
fastened the sling about the bird. AS it
shot up into the air both legs flew about
with the rapidity and force of Bogardus
k1ckers, and as it descended people got
out of the way. The giraffes were quite
tame, beautiful and in splendid condi-
ton, the lot consisting of five males and
one female. They were hoisted out up
on the dock without any trouble, being
lifted about eighteen feet to clear the
rail. Each giraffe was laid onits side, as
it came down, until the sling could be
removed, when it at once jumped upon
It's feet and was led away.
The entire importation of animals,
with the exception of the giraffes for the
New York Aquarium, will be placed in
the COney Island Aquarium. Mr.. Lube,
who speaks English very imperfectly,
informed World reporter that he went
out with Mr.. Reiche's annual expedition
to Upper Soudan, where a regular Wild
beast-capturing station was established,
last fall. The natives caught the girafes
and ostriches by running them down on
horseback. The elephants are taken
when too young to resist capture.-N.
Y. World.