Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-03-31
A BABY ELEPHANT.

A BABY ELEPHANT.
SAID TO BE THE FIRST ELEPHANT EVER
BORN IN CAPTIVITY.
A mostimportant event IN the zoolog.
ical world occurred at the stables OF
Cooper d Bailey, the circus men, at
Twenty.third street and Ridge avenue,
at an carly hour yesterday morning.
This was nothing more nor less than
the birth of young elephant The
Importance Of the affair to the world
. of science will be realized when IL is
stated that IL is the first instance of the
kind that has over taken place, so far
as IS known, among these animals in
state OF captivity. Heretofore all ideas
and theories, written or unwritten, on
J. the propagation among this species
of quadruped, duration OF the period OF
CESSATION, and so forth, have been
more or less speculative. The one fact
that seemed well established was that
the female elephant would not bear
- young in her captive state, although
) from time to time, both in Europe and
America, announcements have gone
forth from showmen and others to the
effect that they had reason TO believe
that this theory was not well founded,
and expected to be able to disprove it.
Nothing ever came OF this, however,
and the fact remained thai thv birth of
a baby elephant was thing unknown
TO natural science outside the animals
native wilds, and the theory above
mentioned continued in full force.
The event ofyesterday morning upsets
everything in this direction, however,
and affords occasion for scientists to
shift their position and look at the
question from new standpoint,
THE BABY's APPEARANCE.
A queer.loosing little black animal,
not much larger than Newfoundland
dog, with very diminutivc specimen
of C trunk, and with disposition to
run at things blndly like a young colt,
fairly describes the appearance Of the
stranger as it waddled about in the
L.
large brick stableknown as the elephant
house, yesterday morning The mother,
large biack Aslatlc elephant, known
ny the attractlSe name oil heDe, STOOD
in the centre of the large stable room,
with both hind legs chained to two
posts rms preeautioh was absolutely
necessary, as will be shown. At the
upper enu OF the stable room, apont
1oAeh YARDS from ieoe' STOOD SIX other
iarge eiephants Win their heads turned
toWaru her' nkewise chalneu 10 posts
~ was most exciting scene among
tnese elephants when the birth TOOK
pace. for months past heoe, on ac'
count OF her condition, had been
ehalned on the same spot where she
stood yesterday away from the other
elephants, the room oelng always IN
care oi a watchman or keeper at night
MS Waterman was at MS post yestef'
uay morning at hali'past two O'Clock,
Wheh the event by winch heDe dls'
uhgulshed herself occurred
SCENE AMONG THE OTHER ELEPHANTS.
The scene that followed he describes
as lively. Instantly all the other ele.
plants set up the most tremendous
believing ever heard of and threw
their trunks about and wheeled around
and stood on their hind legs and
cayorted and danced m the highest
glee, as though they had gone mad
The excitement communicated itself to
Hebe, and she became almost frantic.
With a terrific plunge she broke the
chains and ropes which held her, and.
grasping up the little baby elephant
with her trunk, threw it about twenty
yards across the room, letting it fall
near large, hot stove-where fire
is always kept burning TO keep the
place heated-then followed with Il
mad rush, believing and lashing her
trunk as though she would carry
everything before her. The keeper
fled for his life, and not moment too
soon. Around this stove was a railing
formed Of heavy timber, and intended
as a protection for the stove in case
any OF the elephants ever got loose and
took it into their heads to be vicious.
Against this railing Hebe charged with
such effect that she reduced il TO kind.
ling wood in short order. Not stop
ping here she struck the stove and
knocked it into the position of the
leaning tower of Pisa in On instant,
and badly mashed the pipe. The
keeper meantime had given the alarm,
and three or four others coming TO his
assistance. the animal was, after some
trouble, secured and chained to the
post again. Meantime the other ele.
plants kept up their believing and
the lashing of their trunks as though
they could not make noise enough and
never would yet through rejoicing.
The baby elephant, which at once
showed a disposition TO make friends
with anybody or every body, was pilot.
cd back to its mother where the keep.
ers and others who had now been at.
tracted by the general commotion,
became at once interested in nursing
it. 1t would run about with its mouth
open very much like Young colt. The
old elephant would not stand still long
enough to suclxle it, being constantly
swaying and swinging about, SO the
keepers hit on the happy expedient of
about a ward in length Inserting one
end of tbe tube IN The babv's month.