The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1880-08-28
An Elephant ms n Deck Hand.

An Elepnuht hS n DcCh hhanus
The Thomas Sherlock and Golden Crown
arrived at the wharf yesterday morning,
having on board Uncle John RObinson's cir
Gus, which shipped at New Orleans. Among
the circus property was Robinson's monster
elephant, "Romeo." This animal was
passenger on the Golden Crown, and he ap-
pears to have enjoyed himself during the
trip in his own way. Pilot Purcell yester-
day gave an Enquirer man the following
details as TO "Romeo's" style of Willing the
time away. For the first day or two Of the
trip he was kept chained on the fUrocastle of
the steamer, where he amused himself in
various ways. He made himself quite free
with the freight that was within his reach,
and tumbled boxes, barrels and bales around
proniscuously. AT Vicksburg the hawser,a
heavy cable some three inches in diameter,
was used to tie up the boat. The observing
"Romeo" saw the deck hands haul it once
or twice, when he seems 70 have concluded
that he could do it quite as we'll as tie dozen
men. As long thereafter as Romeo was Kept
on the forceostle he handled the hawser, so
far, at least, as hauling it was concerned
The deck hands dragged it out and made it
fast, but the moment it was united the elo-
phant, who was always on the alert for
something to do, seized it with his trunk
and hauled it aboard. lie was able to ac-
complish the work in less than half the time
required by the deck hands to do it. Before
they were taken beyond his rosch, the ami
NAL amused himself by lifting barrels Of
molasses with his trunk and bouncing them
up and down on the deck. In this amuse-
ment he smashed the chimes Of twelve bar
rels When the barrels of molasses were
removed Romeo Immediately turned his at
tention to some cedar logs Which were lying
on the forecastle. These logs were heavy,
requiring several men to handle them. Ro-
meo wrapped his trunk around the end of
one Of the logs, raised it up, and Ghurned it
upand down on the deck, rattling the boat
from stem b stern. He was then removed
to the interior of the boat, where the ring.
ing of the engine bells soon attracted his
attention. The bell. wires running from the
pilot house to the engine-room passed under
the cabin floor directly over his back. lie
evidently noticed when the wires moved the
bell rang. He had not been long in that
position until he began to ring the bells him
self by jerking the wires with his trunk. lie
was out of sight of the engineer, and the
first time he jerked the bell wire, which
happened to be the wire TO "stop her," the
engineer stopped the boat.
"Whats the matter?' asked the pilot
through the speaking tube.
"Nothing," responded the engineer.
"What did you stop her for2"
because the bell was rung."
"T didn't ring"
"Ting-a.lng, ting-a-ling, ling-ling-ling,"
clattered the bell as if there were spirits in
It, The engineer rushed out just in time to
catch Romeo jerking the wire, and the mys-
terry was explained. There was no way tc
prevent the animal from playing with the
wires, and he kept it up night and day
throughout the trip. When the pilot wished
to signal the engineer he did it t through the
speaking tube Cincinnati Enquirer.