Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-15
An Event of Interest.
Birth of a Female Elephant Among the Collection of the LOndOn Circus.
 From the Philadelphia Times1

Birth of a Female Elephant Among
 the Collection of the London Circus.
 [From the Philadelphia Times1
 most important event in the geological world occurred at the stables of Cooper & Bailey, the circus men, at Twenty-third street and Ridge avenue, at an early hour yesterday morning This was nothing more nor less than the birth of young elephant The i'm portance of the affair to the world of science will be realized when it is stated that it is the first instance of the kind that has ever taken place, so far as is known, among these aui- mals in a state of captivity. Heretofore all ideas and theories, written or unwritten, on the subject of propagation among this species of quadruped, duration of the period of ges. tation and so forth have been more or Iess 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 this theory not well founded and expected to be able to disprove it. Nothing ever came of this, however. and the fact remained that the birth of a baby elephant was thing unknown to natural sci ence outside the animals native wiIds, and the theory above mentioned continued in full force. The event of yesterday morning up- sets everything in this direction however. and affords occasion for scientists to shift their position and look at the question from new standpoint.
 A queer looking little black animal not much larger than Newfoundland dog, with a very diminutive specimen of a trunk, and with a disposition to run at things blindly like young colt, fairly describes the appearance of the stranger as it waddIed about in the large brick stable known as the elephant house. yesterday morning. The mother, 8 large black Asiatic elephant, known by the attrac- tive name of Hebe, stood in the center of the large stable room, with both hind legs chained to two posts. This precaution was absolutely necessary, will be shown. At the upper end of the stable room, about dozen yards from Hebe, stood six other elephants with their heads turned toward her, likewise chained to posts. It was a most exciting scene among these elephants when the birth took place. For months past Hebe, on account of her con- dition, had been chained on the same spot where she stood yesterday away from the other elephants, the room being always in care of watchman or keeper at night. This watch man was at his post yesterday morning at half past o'clock, when the event by which Hebe distinguished herself occurred.
 The scene that followed he describes as lively. Instantly all the other elephants set up the most tremendous believing ever heard of and threw their trunks about and wheeled around and stood on their hind legs and cavorted and danced in the highest glee as though they had gone mad. The excite ment communicated itself to Hebe and she became almost frantic. With terrible plunge she broke the chains and ropes which held her, and, grasping up the little baby el- ephant with her trunk, threw it about twenty yards across the room, letting it fall near a large, hot stove-where fire is always kept burning to keep the place heated-then fol- lowed with a mad rush, believing and flashing her trunk, as though she would carry every thing before her. The keeper fled for his life, and not a moment too soon. Around AI-...
 timber and intended as protectio on 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 it to kindling wood in short order. Not stopping here she struck the stove and knocked 1t into the position of the leaning tower of Pisa Tn an instant and badly smashed the pipe. The keeper mean time had given the alarm, and three or four others coming to his assistance the animal was, after much trouble, secured and chained to the post again. Meantime the other eIe- plants kept up their believing and the lash ing of their trunks as though they could not make noise enough and never would get through rejoicing. The baby elephant, which at once showed disposition to make friends with anybody or everybody, was piloted back to it's mother, where the keepers and others who had now been attracted by the general commotion became at once interested in nursing 1t. It would run about with it's mouth open very much like young colt The old elephant would not stand still long enough to suckle it, being constantly swayiug and swinging about, so the keepers hit on the happy expedient of procuring funnel and rubber tube about yard in length. Insert ing one end of the tube in the baby's mouth they fed it by milking into the funnel at the other end, the little newcomer taking it's sus- tenance with relish until it declared it could take no more by promptly jerking it's mouth away. During all the day it was necessary for two or three keepers to be present to attend to it, their great fear being that 1t might get entangled in the chains which held it's mother to the posts and get crushed. The mother herself is a fine specimen of the Asiatic ele- phant being twenty-three years old and very large. The sire is Mandrie, an elephant of about the same size as the mother and two years older. The baby IS thirty-fve inches high and weighs 214 pounds. The period of gestation is put by scientific authorities at twenty months and half. There will prob ably be scientific investigation of the case by Professor Leidy and others.