The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-03-09
THE NEW BABY ELEPHANT.

OOhSOA dAhE tl0 III VI u pdOy OiO-
phant at Norwich, Conn. New York
Times correspondent says:
''The baby lay in the hay and sawdust
at the feet of its mother for several min
utes, while the mother rubbed its body
with her huge trunk. Queen was very
nervous, the showmen thought, and they
did not bother her while thus engaged.
She essayed to rase her new daughter to
her feet, but the little one, to the aston
ishment of all, rose of her own accord
and attempted to plant her block-like
feet squarely on the sawdust. The mother
closely eyed her offspring, and it was
thought that either she or it or both
would take notion to lie on the hay
that the attendants had freely scattered
in the ring. The baby at first trotted
and then to the delight of the lookers.on,
began for the first time in its life the
swaying motion peculiar to all elephants.
Mr.. George Arstingstall, the trainer,
who has had an experience of over twenty
years with elephants, and who witnessed
the birth of the first one ever born in
captivity, on March 10, 1880, in Phila-
delphia, reioiced over his new charge,
and Queen PERMITTED no one but him to
come close to her. He fed her loaves of
bread, pans of oatmeal, and solution
of soda crackers and Jamaica rum, and
she seemed to smack her lips and say
''Bless you, my boy" Mr.. Barnum re-
mained around the ring until midnight,
and then reluctantly went to his home to
take a nap. Mr.. James A. Bailey, his
business partner, was among the ele-
plants with Mr.. Arstingstall and his
assistants throughout the night and up
to noon to day. Mr.. Arstingstall and
Mr., H. FL. Gross, the artist and historian
of the show, measured and weighed the
baby shortly after its birth. She was
80 inches in height, 36 inches in width,
and weighed 145 pounds. She was of
blush color at birth, but changed to
delicate mouse color. Her trunk was u
inches in length, measuring from the
under lip, and the tail was SO short that
no attempt was made to measure it. The
baby, as one of the spectators expressed
it, was call legs" She had two teeth.
She waddled about in close proximity to
her mothers heavy feet, and was appar-
antly in danger of being tripped up and
trampled upon, but her immense mother
moved as cautiously as though stepping
on glass, aud reached the baby with her
trunk whenever the little one rested
against her hind legs. The baby's eyes
were fiery red, her hair was dark and
scant, and her toy trunk curled up as she
crawled under ler mother and partook
of natural nourishment. She is about
one third smaller in size than Columbia
at the time of her birth. The latter then
weighed 1864 pounds, while America,
the newcomer, weighs 145 pounds. For
fully 16 hours did America remain on
her feet. and then, after making many
awkward attempts at lying down in the
hay, settled down in what must have been
a most uncomfortable position. She
rested on her knees and placed her mouth
squarely on the ground with her trunk
curled upward. This position greatly
amused the spectators, and the baby,
through sheer exhaustion, toppled over
on her side and closed her eyes in slum-
Der. She did not remain long at rest,
however, and was soon on her feet again,
making circus of her mother. Queen,
the mother, is native of Ceylon, and
was imported in 1871 by Mr.. Barnum.
She weighs about $500 pounds, and is
over s feet in height. Chieftain, the
father has been in this country Is years.