St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-06
ADVENTURES ON THE WAY.
Locked in Close Car at Night With
An Elephant and Drunken,
Stupid Keeper,

BAMBOO, the trlck elephant, was leased
to the Kiralfy Brothers, who were about
to open their season in Boston. Bamboo
had established name for himself as
savage, treacherOuS brute, who had
Killed and manned at least dozen men.
He had keeper who was to accom-
pany him: but keepers of elephants,
according to Charles Reade and other
authorities, are much in the habit of
becoming and remaining drunk. Such
was the normal condition Of the keeper
of Bamboo. He could control the gil
gantic brute Oh emergency; but he
knew nothing about business, even
when sober, and would be as helpless
as an infant to effect the necessary
change of transportation at Buffalo,
from the Lake Shore road to the New
York Central, and at New York to the
Sound steamboat. Therefore some man
of business must be sent along in the
elephant car. | happened to be the
chosen victim. / was furnished with
$50, estimated as ample provision for
all contingencies, and with drunken
keeper and vicious elephant started
from Chicago by the Lake Shore. New
York Central and the Sound steamer"
A TRAVEL WITH THE BEAST.
The story that Twitchell told New
YIN Oul lCpOi bC1 was pulCJudtCo Will
more exclamation points than need be
used.
II hadn't much idea," he said 'of the
dangerous character of the journey
until we were perhaps hundred miles
out of Chicago. The bottom of the car
was thickly Uttered with hay, in which
Bamboo, the keeper and myself were to
sleep together. The keepers bottle
was one of my earliest discoveries and
discouragements. The novelty of the
situation kept me awake pretty much all
the first night out, and it was with some
diSmay that | noticed that the keeper
was hOpelesSly drunk, snoring in the
hay. That l would not have minded
had Bamboo only kept quiet. But he
didn't and wouldn't, and that first night,
before had become in the least accus-
toned to the situation, was simply night
of horrors. In the still hours of that night,
with the train rushing along at the rate
of thirty miles an hour, would at short
intervals hear muff1ed snort from the
monster at the other end of the car and
then feel gigantic foot showing against
me OF the end OF his trunk passing in,
QuiSitively over my face. Then | would
jump up and yell to the keeper, with
energetic kicks to emphasize my re-
marks.
''Here you-wake up! That Internal
elephant is going to trample us to
DEATH"
The drunken keeper would get to his
feet, swear, give Bamboo an unmerci-
full prOdding with his fork, the great
brute would lie down and cry, and we
would have peace.
''Tbis scene, with variations, is what
happened all the way from Chicago to
New York. l wasn't trampled to death
by the elephant; why L was not do
not know"
about daylight we were in the
vicinity of Erie, Pa. Here Bamboo
took cognizance of his surroundings in
disagreeable way. Elephant cars, be
it remembered, are specially built and
fitted for the transportation of these
brutes, and the car in which we first
embarked was not of that kind. 1t was
not high enough, nor strong enough.
When the vicious brute had thoroughly
satisfied himself of these facts he rose
up out of the hay, arched his ugly back
and burst the whole top of the car out.
I'VE stopped at Erie. There was
loud swearing and clamOr by the rail-
road men for compensation for the dam
age. / told them to send their bill to
the KiralfyS. and, in the meantime, if
they didn't want the elephant on their
hands to take care of, they had better
help me get him to Boston as fast as
possible. They took look at Bamboo,
observed his vicious eye and said they
guessed that was so.
''We arrived at Buffalo. A necessity
Of the trip was change of cars at this
point. The elephant had been we'll fed
and well watered, and might have had
the decency to behave himself. The
keeper got him out of the wrecked car
in good shape and started him for his
new quarters in the waiting train. A
but not at all in the way. May | be
blamed if that devilish brute didn't
make for them and destroy twenty-fOur
full crates before the keeper could re-
strain him.
swell, everybody knows the law
about elephants and other wild beasts.
[ had to settle for the blackberries on
the spot, and large hole it made in my
$50.
INCIDENTS ON THE WAY.
''The most dangerous and laboriOus
incident of our trip would not have hap
pened but for the fact that when the
keeper was sober he would smoke a
pipe. His smoking set the hay afire near
Syracuse, and before it was discovered
the car was filled with smoke, the ele-
plant was Snorting and trumpeting, and
we couldn't stamp out the fire.
1--WE had two buckets. l rushed with
them through the baggage-car, over the
tender. got the fireman in the cab to fill
them, and ran back to our car. This
the train going at express speed, was no
small task. The keeper took the pals
at the door of our car and douSed the
burning hay with the water. Simple
business, you may say, to put out such a
fire that way. SO it would have been
but for that elephant. He came near
getting us and himself burned up to
gether; for, about every second trip he
would swing his trunk around, overSet
the pals and spill the water anywhere
but on the fire. have heard something
of the intelligence of the elephant. This
fellow was in panic until we got that
fire out.
Zone Sunday morning we unloaded
at the Grand Central station in New
York, and, getting into Broadway,
marched triumphantly down. Of my
$50 had left $3.50. Bamboo had eaten
up and destroyed more than $50 worth.
The keeper was gloriously drunk; but
VIC llcttt pdooCu UllO pdib vi tuc
journey, we had but one stage more, and
l had high hopes of getting into Boston
Tuesday morning at the furthest.
presently one of the mounted police
overhauled US at gallOp.
"Where's your permit, "he demanded,
''to take this elephant through the
streetS?'
81 had to admit that we had none.
"'Then I'll have to take him in
charge
s, 1.-The keeper looked up with drunken
leer.
lyon just do it, mister he said.
Wed be happy to have YOU
from the keeper and gave terrific
snort. The mounted policeman disap-
peared.
DECLINED WITH THANKS.
Before we reached the lower part of