Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-09-10
CARE OF ELEPHANTS.


Interesting Facts Obtained From an Old
Snowman.
Mr. William Newton, of the Barnum
Il Bailey establishment, could, we
think, give points, as far as the care Of
elephants goes, to the head equerry of
Of the king of Dude. We know now
that the elephant ranges over wide
area, and thrives in fairly elevated
lands near the snow-levels. In this
country, and in all geological collec-
lions, he attains fair old age. Their
trouble, Mr.. Newton told us, was
tendency to chills. "You had to be
careful how you watered them. If the
water was too cold, they were taken
with collie; generally a good stiff
drink of rum brings them round.
And what might you call sviff
drink?" | asked.
"Oh, a gallon"
"show any signs of jollity2"
mot bit. AS sober as judges.
have had to blanket serious cases of
cramps. | take as many blankets as
can get, and steep them in hot water,
and bind them round the elephant; and
when he's swaddled up that way he
looks huge. An elephant will take a
gallon OF oil, or the same measure of
linseed oil. He may be sensible ami
NAL in some respects, but not in all. If
he picks up nail in his foot, which
happens pretty often, he will stop
right away and show you his trouble,
and let you take it out for him, and
seem sort of grateful, but he doesn't
banker after medicine. The way we
work him is to make him open his
mouth The oil we put in galvan-
lied iron bottle, and we place that on
his tongue, force his head backwards,
and down goes the oil. No harm ever
is done him with the prods, 1t takes
four or five hands to make an elephant
take his medicine"
have always remembered a very
clever book of Charles Reade's, Jack OF
All Trades, which gave rather sinister
view of an elephant, and recall too, a
great deal of nonsense written about
the cruelty of elephant prods. 1t would
be absurd to try and manage an aui.
NAL of such prodigious powers-the
strongest we know of-with riding
switch, and prods are necessities. An
elephant knows his keeper and obeyt
him, may show kind of respect with
some little affection for his master, bu,
he has no liking for strangers. If
were left alone with any show ele
plant, the keeper being absent, should
at once want to beat hasty retreat
Never through curiosity or carelessnes,
get yourself between an elephant and {
wall, oryou may have the life crushed
out of YOU The upshot of which is tina
Oriental mahoots or American keepers
must have prods; and it is also fortu
nate for man that elephants have sen
sitive ears.
"Quarreling among elephants is no
common, but we are careful not to pu
the males together. Their tempers diff
fer; the females, however, are rarel,
cross. In certain seasons we watch tn,
males very carefully, for they becom,
dangerous. There is an elephant w,
cured of broken leg. 1t was Ion,
job. We slung him and used sphnt
and plaster Elephants run down il
flesh in summer, because we work them
and they are good deal knocke,
about, but in winter they pick up
The tusks of the female, which ar
short, have ragged ends, and inflic
ugly wounds. When they are SCARED
we use carbolic salve. When the
stand for long time, we have to Gu
their toes and the soles of their feet
We use rasp and a chisel and do NO
have any trouble"
When at Central Park, Mr.. Conkli
asked me to guess the circumference c
an elephants foot. | was ten inche
out of the way. Taking the fine brut
Tom in the menagerie, the keepe
passed cord round one of the forc
feet, and its circumference was fou
feet eight inches. THAT" said tn
superintendent, Fought to represer
when multiplied by two, Toms create.
elevation" There, upon secon
measure was taken, and Toms heigf
was nine feet four inches. l have ha
a circle with this circumference draw
in chalk on the floor, and it occupie
about the room of an ordinary tete-;
tete tea-table. The greatest diamett
is only obtainable when the elephant
on his feet; then there is expansion {
the massive toes. The books give til
foot circumference as one of the roug
ways used in India to get at the heigl
of an elephant. -Harper's Weekly.