Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-03-08
FUN ON A MODERN ARK.
Tauric's Animal Passengers a
Most Unruly Lot.
WILD SCENES ON DECK IN A STORM,

The Elephant Drank - Risky Until He Was
Dizzy, the Sacred Bull Got Loose and the
Ant Eater Tried to Make a Meal of His
Keeper-The Trip Was Lively.
NEW YORK, March Sit must be said
that the conduct of $50 passengers of the
laurie was simply beastly, and the officers
of the steamer were glad when the whole
crowd were trundled away to Brooklyn in
yellow wagons shortly after the vessel
reached her pier here.
jolly, the elephant, the only one of the
lot who favorite with every body, dis
graced himself shortly after he disemhark-
ed by stealing hay, frightening driver
and causing homeward bound Brooklyn
ties to stand aghast. On the way here one
of the lot, an ant eater, wounded his keep
er and killed the giant rat. The lions tried
to break loose from their cages, and the
hyenas kept the whole ship awake by their
ill timed mirth. The sacred bull forgot his
dignity in high kicking, and Jolly drank
beer and whisky until, like the elephant in
the circus he went round and round when
he got on shore.
A Thieving Elephant.
1t is not often that a hay wagon is looted
on the Brooklyn bridge in broad daylight
and right before the eyes of a stalwart and
unusually undaunted policeman, but the
feat was accomplished by Jolly.
The way the menagerie acted on the trip
over here on the laurie was most censura-
ble Old Neptune went out on a frOlic Fri
day night, and the $50 animals in the II big
yellow wagons dashed to the Tauric's main
deck joined in. The freighter staggered
along in the riotous waves, with her head
away over to one side
The lions and tigers r0arp1. the hYenaS
laughed with ribald glee, and the dissolute
pachyderm in the hold trumpeted for an
other bottle.
The Tauric was more than half seas over
herself when the storm struck her. She
rolled and pitched until the officers and
crew feared that the big cages would go
crashing over the decks and release their
jungle bred occupants.
The wagon containing the Numidian
lions began to sway in the gale and to turn
in its lashings. The prisoners within roar
ed and dashed their bodies against the iron
barred pen until it seemed q question of
only a few minutes before it would break
adrift. The captain had almost decided to
heave to and to send the big box of living
freight overheard when there came Il lull
in the storm, and the crew We're able to
strengthen the lashings.
Sacred Bull Rampage.
The sacred bull took advantage of the
turmoil and tried to slip away unobserved.
His constant kicking wore away one end Of
his wagon, and through the opening he
wandered out into the storm.
He was just gong overheard to browse
ON the green hillocks of water astern when
sailor threw a rope over his head and
drew him back. He limped painfully to
his cage, for he had sprained one of his sa-
cred ankles.
Jolly was securely boarded up in the
hold He trumpeted all day and all that
night. The keepers feared that he would
catch cold and gave him more whisky. He
became frolicsome, and there was many a
twinkle in his little brown eye. He wagged
his trunk, moved his big feet in a lively
double shuttle and crowned his devilish-
ness by eating lis keepers hat.
The big ant eater and the giant rat dwelt
together in anity in one OF the cages until
Alexis Canot, animal tanner and lion train
err started to clean out their cage on Tues
day morning. Canot is not very large. The
ant eater was hungry There was Il scutfie
| over the dry hay in the cage, and the ant
eater dug his teeth into the calf of Canot's
leg
The taste of blood maddened him. He
| fastened his fangs deeper in the yielding
| flesh, and man and beast struggled and
| fought over the floor OF the cage. The at
! tendants heard the screaming of the train
er and hurried to the cage, the sides of
which and the straw on the floor We're
| spattered with blood, and young Canot had
almost tainted. Manager Frank Hall seized
pitchfork and drove the sharp tines into
| the animal again and again before he could
break it's hold.
Canot was taken to hospital upon the
| arrival of the steamer in port. The ami
mails have all been safely landed in Brook
| lyn