The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-08

Their Wonderful work In the Lana
Der Yards ut Burnah.
India.
Christian ADVOCATE

CHRISTIAN Advocate.
On the whole the greatest of - curiosi-
ties which I saw in the East says Bishop
Foss Is the working elephant of Bur
nah. Every visitor to Rangoon Is told that
the two great sights there are the world
renowned pagoda and the working ele-
plants. These huge beasts are employed
chiefly In getting lumber out of the for
ests and in and about the sawmills. Ran
COON is very great center of lumber inter
ests, and has several extensive sawnlilis.
Through one of these / was courteously
shown about, with my travelling compan-
ions, by the superintendent. There were
nine elephants at work. They had been
trained TO all the work you can conceive
of there being need for there, and they did
it with the utmost skill and expedition. OF
course "mahout'' sat on the back of each,
and with his naked heels and a sharp iron
prod and his voice he made the elephant
understand what he wanted him to do,
just as well as a father could an intelligent
soy.
We saw them pull long slabs, two or
three at tine. cut from the floors where
the saw had dropped them, drag them
long distances and put them into piles.
But by far the most interesting part of
their work was the piling up of great tim
bers sawed square. from sixteen to twenty
two inches on a side. and thirtyfive feet
long weighing two or three tonos each.
Two elephants generally worked at one
timber, and they put them into a pie
which, when completed, was twelve feet
high. They lifted them with their trunks
and tusks In combined action. and showed
them with the trunk and one tusk or with
both tusks. or with one foot, sometimes
with the trunk resting against the timber
as a cushion, against which they would
push with foot or tusk. None of their
tusks reached nearly to the ground having
been cut off and shaped by saving and
fling to fit them for their work.
When an elephant was commanded to lift
one end OF such large timber he would
bend both knees. or get down on one knee
until he could push his tusks under the tim
Der, then would put his tusks under it and
fall hack with a great pun. sometimes lift
ing his hind legs to balance the weight I'M
I'll the timber was raised and he could
stand squarely on his feet. He would then
carry one end Of the timber raise his head
as high as possible. and drop the end Of
the timber on the pile. Another elephant
would then push at the other end, and pres
emily lift II with his tusks until more than
half the timber rested on the pile. ana then
tilt 1t up. and. raising his tusks and trunk
as high as he could reach, would push the
timber to it's resting place They also take
the timhers. when wanted to the verge Of
the river. push them into the water. and
fit them into RATS. They are kept at this
work about seven hours day and do il
just the same In the rainy season when the
whole yard Is covered with deep mud. in
which they go iounderng about with mud
halfway up their legs.
I was told by The superintendent that
these elephants weigh about four tons
apiece. are about nine feet in height and
cost. before they are trained, 100. and
that when we'll trained they cannot he
bought at any price. Our friends who were
present that day could find no words fully
10 express their wonder at the marvellous
sagacity and skill OF the huge, ungainly
beasts.