The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-11
ELEPHANTS ON THEIR MUSCLE
A Trial of Strength Given at Bar
mum and Baiiey's Circus in Eng
Iaud.
From the London Standard,

land.
From the London Standard.
The chief members Of the great show
at Olympia were occupied yesterday
afternoon in witnessing some curious
trials Of strength, in which horses, ele-
plants, and men were engaged. The
object was chiefly to ascertain the
strength of one or two of the elephants
owned bv Messrs. Barnum and Bailey,
the proprletors being under the impress
sion that the strength of an elephant
had never been demonstrated. So far
as this country is concerned, this is
probably the case; but there is no doubt
that records of trials of this sort exist
In India, where the elephant is strictly
under the care of the government, and
his abilities have been made a close
study. The experiments yesterday were
not quite perfect, because the resist
ance set the various animals was sta
tionary, and took the form of a dyno-
meter, lent by Messrs. Thornycroft, of
Chiswick The instrument registered
to thirty tons, but against 1t neither
horse nor elephant could be positively
said to have put out its full strength.
he dynometer was placed on a small
q
means of ropes to half a dozen hold
fasts, driven into the earth of the
arena. The driving of these holdfasts
was watched with great interest. The
men We're perfectly drilled, and sunk
a stake five feet long four feet into the
ground in about a minute. They were
men who are habitually engaged put
ting up the huge tent which covers Bar
mum and Bailey's show in it's provin-
cial tours, and they can either drive
in or pull out holdfast in a wonder
fully short space of time. The first
animals tested yesterday were a pair
of powerful weight horses, who are
|, considered capable of hauling on
! wagon on an ordinary road from eight
| to nine tons Yoked by means of
whipple trees to the dynometer, they
only pulled l 2-10 tons, but they did not
| by any means put out their full
strength, owing to the weight not yield
| ing in the least. They dragged a
wagon, weighing about 80 cwt., with
| great ease. but even when it was at
| tached TO the dynometer they could
not overcome greater resistance than
that mentioned. The elephants had the
next turn.
The first of them was Mandarin, one
| of the tallest in the show. The ropes
| leading to the dynometer were passed
round his forehead, and he ran the in
| dicator up to 1.S5 tons. In a second at
tempt he put the finger up to 2 $40
tons. The elephant Behe, a smaller
but, as it proved, much stronger beast,
was next put to it, and she in her
first attempt reached 51a tons. The
conditions evidently did not please her,
for she trumpetted loudly as she put
her head to the yoke. On a second at
tempt she became seriously annoyed,
| and turned round as If she meant to
punish some one The people who were
| in the arena fled in all directions; but
| the alarm was unnecessary. She was
| perfectly under the control of her driv-
| er, who again got her to bend her head
| to the yoke. The result was a pull
which overcame a resistance of five
and half tons. After that she showed,
with her head resting on the tailboard,
| the heavy wagon already mentioned
round the whole arena. This task she
did with great ease, although the wag-
on contained no fewer than fifty-eight
men, and was, all told, of an estimated
weight of five tons. Man had then his
turn. Some eighty-three of the show
hands We're put on to the ropes at
tached to the dynometer, and pulled
against it as in tug-of-war. With a
strain of 7-19 tons the rope broke,
and precipitated the whole crowd of
men to the ground. 1t was attached
afresh, and again broke, this time at
2-lO tons. With a new rope the at
tempt was again made, when resist
ance of 6-10 tons was overcome. There
is no doubt that had the men been
drilled to put every ounce OF their
strength and weight into the pull, as
are our army tugs-of-war teams, an
even greater resistance would have
been overcome.