The Jersey City news., 1901-12-14
|CURI0S IN ORANGE
Former Circus Man Has
Remarkable Collection
Of Animals and
Weapons.
MANY ANTIQUES TO Be SEEN
Rare Canoes and Italian
Bronsss Among tine
Valuable OBJ
jects.


munity. says the Newark Sunday
News" Its rooms hold antiques and cur-
los from all parts of the world, ne collec-
tion being one OF the most valuable II
America.
This museum, the property of Robert
Gllfort. excels any other in New jersey,
and is valued by scientists at $lOo,OoO. 1
a short time, they say, It win be worth
quarter Of a million dollars.
Not word to this effect appears on the
sign near the entrance 10 efforts place
One imagines' that the owners ambition
would be to let the world know OF his rare
possessions. But he is content to keep his
collection buried away, almost, in his
| modest place. and to show it only to those
who discover its presence for themselves.
efforts collection contains articles col
lected by himself and his brother Will
lam during thirty-seven years Of trav-l
cling. The only part of the globe they
did not visit in this time is Alaska which.
at the time Of tneir &anderings was still
unopened territory. The brothers collect
ed 1909 rars specimens. which ii.ey OBJ
tailsrd BY an expenditure of si5.ooO. Now
al of these have more than doubled IN
veiue.
Robert and William Gilfort, in 1855 be-
came professional acrobats, and went on
the road with a circus They introduced
/, what are now called ..living pictures.
Each was paseionately fond of hunting
and fishing, and of the study of animal
life, to which they devoted their leisure
time while travelling.
Other circus men, who passed their
spare time in dissipation, could not un-
derstand the ways of the efforts, and
made light of their hobby. Today the
Gilfort collection is the wonder Of the
scientifically inclined. and the men who
made fun of the brothers fad are un-
known.
In the lower part Of the house. at Main
street and Essex avenue Robert Gilfort.
the surviving brother, keeps a restau-
rant, THE. Gilfort.'' it is called, and it
caters to a trade similar to that OF
! Sherry's and Delmonico's, despite the fact
that Is Is In il suburban town. In Wnai-
eyer room one visits curious with deeply
Interesting histories are to-be seen.
When one enters the building from Main
street he finds himself in the american
room Before he has time, 70 SAFE on lne ile
valuable collection ranged on the waits
Manxie t;tiless cat from the Isle ol
Man. appears. Then comee Rox a brinale
bulldog of British lineage, who Will carry
! your money 10 tHe ucssh oiiN tSteA4@. -
change on a silver tray
In This room IS a famous collection OF
antlers and horns; the horns OF every
species of animal in the Western Hemi-
sphere being there North America Is
represented by the musk OK; South An1-
erica by the Pudu deer from the Chilean
Andes Suspended from the ceiling, as
il on guard. is an enormous stuffed croco-
dile seventeen feet long 1T Is one OF
the family regarded as sacred BY the na-
tives ON the banks OF the River Ganses. Is,
This crocodile was purchased in Calcutta
in 1894, and is the largest captured ~ y
twenty years Experts have declared 1t
the best specimen IN the p9l.eo fhe most val
ned of the Giifort specimens. are the
head and antiers of an Irish elk an ani-
mai now extinct The horns measure nine
feet ana the head is conceded to be the
largest and finest in Amsrica = &, was was
found in bog near Bruff Kilmollock;;
County limerick BY E A R.Fogar1ty, y,eaae ana
negotiatioil by the Gilfort brothers
Opening from the American room are
the Asian and African rooms; "a tnese ness,
are Displayed horns of every kind OF wild
game animal in Africa, and the horns Of
every variety of rare animal in Asia, with
I three exceptions.
In the hall and on the stairway in the
rear of the Asian room is arranged a
valuable collection Of weapons used by
the South Sea Islanders. Iulu shieads, ar
rows tipped with human bones from the
Iviij Islands. and war clubs and shields
from other savage Islanders. AT the top
of the staircase looking down apparently TX
with approval is German clock loe
In the room devoted to Australia, every
sort Of weapon used By the aborigines Of
Australasia Is found d3boomeranss O. Az az
which requires the strength OF TWO men
and poisoned arrows bearing the STAINS
of human blood. are arranged about the
walls valuable tortoise-shell from New
Guinea occupies prominent place IN the
collection.