The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-23
VERY BIGGEST T0OTHACHE.
,ry,. THE ELEPHANT, NOW HAS
A GOLD FILLING.
Al the chorus Girls Fauit-Dentist Armed
wuh q Pile Driver--Patient Held
WIN Cables-Fortune Buried In the
Z Cayity--Candy Dict Now Prohibited.

| ,,uh ('ables-Fortune Buried In the
|e Cay,ty--Candy Dict Now Prohibited.
iona the trick elephant at the Hippo
,.one. had tooth filled yesterday. She
added to her store Of knowledge some
[srv emphatic opinions OF dentists and
their ways.
fD lana had been suffering ever since the
,a.a ~ the winter season, but no one was
tnonch skilled in elephants to understand
t.h.t allied her. She is . sweet young
Chne of eighteen years. Even her worst
s.an'v couldn't call her small. and her tooth
[ahe correspondent with her size. She
.tnssd food for days and went around
(h.Ling her head and throwing her trunk
thout until the men thought that their
l0ua,,v mild hammered comrade was going
mad.
A few days ago, the seat OF the trouble
os discovered by Pete Barlow, the eie-
rhant man. He noticed that Lena kept
Euoking in one cheek, much as one OF her
human friends might have found painful
rlao sure in sticking his tongue into the
t.vtv of an aching tooth. Examination
rhov cd that Lena had cavity. It was one
L. tbe teeth of her upper jaw; 1t was mere
Erae about an inch and q half In diameter.
After the trouble had been located 1t wasn't
Lhe easiest thing in the world to find man
Tho was willing to undertake the cure.
Painless dentistry for elephants isn't much
advertised. Finally the show people fixed
In Martin j. Potter, the veterinary who
Is.t the camel's leg in Central Park two
|vears ago The doctor brought with him
Mound Of chloroform, as much chloral,
md a lot of tools that looked as though no
had taken a paving contract.
Meanwhile Lena. on the big stage at
khe Hippodrome, was being led around
In endless circles ito get her mind oil
her troubles" as the keeper put 1t. The
|bip beast wore a most pathetic expression
I'm the large expanse Of leather that con-
lshn,tes her collntenance, and from time
to time a big tear would roll down the
|vnnkled cheek and fall like an immense
lraindrop on the stage.
Word had gone around that Lena was to
he operated on and would have to take
.lchloroform and several of the chorus girls
| lof the company hurried On to protect their
lpet. Rita Dean, one Of the riders, became
|yery an xious about her friend when the doc
| |tor contided to her that elephants seldom
little bit herself, but the tears did not in the
least resemble in size those shed by Lena.
. How sincere they may have been IL another
story. DR.. Potter admitted frankly that
choroform is very dangerous for the larger
animals and that some five thousand dol
lars worth of elephant was very likely to lose
value as a result OF the trial.
It's all the fault Of them girls. anyway,
srowled the keeper, they keep feeding
Candy TO Lena all the time, and that's what's
ruined her teeth. Pity they wouldn't eat
1T themse ves--ohorus girls is easier to get,
d whole lot, than trick elephants"
When the pIeppa 5 , for the operation
coa1ed her to lie down, and while he kept
bier quiet by talking elephant nonsense to
her men came with ropes and made her
feet fast to rings in the floor. Lena ap-
|parenty suspected that something was
wrong, for in spite Of the keepers Efforts
khe united several knots with her trunk,
making all the while a queer moaning noise
hway down in her throat.
But she behaved better than most people
10 in q like position until the doctor PRED
open her jaws and began to wash out the
cavity IN the tooth. An unlucky scrape
bit the nerve and Lena yelled "ouch!' In
tlephantese and started to get up, She
bad been tied with two inch rope. but that
Didn't seem to bother her. She got up and
kbere seemed to be q disposition on the part
pf the spectators to give her plenty Of room.
Ehe dentist was bit pale and persptred
freely. He remarked that it was warm
bay
Lena charged around the stage once or
fwice with her trunk raised and scary
kind Of steam whistle sound coming out OF
fhe end of it, and then she quoted down
Ind began to listen to the nice things that
Bob Tyler was saying to her. Bob was the
fny one who didn't have important business
n linn ,rh4 4 A
Eas quite angry when any one suggested
fhat his charge behaved badly. Elephants
kith toothache had a right to tear up a
lew ropes and things, he thought.
Tyler persuaded Lena to lie down again,
md this time the doctor decided to try
newspaper and in the bottom placed q
eponge saturated with the anesthetic.
Then the funnel was placed over Lena's
hunk and she breathed in the chloroform
eith huge, gusty signs. After the chloro-
[om in the funnel had been rep,enished
Foctor finished cleaning the cavity and
lhaping it to hold the filing. Then he
fanmed in the gold and began to hammer
home with an instrument that resembled
miniature piedriyer.
About the second knock Lena woke up
end began to say things. She didn't stop
kopes which had been run through blocks
khls time and were held by the stage hands.
ena whipped her trunk out Of the rope
mat held it and reached for one Of the leg
Fopes. Ten fair sized men were straining.
Pm the rope, but when Lena took hold they
~ Travelled In her direction, do what they
Mght, and soon they were all scramblinG
kor the wings again. But in all the uproar
Pi trumpeting and swearing the doctor
tuck to his job and steadily hammered
Gome the gold. He finished Just as Lena
per feet.
Iheelephant at once began to tumble In her
fnouth with her trunk and the doctor took
tavantase Of her preoccupation to seek q
|ess exposed position.
Ns all finished except the burnishing,s
Le said, but l think I'll come back to-
morrow for that. I'm afraid that II my hair
stands on end any longer to-day I'll never
Pc a6le to comb it smooth again.
now about the filing coming out?'
exec the anxious owner, and then the ele-
Ehant dentist showed that he belonged to
Inc s, union and knew the proper answer.
III the filing comes out III eat the ele-
plant he said.
~ was whispered about the Hippodrome-
I'M v! Tor publication Of cowse-that the
Jung was of pure gold leaf-about two and
nall ounces Of it-and the cost was In pro-
evqTllon to the size Of the toothache.
lena was much relieved by the operation
nu rubbed her trunk gratefully against
XVI Keepers arm, as though she believed
EiIiin responsible for the whole thing The