The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-26
HARD JOB, MOVING ELEPHANTS
TROUBLES or TIE HIPPODROME
BEGAN AT CONEY ISLAND.

trainload Of theatrical properties, from
Luna Park. COney Island, 10 the Hippo
drome building at Sixth avenue and Forty
third street, was accomplished yesterday
afternoon without bloodshed OF loss Of life.
But there was trouble a-plenty. The
proceedings were arranged to begin at 10
O'Clock in the morning at Luna Park. They
began then. all right, but the procession
did not move until half past 4 In the after
noon. Il was mostly the fault Of Queenie
and Alice. These two coy young thingS,
weighing some six and half tons bulk Of
too, too solid flesh between them, have
during the winter acquired what Ia known
at boarding schools for young women a. a
horrible crush" for one another.
Pete Barlow, the superintendent Of their
particular boarding school, has fostered
the elephantine interchange Of feminine
affections because he found In Il a won
derful implement Of discipline. When
Queenie has been fractions, Mr., Barlow
has made great demonstrations Of beating
Ahoe. Queenie promptly set up squeals
Of pain and repentance and was good
ChAstisement Of Queenie has always brought
Alice TO terms In the same way. The big
girlies have always been stabbed side by
side, and never sleep except with their
trunks intertwined-at least 90 the vera
Cious Mr.. Barlow says.
But at any rate Queenie would not for q
minute tolerate the locking Of Alice into q
box ON wheels. All the elephants had to be
brought up in crates mounted on trucks,
because Thompson d Dundy didn't want TO
have & pay damage suits for the rlnAways
which elephants nearly always cause when
led through the streets. Queenie raised
all kinds Of a not over the efforts TO immune,
Alioe on the first truck. And then Alice,
thinking somebody was treating Queenie
badly, declined to go into the old box any
way until she knew what all the fuss was
about
One Of Teamster Brady's draught horses
was shoved aside In the ruction, and
promptly fell over In a faint. Pals OF
water did not revive the horse and 1t had
10 be taken out Of harness. II was then
discovered that the hysteria which always
affects horses when elephants are around
was so acute in this particular dray horse
that II had brought on heart disease. The
horse died In about three hours.
Queenie and Alice were at last persuaded
TO get into their ooupes and the loading Of
the rest Of the elephants was done most
eIpeditiously-too eXpeditiously, as II
proved later The hundred and moro
horses were mounted by exercise boys
from all the Coney Island TaoetraOks, and
All went we'll until the procession wal
coming through Fifteenth street In Brook
lyn, when Punch, one Of the smaller ele-
plants, decided that he wanted more air
He threw up his head and the top Of his crate
few on. He butted forward and the front
dropped out. The driver, who wasn't
used TO the playful ways Of the Jungle giants,
took one swift CLAN ce behind and fed three
blocks after a flying leap from his seat.
Punch lurched forward and fell on the top
Of his head turning a complete sorersault,
which would be invaluable In a regular
Hinpodrome performance.
Then he rolled over, staggered 70 his feet
and stood swaying, looking at the wreck
Of the crate and emitting feeble paohydermio
means.
Mr.. Howard Fielding, the expert on
animal transportation, who was accom-
panying the expedition, had prepared for
Just such an emergency. The horses had
stopped Of themselves when the driver fed
Mr.. Fielding sent a mounted courier back
for the emergency wreolIng crew. II
came to the front with ten foot vide
runway and ten carpenters. But after the
crate was fixed Punch declined TO get
aboard again. He was finally persuaded
10 60 up the gang plank backward, The
delay, however, consumed nearly tW o hours.
Then another driver had 20 be sent for,
because the first driver had been 30 much
in earnest in explaining to the bartender
in place wher he went to repair his nerves,
that he couldn't be persuaded 70 come
away.
Trouble next developed at the Brooklyn
Bridge, this time among the horses, some
Of which are retired racehorses and all
Of which are thoroughbreds. The Bridge
was too much for the nerves OF three OF
them. Two. ran away. at the Brooklyn
end, throwing their boys They were
captured and the boys were not hurt. The
third ran away at the first glimpse Of the
crowd at the Manhattan end Of the Bridge
and made for Park row. Mr.. Fielding,
who was out in the middle Of the street
guarding against any trolley collisions,
grabbed the bride and was dragged al
most to the door Of the Stats Zeitung
Rathsloeller.
The procession went through Chambers
street to Broadway and thence TO Forty;
third street. In Thirtieth street the wheel
Of the HInabout in which Head Hostler
O'Brien was riding dropped through the
trolley slot In prytng the wheel out, the
wiecking crew managed 70 short circuit
the line, and all Broadway cars were stalled
In darkness for some three minutes. (Note
The malicious rlmoT that the cars were
scared by the elephants IL officially denied
by Mr. Barlow.)
Al Fortieth street a yell Of distress was
heard from the third elephant wagon;
In about three seconds the crate was covered
with a swarm Of carpenters from the wreck
ing wagon, led by Mr.. Fielding and Pete
Barlow. The front had dropped out Of
Alices crate. A crowd OF thousand or
more gathered In a twtnklinR.
Alice didn't like II and spoke up her mind
in a tone Of voice that was heard up and
down Broadway for three blocks. More
crowd. More wrecking crews. Queenie,
In the next carriage took up the cry. Alice
lost her temper. Out from the melee rose
the voice Of Pete Barlow In deadly earnest:
Say, this things got 70 be stopped,
press notices or no press notices This
elephantll be raising hell In q minute,
and that's no Joke.
The carpenters faded away, the front
Of the crate went up a. though Il had been
on hinges. The procession started with
great alacrity, Mr.. Barlow riding on the top
OF Alioe's roof and murmuring oonsoling
words TO her through the cracks In the
crate.
The unloading was accomplished most
peacefully at the Hippodrome, where light
and comfortable quarters had been pre-
pared in the basement for both horses and
elephants.
fhe elephants stalked across the big
stage through a rehearsal mob Of Union
prisoners In Andersonville with an e1-
preston Of noble disgust on their travel
weary countenRnces- The rest Of the
elephants and all the camels viii be brought
over late tonight They win have 10
walk.