Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-07-21

In THE
SNAKE
Rubber COlored lPachyderms
Take a Disastrous Swim
In Oregon Waters

In the Idaho Falls Post there ap.
pears the following detailed story of
the recent stampede of FIVE circus ele.
plants at Idaho Falls, which jumped
into the Snake river and narrowly es-
capped drowning.
History was made about 4 O'Clock
Friday afternoon when five of the
big elephants belonging to the
Sell Floto shows were carried by
the waters of the snake river under
the old Anderson bridge Accord
ing to the old timers this is the first in.
stance where an animal of any kind
NOT excepting man-has been car
ried through the channel of the Snake
at this point and come out alive.
After the elephants were through
with their part in the afternoon per-
formance of the circus, they were TAX
en- out by their keepe,s and allowed to
wallow and play in the waters of Il
canal just east of the show grounds.
Being well behaved herd and always
under control, only one assistant re-
mained in charge, he being on the west
side of the canal Suddenly the ele
phants climbed up the east bank and
started off to run in a northeasterly
direction, toward the Snake river. The
calls of the keeper failed to stop them
and after making their way to a point
ON the bank where the lava bed is low,
five Of the six plunged into the water,
only the biggest one, "Mamma," re.
naming on the shore. The five huge
pachyderms were swept like straws by
the rushing current of the river.
BY this time a large number of cir
Gus employees and interested spectators
were in pursuit, and one of the huge
animals was assisted from the water at
a point where the river turns into the
stretch where the bridge is located.
The other four were carried through
this narrow channel, which is reputed
to have no bottom, as sounding has
never revealed one. Spectators who
were familiar with the river and its
history expected the circus to lose the
majority of its herd, but the pachy-
derms wallowed and rolled and al.
though completely covered with water
they did at times come near enough
to the surface to stick their trunks out
to get air. They were carried quite
a distance in this manner, but were
rescued, mostly through their own ef.
forts, at the point below the railroad
bridge where the "dry bed" enters
the river.
The elephant f-st taken out was
chained to a rock behind the postofiice,
and as the others were brought up the
herd again broke loose, three of them
again plunging into the river, and the
other coming down town.
Of the three that plunged into the
river, one was gotten out at the place
Of entering, and two were again taken
through the channel, and one was re.
covered at the same point as previous
ly, having each time been carried sew
eral hundred yards. Alice, the largest
If the three and the one to swim in
near the smooth lava rock opposite the
flour mill, endeavored TO get hold of
some projection with her trunk, but
failing and nearly exhausted, pulled
away from it, and as she struck the
current turned over two or three times.
She was in the main channel Of the
stream and it tossed and rolled her
about as it woul bubble. The boast
was immersed, save the top of her
head, and occasionally that would dis.
appear, but at regular intervals the
trunk was shot out of the water for
a fresh supply of air and she continued
70 drift and swim about in battling
the treacherous current of the danger
Gus river until she reached the edge
Of the rapid on the right bank Of the
stream opposite the ice house, where
she managed TO secure foothold, and, all
but played out, crawled slowly to the
land, apparently having had more than
enough fresh water bath for this sea.
SON.