The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-10-09
ELEPHANTS AT WORK


Some OF the great sawmills of Maui.
main and Rangoon employ hundreds
of elephants. some with and others
without a mahout or driver.
The companies own immense tim.
Der concessions, and each year a Ger.
tain number of trees are marked for
cutting down. Those so marked are
girdled to prevent the sap rising
This causes the tree to die.
In three years 1t Is quite seasoned
and dry. 1t is then cut down, the
branches are Topped off, and one, two
or three elephants are attached to IL
by chains TO haul it to the nearest
stream.
The creek in which the elephant
has deposited its log, says the Circle,
may be dry in the timber cutting sea.
son; nevertheless the creature con.
tines to pile up log after log in the
bed Of the torrent against the time
when the monsoon shall break and
wash the accumulation of logs into
one OF the main rivers.
When this Is done men collect al
various points and examine the vari.
Gus owners marks. The logs ara
sorted and bound into RATS, and a
family of Burmans forthwith installs
itself upon each, and builds a little
hut of bamboo and leaves in which
70 live while the big raft of teak logs
Is coming down the river to Rangoon,
When the RATS arrive opposite the
saw yards herds of working elephants
are in waiting to heave the logs out
Of the water and take them to differ.
ent parts of the mill. They display
an intelligence almost human; and
when the dinner bell rings at midday
logs are dropped in every direction
and the ground fairly shakes as hun.
dreds of tuskers scamper off to dinner
like playful children let out of school
When the logs have been sawn 9th.
er gangs of elephants move dexter,
ously about among the huge circua
saws, avoiding them with extreme
care, clearing away debris, and in a
between mere rubbish and the sawn
planks. Then the elephants stack the
latter so carefully that the edges ars
not injured.
Most amusing Is 1t to see one OF
these working elephants tackling a
huge squared log and placing it or
the stack. First of all he estimates
Its length and its weight as it lies or
the ground. Then he digs his tusk:
under ii at one end, curls his trunk
over and tries to drag one end of the
log on to his tusks.
Should he find the task beyond him
he will give queer little trumpet
note, and up comes a colleague tc
help him at the other end. In a mo.
ment the two elephants have swung
the big log between them. walk in
step to the pile, and then one of them
apparently by preconcerted agree.
ment, places his end in position on the
stack, while the other rams home the
log.
Every timber yards has it's own
particular show elephant, more in.
telligent than the rest, and one be.
longing to Messrs. MacGregor & Co..
or Rangun, was in the habit of turn.
ing on a water tap and helping him.
self to big drink, though he never
could be induced to turn the water
off again. Similar obstinacy and oc.
casionally bad temper is shown, and
the mahouts are very highly paid, for
they live always in the risk that the
huge brutes may turn upon them and
kill them. particularly if the mahout
has at any time shown cruelty or un.
kindness.
Hindu mahout was employed
with working elephant at Bangkok
Siam, and frequently used a steel
goad. in defiance of all warnings
The result was that his elephant made
frequent attempts to kill him, and
finally the man was discharged.
Nearly four years afterward, by 6
most remarkable coincidence, both
elephant and mahout met again il
Maulmain, Burma, and no sooner was
the big tusker out of sight of the saw
mill and we'll into the forest thar
he eurled his trunk up backward
seized his old prosecutor by the neck
hurled him to the ground, and in an
instant a mighty forefoot had crushed
out his life.
Each working elephant represents
value of $500. and years of ex.
perience have shown that until quite
recently this was the most nroftahI.
form OF labor that could be employed
In the great forests of Burma and
Siam. Now, however. highly ingani
Gus American, German and British
machinery-chiefy portable railroads
and steam hoists-are gradually TAX.
ing the place of the giant workers
and in another decade the iEuepend
ent elephant laborer may be entirely
extinct.