The New York herald., 1922-11-14
Central Park Elephant Is
5000 Pounds of Helpless
ness Out in Cold.
WHISKY ANIMATES HER
City Keepers Lack Impelling
Force to Get the Animal
Through Her Door.

A fallen elephant is the Hurnpty
Dumpty of the animal kingdom. There
is our old friend Hattie of the Cen
tral Park Zoo, for instance.
Two five ton trucks and a dozen
men spent yesterday afternoon trying
to get her from the outside to the in
side of the elephant house. But when
dusk ended their labors Hattie still
lay on the ground in the yard. breath
ing heavily through her palpitant pro-
boscis, 5000 pounds OF helplessness,
with the open door of her bedroom
only a few feet away.
Hattie took sick last Thursday and
in her delirium staggered out of the
elephant house and fell In corner OF
the backyard. DR.. Harry Nimphius
veterinarian, said her trouble was
szoturia, a disease induced by sed-
entary habits--lack of exercise and
overlooking - and producing temporary
paralysis of the hind legs. Only the
lower animals ever have it, and the
chance of recovery is slight.
StiII Controls Her Trunk.
Hattie feels bad all over. but she car
move her front legs. and her trunk
waves incessantly. Even in her worst
moments yesterday she waved the
trunk back and forth. from man to
man. as if appealing for magic cap
sule, say a peanut
The immediate problem is how to get
her out of the November cold into her
warm quarters. Hattie cannot help
because she cannot walk or even raise
herself. She will have TO be lifted and
tucked through the door.
Before yesterdays ordeal began DR.
Nimphius inverted bottle and poured
a full quart of whisky down her
throat. The druggist was flabbergasted
by the prescription. "One quart OF
whisky for Hattie. elephont, address
he responded according to the best ira
ditions of his profession. Hattie ac-
knowledged the minstration with a
graceful sigh and feeble kick OF the
left hind leg, which had been COM
pletely paralyzed.
Then two wrecking trucks of the
Street Cleaning Department backed
into the yard and maneuvered until
they stood almost back to back, with
Hattie p-ostrate between them. Each
truck has a bridge-like steel SUPER
structure projecting over the rear,
where bangles a great steel rope. the
other end of which is wound around
a drum on the truck.
Amateurs at Hoisting Elephants.
with these" said John r. Mccarthy.
district superintendent of the Depart
ment of Street Cleaning. I'VE have
pulled horses out of m1nholes AMI
wrecked automobiles UP TO piers whe :
they've tumbled off. but" ADDED Nc
Carthy, pondering the inert Hattie, 81
don't Just remember ever having had
an elephant Job before. What's the best
way to hitch on?''
Jim Coyle. head Keeper. and the vet
erinarian agreed that by throwing ,
couple of chains around Hattie. one just
back OF her forelegs and the other Just
n. front of her hind legs, and bringing :
the chains together on her back. a sort
of sling could be made. Many whli.ig
fands did this. McCarthy's men hooked
their steel cables into the junction 5f
the chains. and groaning drums lifte.l
the elephant Jog at a time, until she
stood upright.
Her paralyzed hind legs swung auto
naatically into the proper position. 30
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