This article concerns a New York Times story about the birth of the female Asian elephant calf, named America, at the winter headquarters of the  Greatest Show on Earth  in Bridgeport, Connecticut on February 2, 1882. Phineas T. Barnum, one of the owners of the show, and one prone to self-aggrandizing bluster, claimed that America was the second elephant ever born in captivity. America was born only to months before the arrival in New York of the most famous circus elephant of all time, Jumbo, on Easter Sunday, 1882, and only two years before the origin of a small wagon circus run by the five Ringling (originally, Rüngeling) brothers from Baraboo Wisconsin

Dale, Robert H.I.

English

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Butler University Digital Commons @ Butler University Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS College of Liberal Arts & Sciences 2008 History: The Birth of "America" in 1882 Robert H.I. Dale Butler University, rdale@butler.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/facsch_papers  Part of the American Popular Culture Commons, Psychology Commons, United States History Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Dale RHI. (2008). History: The Birth of "America" in 1882. Journal of the Elephant Managers Association. 19(1), 26-29. Available from: http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/facsch_papers/374 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Digital Commons @ Butler University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Butler University. For more information, please contact digitalscholarship@butler.edu. HISTORY:The Birth ofl/America;' in 1882. , . , ~ ". " ,, .',: • "< .. ,1 • ~. '_..\,,', !-,I 1::' '~. _By Robert H.I.DaleDepartment ofPsychology, Butler University, 4600 Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46208/This article concerns a New York Times story about the birth of the female Asian elephant calf, named America, at the winterheadquarters of the "Greatest Show on Earth" in Bridgeport, Connecticut on February 2, 1882. Phineas. T. Barnum, one of theowners of the show, and one prone to self-aggrandizing bluster, claimed that America was the second elephant ever born in captivity.America was born only two months before the arrival in New York of the most famous circus elephant of all time, Jumbo, on EasterSunday, 1882, and only two years before the origin of a small wagon circus run by the five Ringling (originally, Riingeling) brothersfrom Baraboo, Wisconsin.According to Richard Reynolds, a Trustee of the Circus Historical Society, writing on William "Buckles" Woodcock's web-log(bucklesw.blogspot.com), America was not even the second elephant born in captivity in North America. Reynolds claims that thefirst elephant calf born in the United States was delivered on Monday, May 31, 1875 at St. Joseph, Michigan, during a tour of theHowe's Great London show (owned, mainly, by James E. Kelley). The calf was named Joe and lived only a few days, although Mr.Reynolds did not specify the sex of the calf. Apparently, Joe was conceived, as well as born, in the United States because the calf's damwas part of a herd imported from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1871.Howe's Great London Show was absorbed by Cooper & Bailey's International Ten Allied Shows in 1879, so that the sameelephant herd was the source of a female calf, Columbia (also called Little Columbia), born on March 10, 1880 in the "Great LondonCircus, Sanger's Royal British Menagerie" owned by James A. Bailey, James E. Cooper, and James L. Hutchinson (Circus in AmericaTimeline), and of the calf, America, described in the New York Times article reprinted below, "BARNUM'S BABY ELEPHANT."In 1881, the Great London show and Barnum's Museum, Menagerie and Circus had merged, becoming "P. T. Barnum's GreatestShow on Earth, Sanger's Royal British Menagerie, The Great London Circus & Grand International Allied Shows." (Circus inAmerica Timeline). A few years later, in 1887, P.T. Barnum and]. A. Bailey combined their troupes to form a single, very large circusthat toured in 1888: the Barnum & Bailey circus. By 1902, the Ringling Brothers Circus had become a major rival of the Barnum andBailey circus (Circus in America Timeline). James A. Bailey was now managing the latter circus, P. T. Barnum having died on April7, 1891 (Circus in America Tirneline). James Bailey died in 1905, and in 1907 the Ringling Brothers Circus purchased the Barnumand Bailey Circus, although the two circuses traveled separately until 1919 (Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus}. Duringthis period, roughly 1870-1920, very few elephant births were described. More recently, however, numerous (that is, more than 20)elephants have been born at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation" (CEC) founded in 1995and sponsored by Feld Entertainment (Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus).26 I JEMA Vol 19 No 1This article about Americas birth, reprinted below, differsdramatically from modern newspaper articles in writing style,punctuation and emotional tone. In addition, the article'scontent is unusual for several reasons. Firstly, it describes thebirth-weights of two female Asian elephant calves at a timewhen such data were rarely published. Secondly, the behaviorsof the newborn calf and of the adult elephants are describedin some detail. Thirdly, the article describes some manage-ment practices (e.g., feeding the second calf crackers soaked inJamaican rum), faulty beliefs ("the swaying motion commonto all elephants"), and an extreme anthropomorphism thatwould be unacceptable now ("she [the dam, Queen] seemedto smack her lips and say "Bless you, my boy."). Fourthly, thearticle lists the membership of Barnum's elephant herd as itwas in February, 1882. Finally, the article introduces us tosome important employees of the Circus, such as Col. GeorgeArstingstall (Saxon, 1989, P: 402), the highly experiencedtrainer who managed "Jumbo" between 1882-1885 after thatelephant was brought to New York from England by William"Elephant Bill" Newman, Mr. Arstingstall's assistant (Jumbolanded in safety). Incidentally, this "Elephant Bill" is not theman described in the book Elephant Bill by Lt.-Col. J. H.Williams, 1950, Garden City, NY: Doubleday).REFERENCESBarnums baby elephant: great reJowngs over its birth atBridgeport. The New York Times, Feb. 4,1882, p. 8. Retrievedon January 31, 2008 from: http://lluery.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.hrrnl~res=9DOOEED F1E3CEE3ABC4C53D FB466838%99F:DECooper, James, E. Retrieved on February 1,2008 from: http:/ /www.circushistory.org/Olympians/OlYlllpiansC2.hrrnJumbo landed in safety. The New York Times, April 10, 1882,p. 4. Retrieved on January 31, 2000 from: http://qllery.nytirncs.com/ rnem/ archive-free/pdf?res:=:9AOCE4D61331E03ABC4852DFB266838%99FDERingling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Retrievedon January 31, 2008 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringling_Brothcrs _and_ Barnurn _and_Ba ilcy_CircusSaxon, A. H. ( 1989). P T. Barnum: The legend and the man.New York: Columbia University Press.BARNUM'S BABY ELEPHANT GREAT REJOICINGSOVER ITS BIRTH AT BRIDGEPORT.THE SECOND OF ITS CLASS BORN IN AMERICA-SCENES IN THE ELEPHANT DEPARTMENT OF THESHOW-MR. BARNUM INSURES THE YOUNGSTERFOR $300,000.BRIDGEPORT, Feb. 3.-There was great joy here todayover the fact that last evening this pleasant city became thebirthplace of the second elephant ever born in captivity. Theproud owner of the animal was sought by the masses, whodesired to congratulate him upon the event, but the hero ofmany circus campaigns was not easily accessible. When Mr.Phineas T. Barnum is at home the American flag is alwaysswung to the breeze from the roof of his splendid residenceat W'lldemere, but the flag was not flying to-day [sic]. He hadtaken up his head-quarters for the day in the elephant depart-ment of his show's Winter quarters just outside of this city,and was watching the movements of the baby elephant asthough he had suddenly become the possessor of the greatestprize on earth. Only newspaper reporters, physicians, andscientific experts were permitted to disturb him, and thecrowds that would have gladly embraced an opportunityto fondle the latest addition to his stock of elephants werekept at a distance. At 8 o'clock last evening 20 elephants ofvarious sizes were chained by one of their hind legs to stoutposts in a circle close to a sawdust ring. Eight minutes laterQueen, who was chained to a heavy post in the centre of thering was delivered of an heir, whose entree into public life wasgreeted with a succession of roars from all the elephants in thebuilding. Mr. Barnum was quickly summoned from his home.He shook the hands of all the attendants, and was as lively asthe liveliest young man in Bridgeport, although nearly 71 yearsof age. Drs. Cole, Sandford, Porter, Bronson and Hubbard, ofthis city, soon arrived, and everybody, excepting the elephantswas disposed to merry-making. The elephants seemed totake a gloomy view of' the situation, and, while continuouslyswaying to and fro, winked in an ominous manner or flappedtheir blanket-like ears as though preparing to strike terror tothe hearts of those of the human race who stood close to theouter circle of the ring. Chieftain, the father of the baby, wasapparently more sullen than the rest, and manifested a desireto lean up against the wall in his corner and kick. He shriekedlike a calliope [sic] when anyone approached him, and it wasdeemed best to leave him to his meditations.27/The baby lay in the hay and sawdust at the feet of itsmother for several minutes, while the mother rubbed its bodywith her huge trunk. ~een was very nervous, the showmanthought, and they did not bother her while she was thusengaged. She essayed to raise her new-born daughter to herfeet, but the little one, to the astonishment of all, rose of herown accord and attempted to plant her block-like feet squarelyon the sawdust. The mother closely eyed her offspring, and itwas thought that either she or it, or both, would soon takea notion to lie on the hay which the attendants had freelyscattered in the ring. The baby at first tottered, and then tothe delight of the lookers-on began for the first time in itslife the swaying motion peculiar to all elephants. Mr. GeorgeArstingstall, the trainer, who has had an experience of over 20years with elephants, and who witnessed the birth of the firstone ever born in captivity on March 10, 1880, in Philadel-phia, rejoiced over his new charge, and Queen permitted noone but him to come close to her. He fed her loaves of bread,pans of oat-meal, and a solution of soda-crackers and Jamaicarum, and she seemed to smack her lips and say "Bless you, myboy." Mr. Barnum remained around the ring until midnight,and then reluctantly went to his home to take a nap. Mr. JamesA. Bailey, his business partner, was among the elephants withMr. Arstingstall and his assistants throughout the night andup to noon to-day. Mr. Arstingstall and Mr. H. H. Cross, theartist and historian of the show, measured and weighed thebaby shortly after her birth. She was 30 inches in height, 36inches in width, and weighed 145 pounds. She was of bluishcolor at birth, but changed to a delicate mouse shade. Hertrunk was 7\0. inches in length, measured from the under lip,and the tail was so short that no attempt was made to measureit. 111ebaby, as one of the spectators expressed it, was "all legs."She had two teeth. She waddled about in close proximity toher mother's heavy feet, and was apparently in danger ofbeingtripped up and trampled upon, but her immense mothermoved as cautiously as though stepping on glass, and reachedthe baby with her trunk whenever the little one rested againsther hind legs. 111ebaby's eyes were fiery red, her hair was darkand scant, and her toy trunk curled up as she crawled underher mother and partook of natural nourishment. She is aboutone-third smaller in size than Columbia was at the time ofher birth. The latter weighed 236Y2 pounds, while America,the new-comer [sic], weighs 145 pounds. For fully 16 hoursAmerica remained on her feet, and then, after many awkwardattempts at lying on the hay, settled down in what must havebeen a most uncomfortable position. She rested on her kneesand placed her mouth squarely on the grass with her trunkcurled upward. This position greatly amused the spectators,and the baby through sheer exhaustion toppled over on herside and closed her eyes in slumber. She did not remain long atrest, however, and was soon again on her feet making a circuitof her mother.~een, the mother, is a native of Ceylon, and was28 I lEMA Vol 19 No 1imported in 1871 by Mr. Barnum. She weighs about 6,800pounds, and is something over 6 feet in height. Chieftain,the father, has been in this country 15 years. He is 11 feet 4inches in height. There are now 21 elephants in Mr. Arsting-stall's care. 111elarge ones are Pilot, who is 12 feet in height:Fritz, Gypsy, Albert, Pallas, Hebe, Mandarin, Prince, Juno,~een, and Chieftain. The small ones are Romeo, Tippo Saib,Nan, Lena, Venus, Adonis, Nemo, Topsy, Columbia, and thebaby which was yesterday christened America. When theelephants were led toward the water-tank early this morningthey declined, for some reason known only to themselves, todrink. -TIley halted whenever they were apparently satisfiedthat they might get a good view of the new-comer amongthem. Mandarin and Hebe, the mother and father of littleColumbia, took especial interest in the little one, and staredlong and intently at her. Mandarin coolly stepped into thering, and moved in a mysterious manner around the baby.The keeper at once undertook to persuade him to return tohis post, and he at once rebelled. 111en they returned him tohis chains. Columbia was most anxious to get into the ringand frolic with the daughter of ~een and Chieftain, burMr. Arstingstall prevented her from gratifying her wish. Fora long time he kept little Columbia chained close to Queen,and the latter was much interested in Hebe's daughter. 111eyrubbed against each other in an affectionate manner, and werelike an old cat and her favorite kitten. When Mr. Arstingstallone day removed Columbia from this close companion-ship with ~een, and put another small elephant, Gypsy,in her place, ~een manifested her displeasure by inflictingsummary chastisement upon Gypsy. -TI1enMr. Arstingstallrescued Gypsy and returned the rollicking little Columbia toher position alongside Queen. While Mr. Barnum surveyedhis array of elephants to-day, the trainer unchained Columbiaand asked her to stand up "like a lady." The little one stoodon her hind legs. 111en she was invited to stand on herhead, and she was about to do so, but was so near the edgeof the platform on which she stood that Mr. Barnum criedout, "Take care, you little rascal, or you'll fall over and hurtyourself" 111en Columbia resumed her natural position andunwillingly returned to her chain. The large elephant Prince,who, the trainer said, was nothing but "a great, big school-boy;' proposed to remove his chain and dance about thering. 111e thick skin on his forehead had been badly scrapedas though he had been bounding against a stone wall, andwhen Mr. Arstingstall's attention was called to this he said:"I use him sometimes with others when 1want to switch offsome of the railroad cars on our tracks, and he has scrapedhis forehead while at work. He is always in for fun, and willquit work at any time to play with anybody." Mr. Arstingstallhad no faith in the friendship of these animals, saying that healways mistrusts them and makes it a rule to govern them inthe most serious possible manner. He dislikes to have persons"fool" with them, and will not permit such conduct.Mr. Barnum yesterday secured an insurance of $300,000on the baby America for one year. None of the insurancecompanies would take the risk, but rich stockholders in NewYork and in Hartford accepted it. He paid $52,000 premium,or $1,000 a week for 52 weeks. It is his intention to exhibitthe baby with her father and mother, as 'the "elephant family:'and he says that the attraction will be so extraordinary thathe can well afford to pay that enormous sum of money foran insurance on her life. Milk from ~een was sent to Prof.E. H. Jenkins, of New Haven, and to Prof. Charles Doremus,of New York, for analysis. Mr. Arstingstall said that after thebirth of Columbia he and some of his associates drank milkfrom Hebe and greatly relished it. In the opinion of all whosaw the baby America yesterday it was perfectly healthy, andbids fair to enjoy a long and honorable public life. Col. W.W. Durand and Richard F. Hamilton, known familiarly as"Tody" Hamilton, both attaches to the truth-telling staff ofMr. Barnum's show, have been here all day entertaining thelarge number of newspaper men in attendance from New-York[sic], Boston, Hartford, New-Haven [sic], and other cities.Mr. Barnum presented Mr. Arstingstall, the trainer, witha handsome scarf-pin formed into a golden elephant with alarge diamond in its trunk.The New York TimesPublished: February 4, 1882Copyright © TI1eNew York Times.The Exotic AnimaI Feeding ResourceMazMAZURI~ ELEPHANT SUPPLEMENT 5666:Contains soybean oil - Provides essentialfatty acids to meet nutritional requirements.Provides proper ratios of vitamins - Animalsstay in good condition; eliminates the need formore expensive means of supplementation.Added levels of essential minerals - Not necessary tosupplement with other minerals.Pellet form - Easy to feed; easy for animals to handle;minimizes waste.Choice of vitamin E forms - Allows greater flexibility infeeding program.FLEXIBLEAND EASY TO FEEDSUPPLEMENTrake a walk on the wild side and visit us atwww.Mazuri.com29

History: The Birth of  America  in 1882

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History: The Birth of America in 1882

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