Friday, July 27, 2007

Sparks Elephants on the move 1920's #1


Scan10109, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Posted by Buckles at 7/27/2007 06:28:00 AM

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Someone could have made an exercise video for elephants, based on activity like this. When performed with care and consideration, "work" likely kept the animals in good physical condition and perhaps gave them an opportunity to work off excess energy and agitation, yielding very tractable animals.

Such scenes are also a tribute to the wagon builders and show craftsmen. These bulls are really leaning into their harness, the cage sliding through the mud like a sled, rather than rolling on the wheels. Their pull is being exerted on the front undergear, and then the resistance of the mud on the rear wheels is stressing everything from the kingpin in the front gear through the body to the rear wheels. Seldom did one see a structural failure in the field.

27 July, 2007 07:56
Anonymous said...

This is an example of being hooked directly to the wagon and not pulling from the gooseneck. It appears that the pull would be too heavy for the gooseneck to absorb by itself. Not the pole chains hooked to the collar chain.

27 July, 2007 08:37
Anonymous said...

I think its important to note that on a really heavy pull [pole wagon etc.] the boss elephant man ,and or the boss hostler would attach pulling teams on other parts of the wagon as well for fear of pulling the front fifth wheel assembly right out from under the wagon, so it would help by pulling on all parts of the wagon most notably the corner rings on both the front or back of the wagon and even having a couple elephants pushing from behind. Every little bit helps, and Oh Yes, you should never pull straight away but forward from side to side. All of this carries thru with truck shows as well. Chappie Fox has some good photos in his books on these types of hook ups.

27 July, 2007 09:06
Anonymous said...

The side to side forward movement would only be done until the wagon was moving and then "haul ass" until it was spotted or on the "hard" On a truck show a knowledgable elephant man on a muddy lot would emphatically in struck the truck driver "Don't spin the God Damned wheels. Just put her in Grandma and we will help you and you will help us."

27 July, 2007 09:19
Anonymous said...

An afterthought reflection; It was always interesting to note the candy butchers on a muddy lot doing this extra "chinese" without any raincoats and with their expensive, thin soled alligater shoes on. They were always the worst "wheel spinners". The "good old days."

27 July, 2007 09:39
Anonymous said...

Many of you have probably seen the classic TV news bit, a few years back, of the C&B cookhouse pulled into position with the show end loader 5 elephants and the biggest Caterpiller I have ever seen. The date was just outside of Indianapolis and that morning leaving the previous lot everything had to be dragged out because of overnight rain that made the race track a slick as warm grease.
As to moving side to side, this is same way a Cat or endloader driver would get the load started today.

27 July, 2007 18:55

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