Buckles Blog: Barnum & Bailey in Europe #7

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Scan000010664, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Anonymous said...: What is that girth srap used for? It looks to be the same as the elephant getting into the stock car

HM; 03 January, 2008 09:13
Buckles said...: A martingale, similar to the device used on horses.
Should it become necessary, he can be snubbed down by running a chain from the ring on his tusk between his front legs and attached to the girth strap.; 03 January, 2008 10:45
Anonymous said...: Would this tusker be Fritz or were there others on the show? With the martingale, he shows up in several pictures today. And what is the history of Fritz?
Dick Flint
Baltimore; 03 January, 2008 10:53
Casey McCoy Cainan said...: Was it common to leave the girth strap on all the time, or just when it was likely to be needed?; 03 January, 2008 10:59
Buckles said...: My first record of "Fritz" is in 1878 when the Flatfoot's were operating the Barnum Show.
In the 1881 Bowser list, his weight is given as 4,930 lbs.
In an interview, George Bates gave a full account of the events leading up to his demise in 1902.; 03 January, 2008 12:56

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