Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Chris Zeitz #2


Scan11141, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

The Great Floto elephant herd when Chris Zeitz arrived to take over in 1905, seen standing in front of the Advertising Car.
The man at left looks to be his long time assistant Fred Alispaw.

My dad wrote on the back:
"Mom", "Trilby", "Floto", "Alice", "Frieda" and "Snyder".

"Mom" was the show's first elephant purchased in 1903 the five punks arrived at various times in 1904."
Buckles

Posted by Buckles at 12/30/2008 06:45:00 AM

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Ringling's purchased 8 elephants from Hagenbeck in 1904 according to Lorenz H. book. Hagenbecks brought 36 elephants over for Coney Island (20) and the other 8 for the World's Fair in St. Louis. These maybe?

30 December, 2008 07:25
Buckles said...

Quite possibly.

30 December, 2008 07:43
DanKoehl said...

I have been thinking on why Mom was called Mom, and sometimes Mama Mary?

On this page http://webpages.charter.net/mtruax/1904wf/Pike%20US%20Attractions.htm#Hagenbeck is written following lines: Baby elephant was born on way to St. Louis onboard ship from Calcutta.

Dont know the source for that, possibly Lorenz Hagenbecks book.

Is there any babay elephant known during 1904, that could fit, and confirm that a baby elephant arrived, and if so, maybe this was Mom, and the reason of her name?

17 April, 2012 12:47
DanKoehl said...

Lorenz Hagenbeck writes: When in March 1904 we stood on board the s.s. Bethania and he was bidding me goodbye, 'Lad,' he said to me, 'I want you to take care we don't lose a single elephant.' He was indeed not a little worried, for he was putting the largest group of exotic animals which we had ever handled directly into my hands. Twenty elephants had been
sold to Thompson and Dundee and there were also two bachelor elephants which were going to the largest menagerie in the world, that of Luna Park on Coney Island. There were also eight others for the circus of the Ringling Brothers (who were of German extraction, then in close connection with Barnum and Bailey, who later bought them out), hi the transport there were still eight other elephants, including a cow and baby Jumbo. These belonged to our own proposed show at St. Louis.

That made thirty-six elephants in all, not to speak of the other wild animals, trained and untrained, all in box-wagons, cages, tanks and baskets, covering the decks of the ship.

19 April, 2012 18:27
Wade G. Burck said...

Dan,
Great information, thank you for sharing. Can you even begin to imagine what it must have been like living back in that time, and dealing with a load of animals like that. Just incredible......

Wade

19 April, 2012 21:42
Bob Cline said...

Getting all these anaimals on was one huge issue but the feed and fresh water that was required for the trip overses must have taken the better part of what was left on the ship.
Bob

20 April, 2012 06:28
Wade G. Burck said...

Bob,
I used to think it was a big deal only needing one week to prepare to move 16 tiger's, 250 from Chicago to Evansville, Ind. I now feel pretty inadequate and useless.......

Wade Burck

20 April, 2012 08:22
Julia Lyon said...

Hello! I am a children's book author working on a book about Princess Alice the elephant. I would love to email or speak with folks who know more about this elephant's history in the circus. Buckles, what's the best way to connect with you? Thanks so much! Loved seeing these photos on your blog!

02 March, 2022 17:00

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