Monday, May 28, 2007

Al G. Barnes #4


SAVE2883, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

This sub-title on this 1923 picture is incorrect.
Elephant man is N.W. "Red" McKay and the elephant at right is "Ruth", Mr. Barnes first elephant, purchased in 1908.

Posted by Buckles at 5/28/2007 06:34:00 AM

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is one big elephant! Did the leg to tusk chains work like a running w on horses to stop running?? cc

28 May, 2007 07:40
Buckles said...

Usually those chains were attached to the martingale that went over his back as seen in picture #5.
He could do a lot of damage to handlers and even other elephants if he got that heavy ivory up in the air.

28 May, 2007 08:05
Anonymous said...

Do you know if this Ruth is the one that was sent to the zoo in Little Rock?

Don Bloomer

28 May, 2007 08:53
Buckles said...

RUTH

1925- Wm. P. Hall Animal Farm
1926-38 Schell Bros. Circus (George Engesser)
1938-68 Little Rock, Ark. Zoo
(Died in Nov. of 1968)

Does this sound right? My info from Zoos is second hand at best.

28 May, 2007 09:12
Anonymous said...

wE KNOW that he was originally "Ned" just like Tommy becoming King Tusk and that he was with a female named "Mena" that died on early KM. He had walked overland on Atterbury wagon show. Now I wonder if he was trained to perform and who would have trained him. Other than being exhibited I see nothing about him performing, ala Snyder, Tommy, etc. Maybe Buckles or some of you animal historians could enlighten us.

28 May, 2007 15:38
Anonymous said...

Yes, that does sound right. Thanks for the info. The old zookeepers that worked with "Ruth" at the Little Rock Zoo credited her with protecting them from a little untrained punk named "Ellen".

Don Bloomer

28 May, 2007 16:42
Anonymous said...

In adding up the years Ruth would have been a little over sixty when she passed on at the Little Rock Zoo. In 1937 my Uncle George folded Schell Bros. and he leased Ruth to a family member Carl DeVere who bought half interest in Barney Bros. and we [our family] were there with my Dad being Eqes. Dir. and animal trainer. I recall my Dad being Generally useful when the boss canvasman blew and he would always leave Ruth loose on the lot to eat grass and he gave me a little bull hook and my job was to yell and tell him if she walked off the lot and he would call her back and continue on with the set up. It was my first introduction to the world of elephants. What a small world. I remember in New Mexico that he would bring her on the Midway and with chain in her trunk she would do a slow whirl and clear the Indian Lot Lice from the front end. She moved overland on a straight job flat bed.

29 May, 2007 09:11

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