Electric Shocks.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 291, 16 December 1901, Page 2

Electric Shocks.

Buffalo, November 9. _Jumbo 11., a vicious elephant, fanning himself with a plank from the scaffold on which he had been placed for execution, defied the power of electricity to-day, and

a few minutes afterwards sauntered back to his quarters as unconcerned as though he had undergone nothing more serious than the usual circus bombardment with peanuts. According to those who had charge of the event, the beast received a current of about 2000 voits,

Ellly in the afterneon more than 1000 people paid admission to see tha elephant killed. Major Deipl called up Animal Trainer Bostoek on the telephone and made a personal request to him not to

have the execution public. Former Post-master-General Wilson S. Bissell, for the . Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, male a similar appeal, and the importunities were so earnest that Bostoek gave way. The big crowd was dismissed and the money was refunded. Bostoek announced that the elephant was so dangerous in its present condition that it would be killed in private later in the day. At five o'clock .Jumbo was led into the Stadium between two smaller elephants. A platform of planks had been erected in the south-east corner of the Stadium, and Jumbo was mounted on this and chained to a row of stakes which surrounded the platform. Two electric wires, heavily j insulated, connected with this platform, and a switch for controlling the current was on the wall of the Stadium. One of ! the wires was suppesed to carry a current i of 1800 voits, the other a current of 2200 j volts. f Four electrodes of copper, covered with water-soaked waste, were attached to the wires. Two of these were strapped to .Jumbo’s cars and the other two farther back on his body. When the electrodes were in place to the satisfaction of Bostoek Electrician Frank Graham went to the switch and turned it on. i For fully five minutes the terrible j death-dealing current swept over the j wires, but .Jumbo did not wince. Finally, | when it became apparent that electricity j would not kill the beast, he was taken j back to his quarters.