Burying the great tuskers at sea
In 1903 a behemoth elephant named Jingo was buried at sea. Over the centuries of transporting the great pachyderms, many others have been committed to the deep.
This is the first post of my relaunched blog, focusing on circuses. Why have I renamed these pages The Elephant Box? Read on to find out.
By Russell Working
IN MARCH 1903, newspapers across America trumpeted a tragedy at on the high seas. Jingo, an elephant taller than the famed Jumbo, died on his way from the London zoo to Coney Island.
An American entrepreneur had purchased Jingo, and the titanic tusker was transported in a 14½-feet-tall, lidless crate on a ship called the Georgic. Jingo was too tall for the hold where he was kept. He and his box protruded through an open hatch above, exposing him to wind, rain, and cresting waves.
His mahouts recklessly fed him (and evidently poisoned him with) whiskey and stale bread rolls. The pachyderm, pining for his herd, died on the way to New York. The newspapers parroted the sailors’ narrative about a death by homesickness. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed:
The Elephant Box 