Elephant Rampage

ELEPHANTS ON BIG RAMPAGE – Break Away From Keepers and Cause Small Sunday Panic.

            Edmonton staged its first elephant hunt on Sunday afternoon when 14 elephants from the Sells-Floto circus stampeded through the West End of the city and went on a wild rampage which did not end until after 6 o’clock Monday morning, when the last of the missing “bulls” was found in a clump of brush near 107^th avenue and 117^th street.

WILD PARTY STARTED

            Frightened by the yapping of a little dog a small elephant called Mary, which with three other elephants had just been hitched to an animal wagon at the C.P.R. depot at 109^th street, trumpeted shrilly and then with a mighty heave broke away from her harness and started on the run up Jasper avenue.  The fright was contagious, and before the circus men could do anything to prevent it, 14 elephants were making off through the railway yards and along Jasper avenue.  Eight of the animals were soon recaptured, but six were loose for several hours.

            Crashing through the fence of the General hospital garden, three of the elephants ploughed their way through potatoes and berry patches, sending clouds of dust in the air as they rushed on to smash their way through the fence on the other side.  Meantime other elephants were careening along Jasper and adjacent streets trumpeting as they ran and knocking down fences like matchwood as they tore through gardens and across vacant lots.

            Behind the trumpeting elephants rushed a small army of yelling circus men who tried in vain to head the frightened animals off and get them back to the cars.  Sunday afternoon strollers and autoists took one look at the herd of elephants bearing down upon them and then took to the side streets, giving the animals a wide berth, but the ubiquitous small boy, who appeared to spring up from nowhere, joined the circus men and wild halloo was raised all through the west end.

            Turning along 116^th and 117^th street, the elephants tore through (Continued on Page Two) [not available on-line]