Evening Star Newspaper, August 9, 1925, Page 66

rgw BASE THE SU‘NDAY' STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, AUGUST 9, 1925—PART BALL BETTY BY W. O. McGEEHAN. The National Pastime Plus a Bottle-Crowned Umpire and a Pretty Girl. ASE BALL BETTY joined the Mastodons quite informally early in the season of the hectic pennant drive which nad fts climax in the big bat- tle. Base ball draws more bugs than any bug bait ever invented. Needless 1o say, Betty was a lady bug and therefore more peculiar than the male indigenous to the Polo Grounds. She invaded the press box. Not that the pr box at the Polo Grounds is all exclusive or tinged with any particular literary or journalistic at mosphere. Sometimes the actors and other bandar log of Broadway crowd out the drab and diffident base ball writers of which I was one. It was for this reason that Mr. Charles Dry- den called it the pest box. The Mastodons were going through their preliminary practice, and the Master Mind was batting them out. The Master Mind is one of the polite nicknames for the manager of the Mastodons. If you call him that to e and smile, you fight your ut of the park. 1ld like to speak to the official aid Base Ball Betty. pointed out Mr. William J. of the Sun, who was glower- the green infleld. Ball Betty tripped up to Mr. who rose and uncovered, a truculently defensive expression glint- ing through his horn-rimmed specta- cles. Why did you give Heinie Slam- merman an error on that one in the eighth vesterday? It was a hard one o handle. I don't think any one could have held it.” Mr. William J. Tanner spluttered. Most of his colleagues had to hold thelr hands to their mouths or show unusual interest in the base ball practice “Madam,” said Mr. Tanner. “I have been scoring for years. It was my opinion that the play was an er- ror, and I scored it as such. My scor- ing never has been questioned——" “Ot course, there may be room for argument, but 1 thought it was a hit," she said sweetly and passed out of the pest box. “My whole afternoon complained Mr. Tanner. resigning this scoring most ungrateful task, anyhow.” There was no iment Mr. Tanner, by tue of service, was not to be itted in pest box. Tanner Ing at y is spoiled,” “I feel like is job. It is a the the seventh inning that afternoon heat rapped one right at Heinie Slammerman. Heinie should have held it, but the ball got away. It seemed a palpable error, but one of the vounger writers shouted to the official “Hit or error, Mr. Tanner ‘A up on is the thumb comm, it,” said finger. formati Mr. Tanner, holding The sign of an error n of a zero with the and forefinger. There was no but it was seen that the advent of the lady bug had distorted the judgment of the most meticulous- Iy correct scorer in either league. After that the presence of Base Ball etty became noticed not only by the base ball writers attached to the Mastodons, but by the players them- selves, “Do you suppose, the Globe one day, ten by the charmi asked Merton of “that she s smit- of Heine Slammer- man? That Brigham Young of the national pastime eady has married at least one wife in all of the boroughs of Greater New York and has been in more divorce courts than Casey Stengel has been on ball clubs.” The speculation proved unfounded. On her second invasion of the pest hox Base Ball Betty demanded to be shown the Tribune man. This writer sed to handle base ball players with- out gloves. Some of them used to threaten his life You ought to quit thi: poor Bennie Kauffman,” she said “It's getting a bit cruel. He's in a slump, and nobody feels worse about it than he does. You're making him worse, That stuff is driving him crazy, and you do not have to do it.” “Well, if you are that much inter- ested in Kauffman—" began the Tribune man “I'm interested in the Mastodons, that's 1" she said That declara. tion semed to be correct. She wa interested in no particular base ball plaver, and she certainly was not fin- | rested in any of the camp ers in the pest box. On the third visit she asked to talk to Mr. Hamilton Cain, the dean of all the base ball writers. In the days of his youth and agility Mr. Cain had been an inflelder on the Mastodons and one of the most graceful athletes ever in the game. He claimed the fn- vention of the hook slide and the squeeze play, and few disputed him. A gallant and affable gentleman was Mr. Hamilton Cain, loved by ball players and newspaper men alike. His chief conviction was that all um. pires were bad. When the Mastodons ere not & well ‘Mr. Cain ould attribute it to the bad umpir: ing. His pe ha was Jimmy Burkett. the umpi The player called him Catfish, but not to his face. The price for that would be $50 or $100 in fines % 1 wante to thank you, Mr. Cain," 1 Ba Ball Betty, *‘for that splendid denunciation of Umpire Bur- | kett. He seems to have it in for the | Mastodons. That was a_wonderful epi- m of yours, he Mastodons can beat nine-man ball team in Amer-| they can’t beat a ten-man when one of them is the um- picking on follow- | team A =0 X "b T eyl X gf@"’ r.i%,? Mr. Cain, that was real base pire.’ ball literature Mr. Cain flushed under his Panama to the roots of his silvery hair. “Lady”, he said, “you speak with authority. Player and writer, I never knew an umpire who wouldn't black-| jack an infant and steal its candy But Catfish Burkett is the worst of them all.” 'R HEN Betty had departed Mr. Cain observed, “Now there is a lady who knows something about base ball. There is only one other who can boast as much, she being Mrs. Wilbert Rob- inson.” The Mastodons hit the road for the invasion of the West, an invasion that was somewhat disastrous. The Masto- dons lost the lead before they left Pittsburgh. They were battered about by the Reds in Cincinnati, they left St. Louis with a big hospital list, and the chances for cinching a pennant looking fairly slim. “Mastodons!” the Master Mind ad- dressed his players. “You're a flock of pink-eyed white rabbits.” And that was his mildest comment. The team rallied for a desperate stand at the Polo Grounds, but things were in bad shape. Beauty Bannon sprung a charleyhorse and the infleld had to be juggled. Even the Master Mind did not seem to be adequate to his task. The Dodgers came over from the other side of the East River and took three out of four. Base Ball Betty came into the pest box and addressed Hamilton Cain. “Why didn't you tell the Master Mind to try Fitz at short and leave the rest of the infleld the way it was? Heinie Slammerman is the best third base- man in the league, but he can’t play short, and you know it.” “But Fitz is only a rookle just out of the seminary,” objected Mr. Cain. “But he is a natural shortstop, and you know it,” persisted Base Ball Betty. “The Mastodons have got to do something desperate to break the bad luck.” - “Maybe you're right.” admitted Mr. Cain. “I know I'm right,” she said, firmly. ‘ou can talk to the Master Mind. Talk to him now."” Mr. Cain bearded the Master Mind in the dugout with his suggestion “Ham,” sald the Master Mind, “I think you're silly, but it looks as though these rabbits have blown the pennant, anyhow, and I'll take a chance. Oh, it 1 only had a few of the old Orioles instead of these semi nary girls that call themselves Mas- todons and ball player The Master Mind sent Fritz to sec ond, and the boy started two double plays and wound up with two hits, the last being a double that brought in two runs. He was just nicked try- ing to make it a triple, but the Master Mind loved him all the more for try- ing to stretch it. This was according to his own personal policies. He liked his players to take chances—when they made good on them. The infield held up all right for the time being, but then the pitching staff seemed to collapse all at once like the One-Hoss Shay. Rube Watkin’s bun- ions annoyed him and he got wild. Two right handers developed sore arms. Jess Timmins, the veteran, be gan to show his age all at once. The voung ones were erratic and terrible. The Master Mind assumed all the re sponsibility and directed the pitching of every ball from the dugout. Not infrequently the Mastodons used five pitchers to a game. The only thing that saved them from fighting it out with the Phillies for the cellar was their hitting. They still could hit. The Master Mind finally calmed down. ‘“Boys, he said, “the infield is in purgatory and the pitching staff is in hades. But you've still got the pennant in your bats. We've got to bat our way through from here to the Mississippi.” ok ITH this dubious cheering resume and_prediction the Mastodons started West on their final drive for the pennant. That trip was just one ““crucial series” after another and get ting more crucial with every game. The pitching was insane, but the bats held out and battered through, mostly in_the ninth or tenth inning. They broke even in Pittsburgh They made it two to bne in Chicago after two nearriots. They beat the Reds and increased the number of in- digestion patients in Cincinnati. The Mastodons had become imbued with the same spirit that drove Stali- ings’ Braves through to a pennant and a world championship when they had nothing visible to the naked eve of the experts. The team just went along with the momentum of its attack. Base ball teams and troops get that way. When they do, barbed wire can- not stop the troops and air-tight pitch- ing cannot stop the ball players. That was the status of the Mastodons when the train spewed the expedition into_the depot at the city of the big battle. The populace were there to meet it, and they signified their jov with raspberries, as the saying is. Normally this city is a kindly and pleasant place. It is hospitable. The residents are fairly repressed except- ing at a ball game. I make allowance now for the state of mind of the hard losers at the time. The city had not seen a pennant since Pop Anson was a rookie. The chamber of commerce had impressed upon the citizens that the winning of & pennant by the Scar- letinas that vear meant prosperity, taller buildings and a million popula” /) 7w .\ i NI € The winning of the pennant by the Mastodons meant bank failures, one-story buildings and the practical depopulation of the city. The loyal citizens, so the civic or- ganizations hinted through the papers, could help by supporting the team vocally, and it seemed to be intimated that no harm would be done by the razzing of the Masto- dons. How chambers of commerce get that way, I do not know, but they do. If some of them are mnot sup- pressed by act of Congress, there will be another Civil War some day. The greeters of the place started by making personal remarks about the Mastodons. They called the Mas- ter Mind by an ancient nickname that made him turn purple. They passed some insulting comment about the non-combatant correspondents. Mr. Hamilton Cain flared at some especially personal criticism. Pinally the demonstration became slightly physical. Mr. Willlam J. Tanner's face was obliterated mo- mentarily by a lemon meringue pie which had been aimed at the Master Mind. But the Master Mind had ducked in truly masterful fashion, and Mr. Willlam J. Tanner was cov- ered with lemon meringue and indig- nation. They dug him out on the way to the hotel, and he sent a scathing denunciation of the city to his paper. It was quite evident that the Mas- todons and their camp followers were in for the most crucial of all their crucial serfes. There were three games to be played. If the Masto- dons took two out of three, the pen- nant was theirs, and—what was more important to the athletes—a cut in the world series. Ordinarily the correspondents were only mildly Interested in this phase of it. " Most of the New York base ball writers are from other cities and never quite get' that home-town feel- ing for the metropolis. But that greeting at the depot had made out of all of them Mastodon rooters to the bitter end. Even the reserved William J. Tan- ner said, “We'll beat them. We must beat them,” with sincere emphasis on the plural pronoun. “We're in for a stormy serfes, mused Hamilton Cain. “It will be like the brotherhood days, when we had to fight our way out of Boston with our bats. The police here are no protection. They hand up fresh Pop bottles and direct the fire.” ¥ ok JVERY seat In the park had been 0ld for the series. They jummed some of the nofsiest of the loyal rooters down close to the pest hox. During the practice they eved the visiting correspondents with hostile glances., One of the lady fans re- marked in very audible tones: “And they are just as bad as the Masto- don players. Probably they are in thelr pay. The Mastodons would do anything to buy a pennant. That old reprobate with the white hair ought to be ashamed of himsel This open and uncomplimentary remark about Mr. Hamilton Cain caused the dean of the base ball writers no little annoyance. But he had the polish of a John Drew and continued to dictate his “lead” to the telegrapher without even glancing around Look up to the left,” said William J. Tanner. “There’s Base Ball Betty.” Simultaneously the 10-odd corre- spondents turned. She was sitting Just a few yards back of the pest box, & slim and jaunty-looking figure in that hostile background x ko % “And that's the face that launched a thousand hits,” said the Tribune man, poetically. “It's as good as a breeze off the Har- lem River with the sun shining on Coogans Bluff,” said the Globe man. “It's a sign,” declared Hamilton Cain, superstitious like all ball play- ers or ex-ball players, “we'll win sure.” The first skirmish started with the Mastodon pitching staff wabbling ac- cording to form. But the Mastodon batting order got busy in the first in- ning and piled up a lead of three runs. In the third they made it four more. When the Scarletinas are winning in a crucial series the Hard Losers go wild. But when their team is losing there is an ominous and brooding si- lence. H The Master Mind had to use four of | the pitchers, but the Mastodons held that lead. It wound up 7 to 4. The crowd filtered out in funereal silence. There was repressed homicide in that still, muggy air. A silent mob is a fearsome thing. There was nothing for the Master Mind to do on Saturday but to put in “Rosey” O'Doul, the colleglan, and take his chance. It turned into an |utter rout for the Mastodons. The | Scarletinas got to “Rosey” early. They pounded him all over the fleld and into the roped-off spaces where the | cverflow of Hard Losers squatted. |~ The noise in the stands was not un- |like what might be made by a menag- | erfe of 30,000 assorted carnivorous an- | imals being simultaneously fed raw |meat. While the Hard Losers take | | their sorrows with the silence of the | | tomb, they go to the other extreme when receiving their joys. Only one| familiar with the human race indig- | enous to those parts can appreciate this scene. They roared down into the pest box, tion, | “I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE OFFICIAL SCORER,” SAID BASE BALL BETTY. [ er. “Thought you could buy a pennant, didn’t you? Yah. Well, Wall Street can't butt into base ball.” > %k o LL this time the portable typewrit- ers were clicking. On Saturdays they must have ‘“eagly copy.” The Hard Losers lingered. There was no screen behind the pest box. They leaned on the shoulders of (he corre- spondents, reading aloud and com menting caustically. “Send that to the New York Tri bune, you four-eyed blankety-blank! one of them shouted. At the same moment a cushion bounded from the head of the Tribune man. It was fol- lowed by a scattered volley of these missiles. One of the fans playfully poured some pop from a bottle over the typewriter being used by Mr. Wil ltam J. Tanner. There was nothing for the corre- spondents to do but to pretend that they were absolutely alone and to keep on writing. When the available supply of cushions was exhausted the crown dwindled slowly. “Wait till tomorrow,” they shouted as a parting warning. “‘Our boys will knock you flat. We'll send you bums back to New York in freight cars.” The Master Mind was haggard that night. He went to his room early and had the Ace up with him for half an hour. It all depended on the weary soup bone of Arthur st. He would face Red HMarris and it would be a pitchers’ duel. The local pers had stirred those fans to the border of hysteria for that final game. They felt that their city would slide off into the river if they lost. Their homes and their hearths and their civic honor—aill were at stake. Suspense and suffering had seamed even the faces of the women and children. Figuratively, the city was in the state of a lady who did not know whether to scream, wail or faint or to do all three simuitaneously. The scream came first, and it was a scream of triumph. Nast started badly. He walked the first one, who got to second on the conventional sacrifice. Schmitz drove one through short and the Scarletinas had a run. With Reb Harris in the box it looked as large as six. The Master Mind came out of the dugout during the tumult. He put one arm around Nast's neck as he whispered to him. No need to plead with N A share of the world's series meant that new sedan. No share meant that Mrs Nast would have much to say of an irritating nature all winter. The Ace lied down and the pitchers’ duel materialized. Up to the efghth the Mastodons twice had a 1 as far as third, but that steaming day was made to order for Reb Harris There were two out in the eighth when Ryder, the Mastodon catcher came to bat. Of all of the Mastodons, he was the most hated, for once he had been a member of the Scarletinas He had been sold to New York. This could be nothing else but treason “Yah, Jumper. Yah, Double Cross er,” they were screaming. Ryder was the most placid ball. player in any league. He chewed a wad of tobacco in a_manner that suggested a calm faced cow chewing her cud. He swung at the second one and drove it into the left-fleld bleachers for a home run. He trotted “slowly and ponderously around the bases, and as he crossed the plate he lifted his cap derisively. TIED in the eighth, it looked though the game would last into| the twilight. They did no shoutin in the stands. They were hoarse and they were in an agony of suspense. The team began to show the tension The Mastodons came up in the ninth with the head of the batting order. Hennessey rapped one down to second. It took a queer bound and went for a scratch hit, as Mr. Hamil ton Cain, plying his trade, dictated to the telegraph operator. Smith bunted toward third, and the Scarletinas’ third baseman, In his eagerness to gather it up, fumbled. Smith was safe on first. Reb Harris became ir ritable and wild. Dugan got a base on balls. The bases were filled. ‘Look,” said the Tribune man— “look at Base Ball Betty!" She was perched there above the pest box, smiling eagerly, a wingless, well tailored Victory. ‘We win,” said Hamilton Cain. see it in her face.” The Scarletinas’ catcher went down to talk to Harris, who had begun to stir the dirt on the pitcher's mound irritably with his spike. In the death- like silence the calling of Jimmy Burkett—Catfish, the hated umpir behind the plate could be heard over the fleld “Ball one.” “Strike one.” “Ball two. “Ball three. Harrls was showing signs of wild- ness. He was heaving them wide, but up in the stands they began to scream “Robber!” Burkett did not even look around “Strike two.”" It was as though the stand were packed with dead people as Harris held that fateful ball a minute As he threw it there were some stifled moans. Allen at the plate stood motionless as the ball whizzed by. It wus wide by an inch Ball four,” safd Burkett an instant’s hesitation. Allen trotted toward first. Hennessey trotted to- ward the plate with the run forced in. Then the wrath of a baffled commu- nity broke loose. Some of the fans leaped dut of the boxes. The crowd in| the outfleld tried to surge forward. One pop bottle hurtled into the field close to the umpire. He gave a care- | ful look around. His mask was off | and he held it as a defensive weapon. Scarletinas flocked around him. The Mastodons in thelr dugout were wait- ing with bats in their hands for the | melee to become general Squads of police mobilized around the plate. The only calm and un-| ruffied figure was that of Catfish Bur- | kett. The bottles descended in a show- | “Robber—thief!" the fans shouted. | “He’s been bought by Wall street! Kill him!" The Scarletinas went back to their positions growling. The police lined up against the wall. Burkett stood there with his back to the bottle- throwers. “Umpire or no umpire,” said old Hamilton Cain, “he’s a game guy. Give me a bat. Oh, somebody give me a bat.” g One of the bottles struck Burkett a glancing blow on the head. He stag- gered, but pulled himself together and took out his watch. He did not look around. The police in the stands be- came active. The bottle shower sub- sided. Burkett rubbed his head and blood showed on his hands. The field was cleared and the game went on. Harris had settled back into his pitching, and the next three Mas- | todons went out in order. The Scarle- tinas came to bat for the last time. Two pop flies for the first men up. The third struck out. * K % X HE silence in the stands was op- pressive. The clicking of the portable typewriters sounded like the rattle of musketry. Then the screams again. “Get that umpire! He robbed the team. He stole the pennant.” The contents of the stands sped into the field and surged like a tidal wave toward the dressing rooms. “There’ll be murder, sure,” k& as without | said | awakens you the first Spring morning | city, this idea of sleeping within one | sheds and stables were bullt. 5 ried through their showers had mobi lized—and all of them were carrying bats. A “We'll game guy,” said stand by him.’ Jimmy Burkett came out of the dressing room. He was pale, but composed, despite the fact that a lit tle blood was trickling down his | cheek. “What are all the bats for?" | he demanded. “Are you guys going | to muke some more squawks about | my decisions? If you used those bats for what they're made for, we wouldn’t_have any troubles.” We thought you might need some | help,” stammered Henessey | “Not & bit,” snapped Burkett ! Henessey He walked toward the players' gate a little dizzy, but with his head high while that mob growled ravagely Once out on the sidewalk they start ed to close in on him “Kill him, the thief! the ed. His path was blocked. In second he would be struck down and | mpled under foot. A brick hurtled | but the aim was wild, and struck one of Burkett's persecutors on the chest | Burkett took one step forward. As he did, a slim, welltailored figure glided to his side. A girl put her hand lightly on his arm. It was Bas Ball Betty, as unruffled as when she | “KILL HIM, THE THIE w the Mastodons through the crisis Burkett looked at her in utter be wilderment, The turmoil had not ex cited him. The snarling of the wolf pack did not seem to have quickened But now he looked 1 | i | | vou're late,” said Base Ball y. “We'll have to take a taxi om the astonishment of Burkett it was plain that she never had even | talked to the Catfish before “I—I.” he stammered. “Hurry, dear,” sh d We'll be late for dinner.” The crowd made way umpire found himself Be ¥ | said sweetly. | i | The in dazed | cab. THEY j‘:R!- \}!L” Hamilton Cain slammed the d them. “Well, T'lIl Tl be ‘If that wi base ball, I where, and I haven't seen an from that moment BEet no longe mber of the Ma She became eventu Mrs Bu . the wi hi nged.” s t magr t have be ly an consort as enemy 1 none of the p follower natur It was er real lons or ‘If she e Mas ever heard about i song says, home.” this can lady Dy nursery flew awa Washington Wild Animal Expert Has Given Life to Taming Beasts William Blackburn, Graduate of Circus Ring, Tied Two Huge Elephants to Trees in Park 33 Years Ago and Started the Capital’s Zoo. BY GEORGE H. DACY. you reside out near Rock Creek ark in the latitude of the great National Zoo, you do not require the services of a trusty alarm clock to arouse you every morn ing. for the roaring of lions, the flerce growling of big bears, the bellows of the of terrible tigers it is time to arise another busy day Chanticleer has been supplanted by representatives of the African and In- dian jungles; the cheers of the mod ern menagerie have taken the place of the ancient and honorable cock crow. Breakfast time is the signal for the wild animal fair to work the stiffness out of its vocal chords. It is a fitting finale to a fiendish nightmare, that pandemonium and riot of jungleland warwhoops, which i F | | popotamus and the clarion calls | will signal you when and prepare for that the Washington wild beasts are | placed in their outdoor pens and cages. The wild animals with the cunning and sagacity of their kind know exactly when it is time for the keeper to appear with their breakfast rations Regularly they welcome him with an avalanche of sound which makes as much racket as though all the col- lege students in the country were participating in a championship cheer- ing contest. 1t is strangely curious that nobody has ever made objection to the Wash- ington Zoo early morning anvil chorus. The probable explanation is that the residents of the National Capital most concerned realize so many benefits from their proximity to Uncle Sam's spacious zoological | park that they are content to put up with these unavoidable disadvantages. It is really but another of the cu- riosities of America’s most beautiful mile of the White House yet being awakened the next morning by the bloodthirsty cries of ferocious wild Dbeasts Just 33 vears ago William H. Black- burn led two huge elephants from the doors of the Smithsonian_Institution to the forested solitude of Rock Creek Park. Selecting two mighty oak trees which looked as enduring as the rock of ages, Mr. Blackburn fastened the steel chains of the wild beasts around the trees. That simple cere- mony was the inauguaration of our famous National Zoological Park. For five months the mighty ele- phants lived under the spreading shelter of the twin oaks. They were fed and watered regularly by an at tendant who was always careful that | no untoward movement of the big | beasts resulted in his being packed away for keeps in an elephant’s port able’ trunk By the time that Congress finally awoke to the fact that it took money to feed hungry wild beasts and that national funds were needed to pay for the elephants’ meals and to pro- vide suitable lodging, Mr. Blackburn had added 5 elk, 5 buffaloes, 6 deer and a half dozen bears to Washing- ton's first public menagerie. Finally Secure pens and cages were erected. Forth- with Washingtonians were inoculated with the Zoo habit which they have had ever since. * ok % % ILLIAM BLACKBURN was a graduate of the circus ring, an animal expert who had spent 10 years with America’s leading tent shows. It is three years and three decades now since he has appeared under the “big top,” and during that time Mr. Blackburn has been head keeper of the Washington Zoo. He has faced death as many times as the most of men get their hair cut. Daily he has braved dangers which would bring re- wards of military insignia and honor- ary medals in modern warfare. This ‘Washingtonian, schooled in the perils of the circus, a student of the likes and dislikes, the habits and haunts of wild beasts, has thought nothing of the multiplicity of dangers he has dared. To him the hazards were just a regular part of the day's work. Fiction writers _who make their headquarters in Washington, when- Hamilton Cain. “Come on.” The police were guarding the room. Some of the Mastodons who had hur- raising experiences such as they Id never dream of. Here is man whose entire life has been spent matching wits against the kings and queens and the dukes and duchesses of the African jungie. By the mag netism of his eye, by the courage of his will, by his knowledge of wild beasts and by the total absence of fear, this man Blackburn has mas tered fierce tigers, awesome lions and | enraged elephants. One time an elephant the collapse of a circus tent knowledge of what the elephan would do saved his life on that occa sion. He was even successful in re- capturing all the runaways. One ju venile elephant was found in a foun- dry. When the beast entered the building all the workmen fled. Baby Jumbo spent the night trying to dodge furnaces and machiner The ter- rors of one night in iron works tamed him. He was docile as a pet pony the following morning when his keepers came. Mr. Blackburn tells of one experi cnce he had in doctoring The tiger was mean backed rattlesnake and sic serjous case of indigestion. His keep. er could not get near enough to the infuriated beast to give him any medi- cine. It would have been sheer sui cide to attempt to enter the cage. The case looked helpless. All of a sudden Mr. Blackburn hap- pened to think of a scheme worth trying. Grabbing a long-lashed whip nd a bottle of castor oil, he climbed 1o the top of the tiger's cage. The maddened animal began to roar. Blackburn inserted /the long lash be- tween the bars of the cage. Several times he snapped the animal in the face. Subsequently, as he snapped the lash, the tiger would open h mouth and roar. With remarkable pidity, Mr. Blackburn substituted the stream of castor oil from for the whiplash. Before the wild animal knew what he was deing, he gulped down a mouthful of the medi- the center of attendant on he was in stampede cine—an adequate dose to cure his| T ok sickness. “O NE of the hardest jobs 1 ever tackled,” remarked Mr. Black- burn reminiscently during our conver- sation, “was to get rid of 62 baby boa constrictors, which one of the mother boas at the National Zoological Park presented to Uncle Sam. When the new crop arrived we already had on hand about as many boas as we could accommodate. It was almost a case of snakes everywhere and no snake- charmer to take them away. I uti- lized every trick of the trade to give away, swap'’ and exchange the snakes with other animal trainers. It was a job worthy of the zeal of an- other Hercules. I was the happiest man in Washington when I saw the last of that prolific family of snakes loaded on the express wagon ready for its journey to a, certain western city."” “One of the most admired tigers that we ever had in the National Zoo, continued Mr. Blackburn, “was as bald as a grapefruit when he first arrived in Washington. A friend of mine, an old circus trainer, insisted that I accept this tiger as a gift. Finally, when I saw the animal, I ap- preciated that my played a practical joke on me tiger was that bald he belonged among the menagerie freaks. There was but one thing to do, and that was to doctor the antmal until his hair came back. No, I did not try any of the hair tonics which the bald barbers sell. I mixed up a concoction of sweet oil and sulphur. Every day I would climb a-top the tiger's cage and then shower him with the solution. did the business. The hair began to grow. It was not many months be- fore the tiger had sprouted a new and sleek fur overcoat. That tiger lived tn be 30 years old.” Strange to relate, the Washington Zoo was once the Winter camping grounds for the wild animals of one of America’s leading circuses. That was back in 1892, the second vear the National Zoological Park was in ever they run short of ideas and ma- terial might profitably visit with Keeper Blackburn. He can tell them operation. Mr. Blackburn arranged with the management of Forepaugh's circus to winter its His | the bottle | old comrade had | The | The medicine | | resuit wild ani | to Rock Creek Park at the end of the | | circus ason. They crowded to ca- pacity all the pens and cages which ‘!\lr Blackburn had available. { the ani Is were in Washington most |of the population of the wtional | | Capital in those days took time to go| out and visit the wild animal fair | This was a stepping stone which the development of city-wide i |in the Zoo and its inmates est which has been increas {from that time to this. The Washington Zoo during re | cent vears under the active direction {of Mr. Biackburn has made the best| | record of similar establishment | in the ¢ ¥ in the successful rais-| |ing of young wild beasts. What ap-| | plies to the difficulties attached to| |raising voung turkeys and chickens | is equally forceful when interperted | |in the terms of baby tigers, lions and “rhinos.” It is a mighty stiff assign- ment to tide the young over the first | six months of their existence. D ng | recent vear. Headkeeper Blackburn | | raised all but 2 of the 137 young ani {mals born in that 12 months in the Washington Zoo. It was through | neither neglect nor carelessness that | | the two lion cubs died. It was simply |a case of a young mother that neg. |lected her voung. This is quite com- | {mon in the case of tigers or lions that {bear their first young. ; * X x x | Mn BLACKBURN told me that| there was no particular far |or species of the wild animal fair | which could be criticized flagrantly | because of the { with raising them difficulties associated “For that mat | ter, it's a hard task to raise any of | | them. Pumas and leopards have the | Bad habit of oc ionally devouring | their young. Lionesses and tigresses | | sometimes abandon their bables. Un |der captive or zoo conditions such | pests as reccoons and opossums some- times gain entrance to the pens and destroy or carry off the young of some of the smaller animals or birds. “One of the best mothers in the Washington Zoological Park is a huge hippopotamus that weighs more than | 25 barrels of flour. She raised three fine youngsters in the course of four years, which is a remarkable record for an African ‘hippo.” " Yes, there are several bottle babies every season out at the Zoo. It is Qifficult to raise the youns wild beasts on cow’s milk, but Mr. Blackburn, by the exercise of painstaking patience, | has met with wonderful success in this emergency treatment. It is as much fun as & Punch-and-Judy show to watch the baby wild beasts master the mechanics of the nursing bottle filled with milk. When it comes to a matter of food, however, these self- same beasts of the jungle are apt pu pils in learning how to procure and assimilate the same. That is the clever ingenuity which they apply to | the homely enterprise of familiarizing | themselves with the rubber-stoppered bottle. A certain tiger mistress at Zoo refused to take care of her | quartet of cubs some time ago. In- | stend of fondling the youngsters, this | trate mother cuffed them about. As | a result of her rough treatment of the young Mr. Blackburn had to remove the cubs from the mother's cage and | raise them by hand. That he did a | mighty good job you will admit when you sie these beautiful tigers, now well grown—some of the outstanding wild .easts in the Rock Creek Park neighborhood. Curiously enough. the main food of these tiger cubs was | grouna pigeon meat. |~ Sur-gest of all the novelties which you . netimes see at the zoological | gardens is the sight of an infant camel | being raised on a bottle. ials were brought | ng steadily | the | | | | A camel at | birth weigns about 30 pounds and by the time the youngster is able to walk around readily he is considerably |larger than a good-sized calf. Where |voung camels are raised on cow's milk, it is essential to continue the bottle feeding system until the juve. | niles are about one vear old. By that time, they are accustomed to hay, grain and grass and eat practigally |the same feeds which are relished by the work horse or dairy cow. Young Jumbo, the baby of the ele. phant family, is another youngster | | | tair | smells and {of |and other jungle quadrupeds | practical | with e man) the Zoo the fer l While | * raises s that proved the v the Gare the bal Iy ea train rate from t gle stampede an can often car beasts. Henc: phant learns t will follow him like Jjun A" ELEPHANT is the h of the African j of the wild be t the matu bird M gle. Most n the first year or v o d rapi The same is true families. For examp erage ostrich grows one foot for e first six months of its en its growing is about elephant, huge and ponde is much more deliberat important business Mister speaking, is not consic ting d until he than elephants live during the period of presidential camps A few elephants hav ined the ripe old a for ten before they have shuf this mortal coil Playing doctor to the wild is one job which the or graduate veterinarian does not h: after. It takes a lot of clever work to fool the wild beasts. are particularly wary odors. If they unusual smell or taste to their they will reject the rations. which complicates the matter ting medicine into the ailing About all the animal keepers can Is to starve the sick beast until hes the point where it will wn food or wate in copic mounts irrespective of odor, taste other abnormalities. Epsom salts ca usually be used 1o “dope” the water the animals that are fasted they are so hungry and thirst they will take anvthing that is of to them in the w of food and dr The wild animal ered to he ge ons an »od doctor talizes the habit which the licking their paws and faces. If one of the animals is sick with ind the keeper sprays castor oil nose. head and feet of the Immediately the animal begins to off the medicine. A queer this is, but, notwithstandi one where wild beasts which handled and which would keeper flesh from bone tempted to force medicine throats. It is not so difficult anir like the camel. caught and held like a horse w one of the attendants, using a drer ing bottle, pours the medicine dov the throat of the sick beast. Blackburn has had many interesting experiences in doctoring sick deer and buffalo. They have to be caught handled most carefully. Natu they are shy and timid—unles: raged. On several occasions Wash ington’s expert animal trainer has s the broken legs of deer and buffalo, upported the repaired limbs in plaster paris casts, and, subsequ handled the wild beasts so that final they gained full use of the damag members again. Whenever the nee for so doing arises, he also p dentist to the animal fair. He filed the teeth of some of the be that were bothered with sore mouths while he has pulled the aching teeth beast can rend he =4 in_the case They can | of other animals—and some of these teeth which he extracted were as menagerle. As a whose grotesque appearance and un- large as small lemons.