ELEPHANTS, HISTORICAL 155 



had they been straight, would have measured fully seven 

 cubits in length.* 



The first elephant that trod American soil since the 

 far-off days of mastodon and mammoth was brought to the 

 United States in 1815 and bought by Hackaliah Bailey of 

 Somers, New York. The rather prosaic name of "Bet" 

 was bestowed upon this animal, which on its arrival in 

 New York Harbour on board a sailing vessel was trans- 

 shipped to a river craft and finally landed on the shore of 

 the Hudson at Sing Sing, the present Ossining. To avoid 

 the risk of causing runaways through the instinctive terror 

 felt by horses at the first sight of this ponderous and formi- 

 dable brute, the journey by land from the shore to Somers 

 was made at night, and the elephant arrived safely at its 

 destination and future home. There, and in the surround- 

 ing towns and villages, it was long exhibited to the delec- 

 tation of the more or less unsophisticated natives of that 

 early time, and became the central attraction of what may 

 be regarded as the pioneer American circus, organized and 

 managed by Mr. Bailey, who doubtless realized many 

 times told over the $1,000 he had expended for his rare 

 beast. 



So closely did he feel that his fortunes were bound up 

 in "Bet" that when, in 1827, he built a hotel in the town of 

 Somers, with the proceeds of his show and circus, he called 

 it the "Elephant Hotel" and set up near it a stone pedestal 

 15 ft. high on which was placed an immense, carefully carved 

 wooden image of his elephant. This interesting memorial 

 is still to be seen to-day. 



In this hostelry the cattle dealers and drovers of the 

 day were wont to assemble, and thousands of cattle were 

 sold here annually. Later on Bailey went into the banking 



*Cardani, "De Subtilitate," Basileae, 1554, p. 307, Lib. X. On the basis of the Roman 

 cubit (17.4 in.) this would be 8 ft. 4.4 in., or 10 ft. 1.8 in. "along the curve." 



