Topsy was a female elephant born in Southeast Asia and brought to the U.S. soon thereafter (illegally, it turns out) to join a group of performing pachyderms at the Forepaugh Circus. Then a hawser was put around her neck and one end attached to a donkey engine and the other to a post. The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong. This page is not available in other languages. Acting on these directives, they were to demonstrate to the press that alternating current was more dangerous than Edison's system of direct current. The switch was hit and 6,000 volts were sent coursing through her massive body. She was sold to Sea Lion Park in Read allThe execution of Topsy, a female elephant, in a publicity stunt advertising the opening of Luna Park on Coney Island. In January of 1903 the Edison Film Company films the electrocution of Topsy the elephant in Luna Park, Coney Island. Teslas AC would eventually win out in the years to come, but no matter. Read all Director Edwin S. Porter Stars Carl Goliath Topsy In the late 1880s, electricity was still in its infancy, with gas lamps being the predominant source of light. They made their way to the police station on West 8th Street, where Topsy mounted the broad granite steps and got wedged in the front door. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Regardless, not a banner for technological breakthroughs, nor animal rights. ASPCA president John Peter Haines quickly quashed that idea. Electrocuting an ElephantPhotographed January 3, 1903.Thomas A. Edison, Inc.Edison opposed capital punishment, but his desire to disparage the system of Alternating Current (AC) led to the invention of the electric chair. The case Grosam v. the Czech Republic concerned the disciplinary chamber of the Supreme Administrative . It took just ten seconds before she fell over and died. After killing a spectator in 1902, she was sold to Coney Island. I really dont understand why its going to take them 3 years. The electrocution was supervised by P. D. Sharkey, chief electrician with the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Brooklyn. A baby elephant, brought to New Yorks Coney Island amusement park in 1902, under the guise of wholesome family-friendly entertainment, would become a tragic and shameful symbol of mans unfathomable cruelty towards animals. Topsy was about 35 years old at the time of her death, which is about half the expected life span for an elephant with a decent life in the wild. Thomas Edison was not as brilliant and as smart as others said. ELECTROCUTING AN ELEPHANT Topsy, the famous "Baby" elephant, was electrocuted at Coney Island on January 4, 1903. He was an idiot who had no concern and sympathy for animals and I dont care if people like him and hate on me for saying it. Electrocution of Topsy, Luna Park, Coney Island 1903 TigerRocket 713 subscribers Subscribe 55 Save 43K views 14 years ago Notice Age-restricted video (based on Community Guidelines) 1875- Jan. 4, 1903) was brought to this country twenty-eight years ago by the Forepaugh Circus, and has been exhibited throughout the United States. Edison directed his technicians, primarily Arthur Kennelly and Harold P. Brown, to preside over several AC-driven executions of animals, primarily stray cats and dogs but also unwanted cattle and horses. The execution of Topsy, a female elephant, in a publicity stunt advertising the opening of Luna Park on Coney Island. Topsy (c. 1875 - January 4, 1903) was a female Asian elephant who was electrocuted at Coney Island, New York, in January 1903.Born in Southeast Asia around 1875, Topsy was secretly brought into the United States soon thereafter and added to the herd of performing elephants at the Forepaugh Circus, who fraudulently advertised her as the first elephant born in the United States. 1903: Topsy, the Elephant Electrocuted by Thomas Edison at Coney Island After copper plates or electrodes were fastened to her feet, 6,600 volts of electricity were turned on. You can watch Edisons video here, but it is disturbing. 1899 poster for the combined Forepaugh & Sells Brothers Circus. On May 28, 1902, she killed a circus worker named J. Or, Topsy could have attacked out of fear or anger at this drunken stranger getting so close. In this post, Im going to []. In the 1890s, the giant elephant served as a brothel (male patrons would say they were seeing the elephant). Next, they discussed charging a 25-cent admission to publicly electrocute the elephant. When his park went bankrupt a year later, Paul Boyton turned the elephant over to the new owners, Frederic Thompson and Elmer "Skip" Dundy, who were constructing Luna Park on the site. They say elephants are smart she definitely knew what was happening to her. First, elephant expert Carl Goliath and other handlers loaded her with chains and tried to coax her over the lagoon bridge using apples, carrots, and hay. Edison began questioning the safety of the Tesla-created system at one point, issuing a dire warning: Just as certain as death, Westinghouse will kill a customer within six months after he puts in a system of any size.. She was sold to Sea Lion Park in 1902 which was then sold to new owners who turned it into Luna Park. Apparently he just couldnt resist the opportunity to demonstrate the dangers of AC one more time. By: Nathan Chandler Edison's link to the death of Topsy the elephant may not be entirely grounded in reality. Topsy was originally owned by Forepaugh Circus where she killed a drunken spectator who burned the tip of her trunk with a cigar. She attacked several handlers and reportedly killed two circus workers in Texas (no records exist to prove this accusation). Barbara Stepko is a New Jersey-based freelance editor and writer who has contributed to AARP magazine and the Wall Street Journal. Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. The execution of Topsy, a female elephant, in a publicity stunt advertising the opening of Luna Park on Coney Island. ullstein bild/ Getty Images The shortest possible answer is that he didn't, at least not directly. (The men had offered Whitey 25 dollars to help with the execution, but he turned it down, saying he wouldnt kill her for a thousand dollars.). Naturally, Topsys temper became shorter and shorter, and she turned on her trainers. For some asinine reason, Haines said no to the admission fee, but he was fine with a public execution. The execution of Topsy, a female elephant, in a publicity stunt advertising the opening of Luna Park on Coney Island. Electrocuting an Elephant at Coney Island: Attraction, Story, and the Curious Spectator ABSTRACT: At the heart of Tom Gunning's concept of the cinema of attractions is the complex and contested relationship between attraction and narrative and their presum-ably different modes of spectatorial involvement. First the men announced they would kill Topsy by hanging her from the new Electric Tower, which was being constructed in the middle of the former parks Shoot the Chute lagoon (the tower was only 75 feet high by this time). In stepped the SPCA, who claimed this method of execution was unnecessarily cruel. Eventually Topsy ate the carrots and Sharkey signaled for Joseph Johansen, the superintendent at Coney Island station nine blocks away, to pull the switch. The Edison Manufacturing movie company was there to film the event. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details such as the timestamp may not fully reflect those of the original file. She was sold to Sea Lion Park in 1902 which was then sold to new owners who turned it into Luna Park. She was sold to Sea Lion Park in. Some believe that Topsys electrocution may have been set in motion because of an intense rivalry between inventors Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. The big beast died without a trumpet or a groan.Topsy (ca. It should happen sooner. In his attempt to discourage the use of AC, Edison had been staging public demonstrations of its danger by electrocuting stray and unwanted animals, including cats, dogs, horses, and cows. To prove his point, Edison began conducting a series of grisly experiments designed to demonstrate just how dangerous this new form of electricity, AC currents, could be, by using it to electrocute animals dogs (many provided by the SPCA), calves, even a horse at his West Orange, NJ, laboratory. It was held for five years. Following this highly-publicized incident, Topsy was sold to Captain Paul Boyton, the proprietor of Sea Lion Park at Coney Island. Greyzed Theme created by, 1915: Pussy Suff, the Cheerleading Cat of the Brooklyn Woman Suffrage Association, 1899: The Birthday Festival for Ko-Ko, the Revered Cat of Mrs. Edwin Knowles, 1899: The Lifesaving Pets of Brooklyn That Saved Three Families on St. Marks Place, 1905-1910: Dr. Ralph Irving Lloyd and the Cats of Park Slope, Brooklyn, 1899: The Anti-Cat Club and the Catastrophic Cat Fight at the Windermere Apartments, 1903: Topsy, the Elephant Electrocuted by Thomas Edison at Coney Islands Luna Park, 1912: The French Chickens Who Went Down With the Titanic, 1899: Tom the Terror, the Brooklyn-Born Ship Cat of the United States Navy, 1901: Richard II and Richard III, the Swimming and Vegetarian Cats of the U.S. Captured on film, Topsy's death may be the first deliberate murder of an animal preserved this way. The story goes that Edison set his sights on an even more impressive target: Topsy, the murderous circus elephant who was about to be put to death. Payback is a bitch, as they say. William Ault, better known as Whitey, was Topsys keeper and slave driver for over a decade. It would also, oddly enough, spawn a legend involving Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Grand Chamber judgments concerning the Czech Republic Next wooden sandals lined with copper were attached to her feet. The case Fu Quan S. R. O. v. the Czech Republic concerned the seizure of property amounting to nearly 2.4 million euros belonging to the applicant company in the course of a tax evasion investigation and trial. However, I believe its an important story to tell in order to show how far weve come in America when it comes to treating both animals and humans, how far we still need to go, and how important it is for us to ensure that other countries catch up and keep pace with us. On a frigid January day, Topsy was fed carrots laced with potassium cyanide, a rope was placed around her neck, and her feet were fitted with electrodes. This film is complete and utter exploitation, made to cash in on the sensational aspects of the film and the subject. A photograph of Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) at age 40. In one gut-wrenching demonstration, done in full view of reporters, Edison poured water on a sheet of tin, attached it to an AC power source, then invited a dog to lap up the liquid. We secured an excellent picture of the execution. It's unclear exactly what happened between Blount and Topsy. The 12-story pachyderm designed by James V. Lafferty stood above Surf Avenue and West 12th Street from 1885 until 1896, when it was destroyed in a spectacular fire. These electrodes were connected by copper wire with the Edison electric light plant and a current of 6,600 volts was sent through her body. After they decided t Read all. I hate to say Im 3 years late on this proect, but it does make me sick. The first is that it is an animal snuff film and I find that whole concept so vile it turns my stomach. Contact - Les URAPEDA Grand Est Fred and Elmer turned to Thomas Edison, who was then competing with Nikola Teslas alternating current (AC) method and trying to preserve his direct current (DC) method as the electricity standard for the United States. Then the steam-powered winch tightened two nooses placed around her neck for 10 minutes as an added precaution. Add a one-line explanation of what this file represents, This image might not be in the public domain outside of the United States; this especially applies in the countries and areas that do not apply the, Topsy elephant electrocution Luna Park, Coney Island January 1903.png. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); True and Unusual Animal Tales of Old New York, 2010 The Hatching Cat of Gotham. However any direct involvement by Edison himself has since been put into question. File : Topsy elephant electrocution Luna Park, Coney Island January More than likely the film company, which at the time was connected to the inventor in name only, simply saw the electrocution as an interesting human interest story. She was ten feet high and 19 feet 11 inches in length. Topsy was originally owned by Forepaugh Circus where she killed a drunken spectator who burned the tip of her trunk with a cigar. Edison agreed to electrocute Topsy, and as an added bonus, he said he would document the event using a movie camera, another one of his inventions. Life before Luna Park was horrible for Topsy, but it was about to get much worse. By situating early cinema spectatorship An illustration of Topsy, a female Asian elephant killed at a Coney Island, New York park by electrocution on January 4, 1903. One time the ASPCA prosecuted Whitey for wounding Topsys eye, but unfortunately he was acquitted of animal cruelty because the abuse was deemed acceptable at that time. And nature is not kind, or merciful, or loving. When you look at these photos, its amazing more people werent injured. On one side was Thomas Edisons direct current (DC) system; on the other, an alternating current (AC) from Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse. Like Topsy, these animals are abused with sharp metal bull hooks and are kept on chains for most of their lives. After about a half mile, Tospy stopped, causing Whitey to slide off. 5,559,051 inhabitants or 8.4% of the French . (I guess you could say he got two bangs for the buck major sarcasm). 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Historical interest aside, this is something to watch only if one finds themselves in the grip of morbid fascination. Edison, realizing that AC generators were spreading across the country faster than his DC alternative, knew he had to resort to desperate measures: In short, launching a full-out propaganda campaign to discredit his rivals. An illustration of Topsy, a female Asian elephant killed at a Coney Island, New York park by electrocution on January 4, 1903. Enter your email address to follow The Hatching Cat and receive notifications of new posts by email. Not only should it happen sooner, it should have happened years ago. Ironically, Topsy was electrocuted on the very spot that was once occupied by the iconic Elephantine Colossus, otherwise known as the Elephant Hotel. Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and the Sad Case of 'Topsy' the Circus Elephant When his park went bankrupt a year later, Paul Boyton turned the elephant over to the new owners, Frederic Thompson and Elmer Skip Dundy, who were constructing Luna Park on the site. (Lets see: metal plates, 6,600 volts, a 5-ton elephant on a rickety bridge over a body of water OSHA would have had a field day with this one.). Captured on film by Thomas Edison, the event was one of a string of animal electrocutions Edison staged to.