SHREVEPORT, LA

Past Times: Drowning, circus fire, odd deaths mark this date
1942: Wartime shortages hit home in a big way

 

from:  shreveporttimes.com
Written by John Andrew Prime
August 05, 2013
(excerpt from full story)
The paper in 1942 held more sadness. The Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus was in Cleveland, and the main tent caught fire. "Fire with panic, the terror of all showmen, swept the menagerie tent," The Times' story began. "Today, with the screams of trapped, pain-crazed animals still ringing in performers' ears, the 'greatest show on earth' went on." A sad photo inside showed Ruther, lead elephant of the circus' pachyderm ballet, who was shot "to end its suffering."
Gargantua, the famous gorilla, survived the fire, as did his bride, Toto. But scores of animals, beloved by the circus' fans and staff, and irreplaceable in time of war, perished. Wartime shortages of steel and other critical materials made it hard to replace the cages that melted in the inferno.
READ MORE:
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20130805/NEWS01/130805001/Past-Times-Drowning-circus-fire-odd-deaths-mark-date?nclick_check=1