It's very likely not freight at all. The caption says:
"Fighting
African Elephants. Complete elephant and head being moved on railroad
car and train from Field Columbian Museum to the new Field Museum."
You realize these locations are only a couple miles apart, both along the Illinois Central. The Field Columbian Museum is the former Fine Arts building of the Columbian Exposition, now the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry at 57th St. and the other Field Museum mentioned is the present one, at about 13th St.
It appears that IC built temporary track and a platform right at the stairs of the Fine Arts Building (which is looking most definitely decrepit by this time). I would assume they did the same at the new museum in Grant Park. I imagine that rail transport was used to take advantage of the larger loading guage, and I wouldn't doubt that the whole thing was either a donation, or a flat fee covered by museum donors.
Dennis Storzek
