Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-08-04
A CIRCTS INA STORM.
a Rich and Rare PerGOrmHuce-WR-
dIngs and DucIsiHgs-Tumblin in n
Pond.

A Rich and Rare PerIOrmauee-Wa-
dIngs and IsiHgs-TumbIinE in n
Pond.
The Dubuque Times Of Thursday says
This has been emphatically circus week
One circus on Tuesday and two circuses
Yesterday. Haight q Chambers pitched
their tent on the low ground at the foot Of
Third street The afternoon show was
good, but not largely attended. In the
evening about seven hundred people were
under the canvass. All went well enough
until about eight o'clock, when one Of the
richest performances ever witnessed in this
or anv other city commenced. At that hour
one Of the iercest rain storms began that
ever wet the earth since the deluge. Ia
two minutes the canvass was saturated, and
the rain poured "a freely upon those inside
the tent as il did upon the stones in the
street. The waters rushed down the Third
street cutters in torrents, and poured upon
the low ground occupied by the circus like
a food. 10 five minutes there were SIX
inches Of water covering the earth there.
People thought such a shower would soon
spend itself, and waited for il to stop. la
fifteen minutes there were at least two feet
of water on the premises. Then the ladies'
present thought il best to start home. And
7uch a start Talk about the Black Crook
And tumbIing! This is the way they did
IL: A gentleman would take a lady in his
arms and start for the door This
couple would collide with other cou-
piles down would a fair one and
a stern one 90 into the water amidst
creams of the drowning ones, and yells Of
laughter <rOm spectators. The luckless fallen
ones woHld arise, "A black with mud as
water stirred in black muck could make
them. And as for skirts nobody seemed to
care whether skirts were gathered as high
a. their waists, or thrown over their heads.
Two ladies deliberately took of their shoes
aud stockings, and gathering their gar
ments high" started for land. They waded
aud stumbled towards the door, and the
way the cheers went up from the crowd was
stunning they drowned the loud thunder.
Al one time there was such a mixture of
mmble-downs in the wafer, that it was hard
90 tell WHO were women and who were men,
save by an occasional bearded face that
appeared above the floating calico. Nobody
seemed mad-eyery bhdy laughed until his
or her sides aChed
The circus performers added interest 90
the scene. Just after the rain commenced,
they appeared and began ground and lofty
tumbling. The first one landed in a mud
puddle and fell. With loud cheers the
others followed. In less time than we are
taking 70 tell this, the water filled the ring,
But the actors needed it not They turned
handspring, somersaults, made cart wheels,
and walked on their hands, or attempted
10, in the little lake ill their spangled
tunics, their hesh-colored tights, and their
hands and faces were all of one color-a
dirty black. At each exercise the crowd
cheered and the performers roared.
Amid such sights as these the crowd
made their way through mud and water to
the sidewalks west of Iowa slreet-better |
satisfied with their moneys worth than |
any circus crowd ever was before.
All in all, scene Of such richness has |
never transpired here