Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-04-23
THE GREAT SHOW.
A BRILLIANT PAGEANT.

AAA0 ~4O304 014OVV.
A BRILLIANT PAGEANT.
Ring PorfOrmances-Tho Dose
49,. Ever 8oen Here.
This city was astif at a very carly hour
to day in the anticipation Vf the arrival,
the parade and the performance Of the
great Barnum- London circus combination.
Market day, holiday in the schools,
the Easter season, beautiful weather,
judiciOus and extensive advertising
and public confidence in the merits
OF the show all combined to awaken
popular interest in the circus. The
throng of market day had hardly
abated before that attendant upon the
street parade Of the circus began and by
10 a. m. Centre Square and all the side
walks on the route of the parade
were crowded with men women and
children. Baby carriages moved
everywhere all tho windows fronting
on the streets wers crowded, roofs were
fringed with people, the small boy mount
ed carriages, sheds and awning frames to
see it, and all sorts of business stood still
when about 1890 the heralds of the cav
alcade, in glittering suits and one on q
black and the other OH white horse, an
to the mass OF people
that the grand spectacle advanced, and u
lane was made through the crowd for its
progress. Popular excitement by this
time was at white heat and the city has
seldom witnessed greater enthusiasm.
The tally coach with plenty Of pas
sengers and q team of well-bred horses
skillfully driven, was the first object of
striking interest and the advertisements
thrown from it were eagerly grabbed and
read. The splendid chariot of the world.
glittering and magnificent, had seated
at its summit beautiful woman,
fit rival of FOrepaugh's $4,000 Co
beauty. Tho cages of wild an
imals were open and the people for once
had chance to see whether their contents
corresponded with the placards and the
pictures. This frankness, by the way, is an
innovation in circus parades and possibly
the present one is the first that cUild
afford to let tho public see whether their
menagerie corresponds with their an
It was manifest that
the animals "fillcd the bills"
The lions and tigers, and leopards and
hyenas, tho big snakes and other monsters
in their respective cages, and with fearless
calmly seated among them,
were all instructive lessons of the dOmin-
ion OF man over beast, as we'll as the en-
terPrise of circus management. A chime
OF bells, played with keys, made gcol
music.
A beautiful team Of eight ponies drew
sea shell chariot, and another team of like
number drew 4 dragon chariot. The Tom
Thumb coach rollel jauntily along u
yoke of magnificent oxen trOtted
behind and three splendid white oxen from
the East drawing a peacock chariot and
Indian princess was an unique oriental
spectacle to he witnessed in ga Penn
sylvania Dutch town." Asplendid chariot
carried band of musicians two ladies
rode behind and ten cavalry soldiers
of all natiOns' Then came the gOr-
geOus chariot of Neptune, with gilt
statues and figures Of mcrmaids,
sirens and other denizens of the sea- gods
kingdom. Eight beautiful stations, each
led by groom, made one Of the finest
features Of the parade. a band Of In
dians on top of a car three camels with
Arab riders team of camels and drOme-
daries drawing q car on which q Scotch
band rendered the airs Of Caledonia {:
another fleet of "desert ships" with a
crew of merry maskers caricaturing all
nationalities four little camels with a
chariot the mechanical orchestra and a
train Of wagons made up another grand
section of the cavalcale.
Then came the elephant chariot and
three powerful elephants abreast four
more little fellows drawing chariot two
with riders ; four hitched to an immense
car carrying band of negro melodists, who
sang plantation songs four moro drawing
i car with huge grOtesquc figure, whose
black hair and ferry tongue were blood
curdling-eighteen elephants in all, justi-
flying all announcements and making an
unprecedented exhibition this side of
Hin6Oostan.
Another train of wagons, with gaily
caparisoned horses and liveried grOOms
and drivers preceded the huge spectacular
car, big as a house and fine as a palace !;
then the steam calliOpe closed the process
sion, save that Frank Metfett's handsome
wagon, built by NOrbeck & Miley, came
behind and we'll deserved the many good
notices it received.
All in all it was grand street pageant
the best by many points that ever came
this way, and Of itself justifying the cx-
pectatiOn Of
Brilliant Afternoon Performances.
The parade moved in Chestnut, down
North Queen, around into West Sing and
and to McGrann's park where the tents
2 pm, to he followed by another tonight.
stream of people poured that way
Anspk 70 Va<v
with spectators. They have had chance
to Tom Thumb and up to Chang, the
Chinese giant, to look at the massive OK,
the giant sea lion, the huge rhinocerOs,
the herd of twenty. camels of various
sizes, from the baby to the ones with the
full sized hump the long necked giraffe,
the twenty wO-hand- high horse and lions,
;igers, leoparls, panthers, bears, kansa-
zoos, monkeys, Ostriches, and other things
n great profusion.
Three rings were in full blast ut one and |
he same time, affording all chance to
zee, except when such famous riders |
lille exhibit their marvellous riding !
vhen they have all the ring to
The band Of the circus is
arge, exceptionally we'll balanced, plays |
With skill and the selections are good. |
The tumbling, the leaping, the wire wall.
ng, the trap ze acts, the juggling, tie
graceful and reckless riding, the trained
tallions, performing oxen, and the ele-
hants followed SO quickly, and SO many
1ere going at the same time, that one
ould hardly follow the different acts, and
he only criticism that could be made
1Ould be that-which is rarely made upon
circus-there was too much of it. The