The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-09-08
The orId's Greatest Show.


or the magnificent and greatly enlarged
Barnum and London Show, which is TO be at
Ottawa for two performances on Sept Goth
the daily Chicago Times Of June 9Th has the
appended commendatory remarks:
BY the great crowds on the streets yesterday
1t was manifest that something unusual was
going on. 1t was not the strike OF the street
car conductors nor the railway exposition
which brought the people out and filled the
streets with young misses fresh In u wealth
OF straw ha; and spring dresses, and young
men and middle aged matrons with cooling
babies In their arms. It was not these two
events. IL was nothing less than that insti.
tuition popular to the American heart, the
Barnum Show. 1.-The circus is coming"
"Wait for Barnum." What thrill of glad
expectation the announcement of the former
and the Injunction of the latter caused in so
many breasts, small boy and grown boy, and
little girl and big girl alike. How many sleep.
less nights the little children must have
passed in antcipations Of the great event.
And they were realized yesterday. The great
parade In which the emDlazoled and pilded
wagons mingled with gaudy trapplngs of the
magnificent horses and the bright and shin.
ing accoutrements Of the elephants and cam.
els started at $50 o'clock. Great crowds, such
AS nothing but Barnum can attract, lined the
of hands and cheers attested their apprecia-
ton OF the elegant appearance and commen-
dable precision OF the procession.
The great canvas on the lake front was all
up, with gay and gaudy streamers floating
from the ilag,staif5 by the time the parade
was over. The first performance was in the
afternoon, and the crowd which attended was
simply immense. Though the circus tent CO.
yers vast area, and has seating capacity of
over fifteen thousand people, there was hard
ly seat vacant The visitors fingered long
around the mammoth bulk OF Jumbo, who |
lowered in mastodonic proportions above his |
smaller but by no means small brother ele. |
plants, and when the wonderful system |
which has become u second nature with the |
circus people In manipulating crowds had sea |
ted everybody the circus commenced. TWAS |
an exhibition creditable to the mastery geni.
US OF Barnun, and without doubt IL was one |
which IL is difficult to believe succeeding
showmen, even with the advantages OF pro.
gressive century, can excel.
How any human intellect can devise more
varied entertainment and one which cove RS
the entire ground OF equestrianism, acrobatic
and gymnastic feats, trials OF strength and |
animal Intelligence and sagacity, Is a prob
lem. The organizer and promoter OF this
marvel OF ingenuity and executive ability was
himself present and seeming none the older,
none the less agile and energetic, superinten-
ded the great treat which half dollar seems
meager price for. The show has three rings,
each one OF them a circus In itself In each
performances are conducted simultaneously
and include fancy and difficult bareback and
other equestrianism, wonderful acts on the
flying tIapeze, wrestling, tumbllng, fencing,
boxing and leaping. There is an additional
attraction in the centre platform. Surely
there was sufficient attraction In the circus
last year without Mr.. Barunm having added
troup of actual Nubians, a snake charmer,
troup OF bicyclists who do some very fine
wheeling, and that funniest OF all absurdlties
the obstacle race. The Nubians are wonders
In themselves, and the obstacle race Is the
funniest thing out. 1t is novel and original
Idea and illustrates the fertile resources OF the
great Snowman. The hippodrome track is
filed with obstacles in all sorts Of shapes
The boys who run the race have TO climb over
these once around the track and through a
long net on the home stretch. The net catch .
es them, as 1t is meant to do, and gives rise to ,
some OF the most ludicrous mishaps. The ,
boy winning the race gets a prize. The .
hppedrome Is by no means the least feature ,
OF the show. To the lovers of racing the
sight OF a half dozen thoroughbred horses
running and straininS every nerve for the
lead IS an exciting one. Nor are the marvel.
Gus feats OF the woman with the iron Jaw,
who runs down rope 200 feet long by means (
Of pulley which she holds In her teeth,
a sight to be witnessed without wonder al the
extraordinary pluck and strength which is
displayed. The night performance was fully
equal To that OF the afternoon. More grateful
weather than Barnum enjoyed could not be
Imagined and the crowd was crafty Ing from
It's size as much as from the fact hat m any Of
the best citizens we're present.