The Portland daily press., 1892-07-05
THE FoREPAUeH SHOW.
Itserved the City in Place of General
Celebration.

The City of Portland having declined
to provide the public with a special cele-
bration of the Fourth this year it re-
manned for Forepaugh to furnish amuse-
residents of the towns and villages for
miles around. AS result the streets of
Portland were almost as deserted as
plague stricken town and our neighbor-
ing city of Deering found itself crowded
to overlooking.
There were three performances in the
great tent, at morning, afternoon and
evening, and before Illegally caparisoned
steeds rushed into the arena the voices of
the employees were heard shouting sAll
the reserved seats are sold." The at
mosphere in the tent was something ter
rible. The heavy rains of Sunday and
Sunday night had converted the circus
grounds into a great bog, which, al
though covered with straw, quivered and
trembled under the feet, and under the
influence of the hot sun of yesterday and
the heat from the bodies of the thous-
ands in the audiences, sent up marshy
odor, and made the atmosphere so close
and hot it was difficult to breathe. But
people will endure martyrdom for what
they consider pleasure even when packed
close as sardines on hard wooden seats.
The Vaidis sisters are stars of the
arena, not alone from their dizzy height
above the heads of the spectators, but
from the brilliancy of their acts. When
they performed upon the flying trapeze
every one held his breath. Then there
was James Irwin, who stands on his head
on trapeze bar while it is swinging and
juggles with balls; the Zeigler brothers,
who spin hats, till it would seem as if the
crowns would fly away from the brims;
the Rosaires, who come forth clad for
the ball room and proceed to roll and
Chamber over each other in acrobatic
feats in a most exciting manner; the r.
wins, who do the familiar act of tearing
to pieces ladder and leaving one of the
performers perched at the top of stick;
the Japanese jugglers and balancers in
eccentric acts and novel feats; the glad
iatorial brothers, who pose as statues,
and the woman who swings tables with
her teeth.
The riders were attractive, their lead
ers being Josie Ashton and Mile. Estrel
la, the bareback equestriennes, and Wal
lett, the trick rider. Fencers, buffoons,
horizontal bar performers, animal train
ers took lively part in the programme,
while high perched trapezist made
thoseimarvelous long flying leaps through
the air. which always brings your heart
up into your mouth, and Grade gave a
new kind of gymnastic exhibition on a
hoop suspended high in the air.
AS with all well regulated modern cir
cuses there now must be a grand specta-
Gle, so with this years Forepaugh's
show is presented the s'Fall of Nineveh."
1t is after the style of the s'Fall of Pom
peii'' and other spectacles, with throngs
to give picturesqueness to parades and
marches, with graceful dancers and dash
ing riders and abundance of music.
Another interesting feature is the camp
of genuine Moors, TWO women and a
number of men; under their tent they il
lustrate the way Of their life at home,
while one patriarch of 70years astonished
the spectators with his vigor, holding
five people upon his shoulders or about
his body. The hippodrome ended the
show.