The Portland daily press., 1894-08-24
sAt 81 ~
A FINE CIRCUS.
Great Show Was Excellent Through
out.

MANY novel Features in the Programm
Splendid Athletics and Races an'
Unique Trained Animal Exhibits-Some
thing About the Menagerie.
Cook & Whitby's Circus is remarka
bly, attractive exhibition. Many peopl
throughs and said that it was tn
most satisfactory circus they had wit
messed since Barnum was IN all hi
glory. There were two rings to be sure
but the exhibitions in both were general
~ of Esuch similar nature that thu
attention of the spectators was not yer.
much distracted. When will circus man
ayers learn that the people do not wan
Two rings, much less three rings, ano
would prefer less exhibits if tthey coult
Iasten their attention on one marvel al
Time. and not have to feel that some
thing else equally fascinating is going
on That they don't want to miss.
For instance, yesterday in one ring {
Japanese was balancing on his shoulder
a 2O-foot bamboo pole, on the top O.
which a little boy was disporting. Ii
another ring another Japanese was lying
on his back and performing those won
derfuI balancing actsswlth his upliftet
feet, in which the Japanese excel. Il
was simply imossible to see both salts
factorily. and both were marvellous
spectacles.
Prominent among the special features
was, OF course, the riding lion Jupiter.
The hand-bill proclamation and illus
tration of an immense free lion leapine
through space on to the bareback of /;
galloping horse dwindled into an under
sized lion lying prone on platform on
horses back and fastened there by ;
strap around its body. This in itsel
was truly wonderful That a lion an(
a horse could be kept quiet in this rela
ton, while the latter ram bled arount
the ring in the presence OF. a large crowt
of people, is indicative: of a great tri
umph il animal training, and was worth
seeing. But they advertise such an ex
aggeration of it that not even chile
would believe it.
The horse.was q sleek white ANNA
and is kept close beside the lions Gag,
all the time, SO that it may be accus
toned to 1t.
The riding dogs were notable feature
They were greyhounds, and chung Close
to the horse's back. They jumped ovel
the banners and through lht
rings like any human horse rider. One
of the dogs fell off after jumping
through ring. 1t Immediately jumped
on again. This little incident was sig
nificant in showing how much skill the
dogs must exercise in order to keep theil
footing on the galloping horses.
The japanese juggling was particularly
good, and so was the flying trapeze
work. The tight rope dancing was veri
table dancing. A rope was stretched
from the top of two poles, about Is feet
from the ground. 1t was about shalf ar
inch in diameter With his long balanc-
ing pole. the performer ran on to the
rope, and as the music started up he
began TO keep time, by leaping into the
air. The springing of the rope would lift
him three or four feet into the air.
Sometimes he came down on his feet,
then on his thigh, then astride the rope,
and sometimes he turned somersaults,
pole ana ALI and come down on his
thigh. feet, or ,astride, keeping time tc
the music continually 1t was very won
dertul. and elected as much applause
as any other feature.
Tom and Jerry. the trained mules, the
two trained horses and the two .other
trained horses ridden by lady riders,
were first-class specimens of clever ami
mails.
The ring riding was not Of irst-class
order. except the work of the small
boys, who were very clever. The adult
did not go very far.
A boxing match between a man and a
woman was a novel feature The woman
possessed splendid physique, and dealt
sledge-hammer blows with extraordina-
ry skill.
The hippodrome races were of a part
with the general excellence. and pro-
duced genuine excitement, especially
the four-pony chariot contests. driven
by boys, and the four horse chariot race,
driven by man and a.woman.
The menagerie, though small, was of
the best quality. All the animals were
very fine specimens. There were three
elephants and two were giants, one weigh
ing four tons, the other four tons and
two hundred pounds more. Their huge
back bones were almost as high as the
side OF the tent, and their trunks were
at least six feet long The huge beasts
were in constant motion, ende avoring to
cool themselves One peculiar method
was to dig up quantity of earth in the
end of the trunk, then thrust this into
the mouth and expectorate into fl a
large quantity of saliva, and then blow
the whole muddy mess in a thick
spray over the body These two were In
dian elephants. The other cam. from
Africa. 1t was much smaller. WEIGHING
less than three tons, but it's ears we're
quite.three times as large, and at least
a square yard in extent of surface. This
elephant was not SO busy with it's Trunk
in efforts to cool itself, II s;p,rIr