New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-04
THE CIRCUS PARADE.
SCENES AT THE GARDEN WHEN 1T
STARTS.

SIARIS.
HOW THE CAGES ARE STORED AND MANAGED
NOT ROOM IN NETWORK FOR THE HORSES
A DIscoNsoLATE BABY ELEPHANT.
n Is a pity that some one who has a genius for
such things does not write book about the circus
There Is the material In 1t for whole sheli o.
Jungle Books" Volumes about 1t could be made
entertaining, II they were written In the right way
One volume about it. with all the cream OF the
subject condensed into 1t, could be made positively
fascinating.
For instance before the doors are opened TO the
publi, at all there is tho matter for good chap
ter In the parade and the arrangements for It, OF
course that would not be the first chapter OF the
suggested book because years OF work ana
planning and experience and study were necessary
before tina. parade which passed through the
streets Of New-York las: Wednesday nigh: was
possible; bu. 1t would be an important chapter
when the time came for Il.
When II is done for newspaper 1t rails snort
Of perfect sasfactoriness from the very nature OF
the case newspaper writer has 10 write OF
many subjects In the course OF week. HIS knowi-
edge Of each may be correct as far as 1t goes ana
when he Is a good and faithful newspaper man OF
course 1t is but 1t seldom be full and perfect
newspaper man can go to the Garden ana look
at the starr of the procession and then write about
Il and hope that his account will prove interesting
but the book about tho circus that Is here sug-
gested must be written by somebody who has
lived with circus for years, somebody who knows
rs much abou. circus 1t is possible for anybody
to know as much as "Tody" Hamilton knows
But this is not the book. this is the newspaper
article. Anybody could that there were great
doings around the Madison Square Garden last
Wednesday evening. Long before sunset the
crowds were gathering TO see the start ana there
was plenty to see.even for those Who had no par
ticular business in the Garden and no yellow tickets
and were consequently subject to the vagaries OF
the Police Department. There Is nothing remark
able about tho actua! forming of the circus pro-
cesson It is Just like the forming OF any other
procession There Is chief marshal and there are
lesser marshals one Of them for each OF the seven
divisions Of tho parade. Each one is responsible
for his own division, and when the divisions are
ready 1t is easy enough to fit them together ana
start them of.
THE GRIEVANCE THAT NETWORK HAS
This may be good a place as any to remark
that all the circus men say that the parade IN
New-York Is about the worst Of the season II Is
the first one of the season and everybody connected
with IL is out OF practice. Then. at the beginning
of the season. a good many of the employees OF the
circus are necessarily raw and inexperienced hahds
They do not yet thoroughly understand what is 10
be done. After they have done 1t about twice they
manage II a good deal better. Then. again. tho
| cause there is no place to keep them. Possibly
some of tho visitors to the Madison Square Garden
In circus time think that they see good many
horses and so they DO but they do not SEQ them
ALL 1t Is easy to see, II you think about 1t for
minute that the circus horses cannot be kept In
the garden All the space there is taken up by the
menagerIe They are put out to board at the horse
car stables, at livery stables and even ut private
stables and vet there is not room 10 be found In
town for all of them On the road the circus uses
its own stable tent, which there is no room to set
up In New-York.
But to 60 back to tho parade. When the cages
and chariots are brought down from Bridgeport
they are stored In the Garden and as many OF
them as possible are placed in the arena. From
there II is perfectly easy fasten horses to them
and draw them out to the cross streets where
the divisions forming There is not room Tor
all Of them in the arena and some of them have
to 20 down to the basement, but nothing has a
permanent air down there till after the parade, and
only few Of the cages that are so heavy that they
are not taken the parade are put In their places
as they remain for exhibition. These cages In the
basement ara a little harder to manage, because
they have to be brought up the steep run TO get
them to the street. but with two or four horses
ahead to pull elephant behind to push and three
or fou. men around somewhere to steer. 1t Is Won
derfuy quick work.
THE UNMANAGEABLE TORCH-BEARERS
r,ut when all the OF various KINDS are out
| OF the Garden the work is not over by any means.
There are the torchbearers to be attended to, and
/ they are the cause OF the labor OF the police and
the nervous worry OF everybody connected with the
| Garden These torc,i-bearers are the men who are
| scattered along the whole limo to illuminate the
and the carriages and to turn night into day
| They do not belong to the circus they are hired
| for the occasion. Thousands OF men come to the
| Garden in thu morning 10 be hired. They are
| looked over and few hundred are picked out
Each Of these receives a ticket. At ths time for
the parade these come to the Garden and lie: In
| to get their torches
They form pushing surging. struggling double
or triple quadrupe line from the back door clear
up to Twenty -seventh-st. and around the corner
and the excitement is vastly heightened by the eff
forts TO get in OF those who have tickets
"'Todv' Hamilton told The Tribune man in the
AFTERNOON that he could get In any time he liked
80 es 10 see just how things were going. but when
he arrived this wonderful line fighting and
scufiIjng its way In and admission for anybody else
in the last extremity Of nervous fear lest
authorized person should get In. They seemed to
believe that 1t better that ten right persons
should be kept out than that one wrong should
But oh. what q Joy It for them when they
discovered wrong person trying 20 get in, The
doorkceper caught him and threw him at the near
est policeman. The policeman hurled him agains.
sidewalk where he fell against the line of men
standing on the curb who jeered at him and made
him feel that he was no small part OF the show
THE GARDEN LEFT DESOLATE.
When tho last of the torch bearers were in the
attendants capped the gratings TO with an air Of
Now we're safe!' and they were not by any
means cordial about opening them for The Tribune