Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-11
TOLD BY THE OLD CIRCUS MAN.
Additional Light on the Great Giants
Size Shed by the Details of
His Umbrella.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
You might have thought" said the old
circus m that it would put us to some
considerable trouble and expense to pro-
vide umbrellas for the great giant. whose
actual size 1 have never dared to tell you
for fear you wouldn't believe it if 1 did.
trusting to those things that 1 nave told
YOU about him from time to time to give
you some approximate notion OF it.
As to the giants umbrellas. We never
had any trouble at all: We simply used TO
use for that purpose the tops of our dis
carded balloons. We never fooled with bal
looms, you understand; after they had be-
come weakened at all We used to out 'em
aside and put in a new one: I'VE never took
any risks on balloons. Before the great
giant joined us we used 10 sell the old
TO cut up the old center poles of the big
tent, when they showed any signs OF
weakness. for trewood: but after the giant
umbrella coverings. and the old centre
poles We saved for umbrella handles. We
! had our blacksmith get out a set OF ribs
long time. Whenever the covering of the
giants umbrella got so worn that II was
no further use as such. or 1t looked bad
when it was opened. why then we'd just
recover the old frame. When we put in
a new handle we'd simply take the irons
of the old one off and put 'em on the new
one.
W used to make it a point TO have the
giant carry the umbrella in every town we
struck. whether it rained or not. He used
to turn out and walk with the show. and
walking behind him We always had ten
men carrying the umbrella. rolled UP and
with an umbrella case on it. these men
walking five on Il side and carrying 1t lying
along on sticks that they held by the ends.
This always used to excite interest. be-
cause people always wondered what the
men We're carrying, but the sight didn't
begin to excite the interest that was felt
when they discovered what il WAS and
saw the giant raise il.
This. of course. he couldn't do in the
street. on account of the trees: as a ruic
the giant opened the umbrella in the public
square of the town. When We came to that
the procession would halt and the giant
would step out from il and step over the
fence or the ornamental gateway or en-
trance or arch or whatever there was
there-if there was one we always stopped
so that the giant would be opposite it
and then the men would walk in with the
umbrella and stand beside him. They would
lift it up on the carrying piece as high as
they could and then the giant would bend
down and take ii. He would draw of the
case that covered ii. which was something
like a windsail. only many times larger.
and. of course. made tapering. and roll II
up and put it in his pocket. and that made
a wad as big as a bale of hay. but it didn't
bulge out in his pocket enough so I you'd
notice it. And then he'd hold the umbrella
by the handle with one hand. point up. and
shake II out as anybody does an umbrella
open it, and then he set out TO raise it with
the other hand in the customary manner.
by this time. of course. everybody in the
orowd around wouId know what it was.
and it was fun to see EN- look at il: ana |
wonder. l never altogether lost in
terest in it myself; because. when the giant
held it up before opening 1t. the umbrella
was about the shape ana size of a church
steeple. and, as a matter of fact, it was
often bigger than the church steeple that
happened to be on the other side of that
particular green. But when he came to
open it, and they saw the spread of it
h-m-m: well. at one time and another the
show had a great many striking features:
but I don't think We ever had among our
own minor attractious-if we did I Ger
tainly don't recall. it at this minute-any
single feature that was more striking than