The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-05-17

The band wagon, covered with can
vas, and the commissary wagon follow
close after each other, and then comes
the den of snakes. There are four
boxes of snakes and twelve trunks of
clothes piled in that wagon, and it be-
hooves a person to be careful which box
he opens. Then the poles for the men
agerie tent and the cook tent arrive
The other wagons had all arrived by
1920 and the tents were going up.
Teams of horses hitched to the ropes
hoisted the heavy tents just in time
for the herd of twenty seven elephants
to find shelter when they arrived. The
big fellows numbered into their places,
the side walls are dropped and the small
boys who had been having a free feast
apply for jobs carrying water to the
elephants. But the big beasts were not
thirsty
Circus wagons are probably the heav-
The bell wagon that carries the
chimes weighs $500 pounds, the hip"
wagon that carries the hippopotami and
their perpetual bath. weighs $500 and
the band wagon weighs 200 pounds.
From 800 to 1,200 persons are employed
by the circus, and all. excepting the per
formers: are employed during the Win
ter at the headquarters of the show at
Baraboo, Wis. repafnting the wagons.
making new harness, training animals
for new feats and the like.
An army of several hundred bows is
on hand as soon as the show arrives
everyone of them right in the way, but
the circus men are not a bad lot. They
remember they were boys once and so
everyone of the kids" receives a Job
of some sort. Not that it helped the
circus men much, but it kept the little
fellows, well as the big Ones out of
the way They carried stakes, stretched
canvas and were occasionally sworn at
for a mistake.
1t requires two heavy wagons to carry
the paraphernalia used in John
O'Brien's wonderful 61-horse act Ring
IA ha feacf
in the history of circuses. They own
all the act except O'Brien, and he is
paid for his part, a handsome salary,
too; but the horses are we'll fed and
groOmed for their efforts. The only
thing not owned by the show is the
trained bull used by Prof Sunling He
owns the bull. and perhaps nobody else
wants it, for its horns are sharp.
The latest attraction for a circus to
carry is the kaleidoscope tent. 1t is
black and looks rather spooky, but it is
not When the show was in st. Louis
the picture of Gen. Frederick Funston
the hero of the Philippine war, was
thrown upon the canvas, and the show
people say that the audience simply
went wild. More enthusiasm was shown
over the picture of Funston than that
of Dewey or anyone else. The show is
tented on the ground where the famous
Twentieth Kansas first camped
Fred Madison, who makes the an
nouncement for the concert, is a genial
man who is full of devices. 1t will take
d
has never failed to make the announce
ment, although the people of other
towns are like those of Topeka and
won't listen if they know what is COM
ing.
William H. Winner who knows ev-
erything about animals, looks after the
menagerie tent All except Pearl Sou
der's musical elephants and Souder
looks after them himself for their mus
ical education has to be kept up. Prof
Harry Lockard has a trouD of ele-
phants that perform in a wonderful
manner and have appeared in oDera
houses as well as under the tents.
Over in the cook and butchers tents
breakfast is being prepared. A barrel
full OF radishes, another of cucumbers
pile of potatoes, stacks of bread pies
cake and the like with ham, beefsteak k
mutton and veal looked inviting The
chef, a real FrenChman who smokes
cigarettes and says ''parlez vous, looks
after the kitchen. The laborers have
one eating tent with four long ia abIes
and tableware of tin while the bosses
have table by themselves and dishes
to eM from. All is clean and neat The
performers and executive staff eat in
another tent for the social lines are
drawn very tight.
Then there are two barber shops, the
blacksmith and carpenter shops, the
laundry, lighting plant and all scatter
ed around the larger tents. By 1880
O'Clock the tents are all ready for oc-
cupancy and the sideshow people COM
mence to arrive. The fat woman at
tired in a red shirt waist seemed warm
despite the cool weather and Chief De-
tro and wife. the Esquimo representa-
tives, very diminutive and jolly These
people from the cold country do not
mind the cold weather any more than
the fat woman, but the bearded lady,
with her beard done up in a net.
shivered as she picked her way over
the rough ground
Bertha Carnahan. the little lady, and
lady in every sense of the word. comes
trudging along with a satchel followed
by the long haired lady and the bow
peared inside the sideshow tent the
lecturer prepared to make his talk
about the pictures in front and the can
vas men run up the illustrations.
Mr.. AL Ringing travels and looks af-
ter the whole show. Otto r. Ringing
is the financial man, Charles r. is gem
eral superintendent of agents, and Alf
T. has charge of the performance
Over in the dressing room wardrobe
man, Fred Shaffer is distributing the
costumes ready for the parade. The
grounds are scene of activity The per
formers. who had rustled out of their
cars and enquired for the lott are ar
irving ready for the parade. The big
wagons and cages are being run out
the bandmen climb to their seats, the
fireman on the calliOpe steams up, the
drivers rummage around in the boxes
under their seats and find their uni
forms, the flags are hung on the wag-
Ons. Al Ringing steps into his car
riage behind a pair of pure Arabian
horses, the word is given and the pa
rade starts.
The streets were lined with people
and the open cages of snakes, lions,
tigers, bears, leopards and tigers with |
people inside were gazed at with as
much wonderment as ever The mid
way division with its Turks Arabs and |
camels was novelty. The "So-Sous''
band playing or trying to play attract
ed the music lovers for it is said that |
there is harmony in discord. The
mounted band did not play enough to |
suit the people but their scarlet uni |