The age-herald., 1901-11-04
Ringing Brothers'l Circus Comes to Town on
 Five Trains
GIVE EXHIBITION TODAY
Expenses For Two Days in Blrlnlng- ham About $8uoo--A Great Or. ganlzatoh Ruled With MiIi.
 tary Discipline.

As Achilles in the Ancient days of Greece embarked his mighty cahorts in sixty and nine ships and sailed to the shores of Troy the Ringing Circus has landed on Birmingham soil and with men and beasts, bag and baggage will today make a triumphal march through the streets of the city.
 On sixty acres of land in the southern section of the city dozen tents have been pitched, and though thousands of curious sight -seers thronged about the miniature city of strang people the men went as systematically about their work yesterday as though that spot had been their home for years.
 A hundred hostlers were rubbing and washing the horses, another hundred were adjusting ropes and laying out can vass while still another hundred were busy preparing supper for the men and feeding the animals.
 Absolute discipline prevailed in every department and no regiment of trained soldiers could have gone more systemati- cally about their work.
 bhiilct TUT a hCStIiShts
 The circus arrived in train of five sections at 10 o'clock yesterday morning and before the hour of noon tents were erected and everything was ready to serve dinner to 750 persons. These trains are composed of sixty-five double length cars which would be equal to about 12O of the ordinary freight cars. There are twelve sleepers and day coaches for the performers and working men and the rest of the train IS used for horses, the menagerie and baggage. Several cars are required for tent poles alone and as many more are necessary to transport the baggage.
 When a circus train arrives at its des- tination the first gang of men to go to work are known as "Razorbacks." These men begin the unloading within few minutes after the train has stopped. About one hundred draught horses are used in pulling the heavy wagons from the fiat cars and then two hundred more are required to haul the wagons to the show grounds. The Ringing circus car ries about 52O horses and they are kept at a heavy expense.
 Great generalship Is necessary in the management of a circus and the men in charge of the unloading and loading de- partment have to be especially careful. Long experience has taught them that the first things to unload are the tent poles, stakes, stringers and jacks, so as to protect the men and animals from the weather while the main work proceeds Al .t.,, ,X1I 4o the show grounds the unloading of the commissary equipment begins, and as fast as the tents are ready they are stocked with provisions. Fifty-six cooks and walters then begin preparations for the first meal. The animal cages are next to be taken from the trains and last of all come the performers and bus mess managers.
 Arranging Menagerie Tents.
 After leaving the trains the next place of interest in the circus preparations is the menagerie tents Here hundreds of wild animals are snarling. roaring and fighting, in anticipation of the coming meal, while the keepers and attendants are hurrying around with huge bundles of hay and grain, throwing bits of 1t in the cages as they pass. Every animal must be fed in different manner, and great skill is required in directing this work
 William Spencer has entire charge of the animals, except the elephants, in Ringling's menagerie, and the animals have become so familiar with his face and manners that he can go in any of the cages without fear MT. Spencer says the animals eat in one day 3700 pounds of hay, 800 pounds of bran, two bushels of carrots, about 25 pounds of fruit, one bushel of corn for the birds and 30 pounds of alfalfa for the ostriches. Alfalfa is a kind of clover hay which has to be ship ped from California, and is said to be the most successful food for ostriches in America. The cost of feeding the anil mals is about $15O per day, the prices varying according to the size of the city. In the menagerie there are thirty ele- phants, ten or twelve camels and drome- daries, one huge hippopotamus, besides the cages of zebras, lions, antelopes, leopards, partners, monkeys, etc. Proba- bly the most interesting of all is a young giraffe. which is the only animal of its kind in captivity. Formerly there were four or five giraffes put on exhibition in America, but on account of their delicate constitution all of them died. The Ring ling giraffe is twenty months old and was purchased in Africa at a cost of $20,00O If 1t lives two years 1t is expected to measure eighteen feet in height. The beautiful animals is kept in a padded cage and is fed on milk exported from Germany. It consumes about 8 worth of food a day. Possibly few people are aware that the giraffe is the only mem Der of the animal Kingdom which has no vocal chords. These graceful and deli cate looking animals have never been known to utter a sound, but the one on exhibition frequently shows affection for its keeper by licking his hands.
 Activity in Dining Room.
 By 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon all of the animals had been feds and activity centered In the dining room and kitchen. In the butcher shop four meat cutters were busy preparing steak and chops for the evening meal, while a score of men were seated in one corner of the kitchen pairing potatoes. In the kitchen