The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-05-27
AL !! NO CIRCUS
Disappointed Crowds Went
in the Pouring Rain
Only to Be Turn
ed Away.
ALL THEY SAW WAS TIE FLITTING
Some Amusing Incidents of
the Afternoon and Even
ing Throngs.
ALL THEY SAW WAS TIE FLITTING


Rain brought disappointment to many
thousands of people in this city Saturday
people who had beesA looking forward
with eager anticipations of enjoyment to
the advent of Adam Forepaugh and Sells
Brothers great circus. The pageant of
the forenoon, usually so glittering and
gay, wound through lanes of umbrella
protected and solemn vizaged spectators
with an almost funeral solemnity.
The great amphitheatre capable of hold
ing nearly twenty thousand people was
occupied by only several thousand damp
performance. So fiercely and steadily fell
the rain, with an eastern slant against
the mammoth tents, that even the water
proof canopies leaked and the audience
was obliged to hoist umbrellas. The
amphitheatre looked as though covered
with patches of giant black frog stools.
The managers did their best to accom-
modate the small audience, butsit was inn
possible to put forth the great features
of the show.
The three rings were mere puddles. The
platform was wet and slippery. The hip
podrome track was murky The great web
of suspended apparatus was like mist
It. was patent to everyone that the night
performance could not be given. Trained
managers knew this early and with the
same precision that characterizes the mo-
tions of great engine at the pull of a
lever or push of an electric button, the
work of transplanting the great show to
Elizabethport began as soon as the after
noon audience retired from the grounds
IL must be said the company acted fair
ly with the people. Word was sent to
Police Headquarters, and from there
transmitted to the various station houses
and policemen on their respective beats
stopped all apparently bound circusward
and informed them there would be no
performance. Cash paid for tickets sold
in advance was refunded to those who
called at the ticket wagon. An agent re-
manned down town at Hartnett's drug
store and refunded money paid for the
evening performance. He staid from I
to $50 o'clock, during which time ne re-
funded money for many tickets, anu leit
word that those still holding tickets paid
for in cash should send them enclosed in
letter to Bridgeport, Conn.,, addressed
to Manager of Adam Forepaugh and Sells
Brothers Circus. Word will be left there
with the Postmaster to forward them
wherever the circus happens to be.
Despite the rain several thousand peo-
pie gathered at the grounds early in the
evening. They intended to take in the
circus, rain or no rain. They, of course,
were disappointed. But not one word
was heard against the company. In fact,
it was crowd that sympathized with
the circus people. A more dismal picture.
could hardly, be imagined. The only
bright thing about it was the canopies of
the bran new enormous tents which glis-
tened as they flashed in the wind Ike
white clouds IN the general gloom, while
below them men and horses trudgcd
through mud above their ankles. Men
were carrying the seats of the great
amphitheatre out to wagons that were be-
ing loaded, and horses were laborously
pulling canvass covered gilt chariots and
heavily laden cages of wild beats through
the deep quagmire, in some spots half
way UP to their knees. The wheels of
the cages of heavy animals sank nearly
up to their hubs and extra horses had to
be supplied. These, fortunately, were
plentiful
But even with their tremendous power
the strength of the big elephants had to
be resorted to in order to extrieate the
big cage containing the hippopotamus and
the rhinocerous from the mud in which
they got stuck. They are trained in this
business, but they don't seem to like it.
Two of them used for this purpose grew
irritated by the presence of a number of
small boys who got under the menagerie
tent to get in out of the rain One of
them put his snout into muddy puddle
of water. The muddy water disappeared
and the next moment the crowd of teas
ing small boys were caught in a dirty
shower that sent them helter skelter to
the clean rain outside. Then Mr. Ee-
phant lowered and put his great forehead
behind the big cage that was stuck in the
mud and assisted his partner with his
enoromus strength in pushing it out Of
its muddy environments while ten horses
strained in pulling
A ten-horse team was being driven up to
another cage that had been stuck. One
of the leaders struck an electric arc light
that had been lowered, the globe of which
had been smashed. He received shock
and apparently communicated it to the
other leader. Both were knocked down
in the quagmire, but they quickly recov-
cred, their feet.
After the afternoon performance a
woman drenched with rain and carrying
large infant in her arms got stuck in
the mud and could not move. A big
policeman gallantly took the child in his
arms and assisted the woman to the
street.