Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-13
BUILDING A MODERN CIRCUS
one Of the Really ~arve1o Features
of the Management Of the
show.

II there is one thing about the modern
circus that the public marvel at IL is
the wonderful system connected with its
operation. How a complete city OF tents,
with all its people, horses and varied para
phernalia can arrive in a city at daylight
and put up its fifteen acres of canvas, give
its entertainment afternoon and evening
and pack up again within the space Of
little more than an hour after the night
audience has been dismissed, and never
forget so much as a single stake, is more
than the average citizen can fathom.
Ringing Brothers will arrive Sunday
morning before many Omaha people are
out of bed. When the first train arrives
in the railroad yards there will issue from
one Of the yellow sleeping cars a gang
of men armed with small bundles Of steel
pins, such as surveyors use. These men
will clay OUT the show. The superintend-
emit determines just where to place the
menagerie tent, the side show tent and the
big circus amphitheater, or big top" He
tells his immediate marker" to place a
pin here. It has a red tag tied to the end
Of II. The tape measure marks 435 feet,
and another pin is thrust into the ground.
The distance between the two marks the
length and direction Of the big top"
Other pins with similar colored rags at
tached soon show the width Of the great
tent, and white tipped ones mark the places
where the great center poles are to stand.
1t has taken FIVE minutes Meantime
other men have laid out the ground for
the menagerie. tent, the side show. the
horse tents, blacksmith and carpenter
shops, wardrobe tents and the various other
small canvases that go TO make up a COM
plete and independent little city whose
-A-,.1.4sa- L. -..A.. H. I mn -a--V
The first train hasn't been in more than
twenty minutes. The doors of the horse and
elephant cars have been opened and from
them have issued GOO head of horses. A
herd of thirty big and little elephants have
been unloaded from their cars.
The first wagon unloaded is the range
wagon and Its fires are alight, ready to
cook a breakfast for 500 working men al
most by the time they shall have ar
rived at the lot. other wagons are hauled
out until within fifteen minutes the train
has been unloaded. Thirty minutes have
elapsed and a putting, painting locomotive
draws into the yards the second section.
In twenty minutes 1t is unloaded and on
the way to the grounds.
The canvas wagons and pole trucks we're
on the first section and are already at the
lot. Hundreds Of muscular hands unload
them, and almost before II can be seen the
huge roll Of canvas ascends higher and
higher until It reaches the tops Of the
center poles. Side poles are thrust In place
by a hundrd men and in a marvelously
short space Of time the great canvas is
made fast all around the side, the walls
are hung and so far as outward appear
ances go, it is complete.
Within the space Of An hour and a half
the big show has arrived. Its cars have
been unloaded so systematically and so
speedily that 1t seems like play. rs tents
have been erected like magic and through
out the entire time not a harsh command
has been uttered by anyone.