The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1902-10-24
The Big Show in Spartanburg.

Ipaugh's show combined which per-
formed in Spartanburg last Friday
was the largest aggregation that has
[been seen in these parts in number
lof years. Union county sent large
|, delegation to Spartanburg. The
morning train carried from the
sUnion depot something like $50 peo.
;ple to say nothing of Carlisle, Santuc
land Jonesville. The nine coaches
Ewere literally jammed and the train
fran so slow that the procession was
lover before the train arrived at Spar
itanburg.
! The show was above the average
land the mammoth tent was literally
packed, the crowd under the canvass
was estimated all the way from ten
Ito twelve thousand. The tent was
tsome 600 feet in length. There were
three rings and large stage. There
were sixteen elephants, two of them
ion the Jumbo order. They were
iwell trained and their performance
was the first given in the ring. This
was followed by the usual bareback
lriding, trapeze performance, tumb-
fling, etc.
| The attraction that brought the
;crowd, however, was Diavolo's dare
devil act of looping the loop. When
(the time came for this act there was
almost breathless stiffness. Diavolo
Iwalked up tho steep incline plank
road until he arrived at the top of
the tent where his bicycle was await
ling him on platform. From this
tpoint the incline track dropped to the
ground some SO or rs feet distant,
the track then suddenly curved up
ward and over, forming a great band,
some twenty feet high and about six
feet wide, coming again to the ground
and leading out on track some fifty
feet long. The bicycle he rode had
an iron rod through the pedal hanger
instead of pedals. After balancing
himself perfectly on the wheel he
lifted his feet from the platform and
quickly placed them on the rod on
e. er side and down the steep slope
iGSGheel and rider went as if shot
lIom q cannon. When he reached
the bottom he was going at lightning
speed and he rose the opposite side of
the great rim and went round the
inside of it like flash and shot out
on the level track where the wheel
was stopped and he alighted none the
worse for his dangerous act. 1t is
said that he gets $1,000 q week for
doing this act which requires about
70 seconds week. He has force
of hands with him who do nothing
else except attend to him and his
great loop. 1t is doubtful! if any one
else under the tent would have at
tempt5d the feat for ten weeks of
his salary planked down, spot cash.
While it is very dangerous feat and
seems to be the height of reckless.
ness. We think the feat performed
by the champion bicycle trick rider
was an exhibition of much more skill,
and o great deal more difficult. He
rode u unicycle Zone wheel) up a
spiral incline plane, FIVE flights high,
to the top and iode it back down
again. This walkway was only about
80 inches wide and he had to keep
continually curving his wheel as he
ascended and decendsd. 1t required
considerable skill to keep on the
track to FAY nothing Of riding one
wheel.
The trapese performance by the
ten people together at the top of the
Atent was far above the average, and
sometimes tho performances we're 30
rapid that it had the appearance of
. lot Of people sailing through the
air, and you could Lot tell where this
one or that one was going to catch.
One of the best things seen under
the tent, however, was the wonder
full drilling of Capt. A. Ii. Tarbele's
Aurora Zouaves. They are the ac-
kpowledged champions of the world.
All their work is done in double
quick time and their evolutions and
drilling through the manual of arms
is absolutely perfect. They never
make break or bobble, the butts Of
the twenty four guns strike the floor
in 'order arms" as one gun. The
same is true with every other move