Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-07-23
THOUSANDS SEE CIRCUS
Barnum & Bailey's Show Greeted
by a Big Crowd.
Most of the People Got Very Wet be-
fore They Reached Home from
Afternoon Performance
Some Features.

The big Barnum e Bailey circus has
come and gone and it was perhaps quite
in keeping with the stupendous character
of the show that along with the after
noon performance should come thun-
der storm which for duration and amount
of water that was left in it's wake has
not been equalled in many a day in this
part of the world. The field on North
avenue where the performances were
given is dry enough ordinarily but in
order to get from the big tent to the
street after the afternoon performance
one had to navigate several ponds as
best he or she could, with the rain com
ing down in torrents all the time. The
trolley cars We're of course unable TO
care for the crowd and the hackmen
did not have to cry their wares. The
shoe was on the other foot for once and
it was the fares" themselves who were
begging the hackmen for transportation
to their homes or to some other dry spot
The parade was late in leaving the cir
Gus grounds in the morning, the delay
being unavoidable and due wholly to the
size of the show All roads led to Bur
lington in the morning and by ! 80
o'clock. when the head of the procession
appeared at the northwest corner of City
Han Park. the sidewalks, especially in
the business part of the city, were lined
with interested spectators. who saw the
usual number Of good horses many ale
gorical floats, cages of wild animals,
elephants and Camels galore, wagon
loads Of clowns and several bands, one
drawn by 40 horses. After the parade
had passed there was grand rush for
bp ha
these were by far the liveliest places
in town.
1t was the first appearance OF the big
show in Burlington since it started five
years ago on its triumphal tour of Eu-
rope and aroused the admiration of all
classes in the old world. Staying so
much in Europe, where circus acts are
more often adopted as "A means of gain
ing a livelihood than they are in this
country, it was natural that the show
should bring back a number of foreign
acts and performers
A large part of the programme was
given by people who could not speak
English. Tho foreign acts are, as a rule
developed more fully as regards finish
and polish than are the American acts,
but they move slowly and are not given
with the headlong dash and vigor which
characterize American aCrobatic special
tics.
The opening number on the programme
was "The Tribute of Balkis," which has
been styled "A GloriNIs illuminated page
from ancient history, Unique and most
transCendently beautiful Introduction 10
the regular performances. which in, and
Of itself embodes all the rare, piCtur-
esque and grand elements of a complete
substantial and sumptuous spectacular
entertainment" The spectacle is a bal
let of hundreds of people dressed in cos
| of nrin in q
glided coaches bedecked after the manner
OF royal equipages of the long ago sing
ing the wild, stirring music of the days
of the lutte and the Tyre. The ballet was
well worked out and was a most effective
introduction to the long list of acroba tic
and animal specialties.
The usual number of bareback riders
men and women, were to be seen while
the dancing horses and the trained horses
of the rings were excellent and fully VI
to tradition.
| The most thrilling acrohatic turn was
| that by Cyclic. an athlete who deies the
| law Of gravity and rides around a per
| pendicular harrel-like arrangement at
| the imminent risk of breaking his neck
| The same trick has been seen in othe
years but 1t was not so highly develope,
| and the track was not perpendicular, a
| 1t is this season,
| The contortionists slack wire and tigh
rope performers, jugglers, trained ele
plants and even ROSTERS, as well as thu
clowns, all had their places on the pro
gramme and contributed their mite to
wards making good the claims of the en-
| thusiastic press agents and the perform
ance closed with the usual hippodrom
races, which are always more or less ex
| citing, according to the point Of view
The performance was disappointing Il
a few respects. 1t began ahead of tim
and was considerably cut with the re
suit that 1t was concluded at $3.50 O'Clock
fully half an hour earlier than usua
| when the rain was coming down tn
hardest. and many were In effect com
PEELED to remain for the usual concer
when they would gladly have escaped i
A real feature Of the show are tn