The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-03
HOUSEKEEPING IN TIE CIRCUS TENTS There Are No IdIers in the
 Big Shows THE COOKS ARE KEPT BUSY Great Quantities of Food Prepared in Kitchen on Wheels and Served
 to Army of People
 Every Day.
THE COOKS ARE KEPT BUSY
From the New York Times.

From the New York Times.
 l { When the circus comes to town and the
 tents are stretched out in the suburbs
 many people wonder what there is about
 the show which requires so many of these
 canvas enclosures. Of course. every circus
 has it's annex of sideshows and the beard
 ed lady. the snake charmer, the human 1 pincushion. the biggest man on earth. and
 the httlest one must each have place
 where the public can see them at a dime
 per head.
 We also know that the elephants, the lions, the ''belemoth of Holy Writ" and other parts of the menagerfe have tent to themselves and the great amphitheatre with its tier upon tier of seats. where the bareback performer. the cycling demon, and the queen of the air exhibit Is per haps as interesting on account of its size and the way 1t is put up as the circus itself. Back of all this however, Is liter ally town under canvas, composed of tents, some of which arc almost as large as that of the menagerie and little tepees hardly large enough for man to crawl under.
 This part of the show, which the ticket holders never see. is really one of the most interesting. for 1t includes the greenroom of the circus, restaurant, kitchen. business offices, stables, what the theatrical men would call the property room, and other adjuncts which are indis- pensable. When the circus man selects place where the performances are to be given he must allow as much space for the show behind the scenes as for the ex- hibitfon tents and the midway.
 1t is seldom that the ground Is dry enough and level enough so that it can be used in It's ordinary condition, but if there is mud hole 1t is partially filled in with dry earth and sand, and then covered over with straw and dry grass. If there are hillocks there tops are cut off with scrap CTS, and this material is used for filling.
 Sometimes 1t is necessar yto make thoroughfare so that the people can reach the entrance without going through the mud This Is easily done, however, with few wagonloads of ashes mixed with grass and straw
 City Under Canvas.
 But before the site of this city under canvas Is prepared the location of each structure is carefully staked out The stable for the performing horses, the prop erty room, and the restaurant are usually placed directly back of the circus tent
 Of course, the cage animals are kept be- hind the bars in their vans, except a few which are brought out during perform ances. so they live in the menagefie. The elephants and camels are usually tethered in the center of this tent, except when the large elephants are needed to push the wagons Into place and to do hauling, for the elephants are about as valuable for their strength as for exhibition pur- poses.
 After the performances are over how ever, the big front tents are deserted ex- cept by the animals referred to and the watchmen and feeders. Men are on duty day and night to look out for fire and ae- cidents, the patrol outside and inside of each tent keeping an eye on the vans to See if any or the beasts are ugly or have l loosened the bars of their cages. If a horse or camel breaks his fastening and gets away they are held responsible. As fast as the poles are raised and the canvas stretched the circus moves in, and within a remarkably short time every body and everything is in place an dready for the exhibition. It is necessary to work rapidly, for in going from place to place the circus trains travel at night, reaching their destination early in the morning Of course the street parade-the wonder and delight of the small boy-must be given in the morning, and the drivers of the charfots. the knights in armor, and the ladies in indescribable costumes must be ready to leave the grounds by 10 o'clock. which means some lively work. Generally the first thing the show people do is to have their breakfast. which may be served between and o'clock if the chef can prepare 1t by that time FIr8t Day the Hardest. Then each must locate his outfit, dress. and be ready to mount his horse or take his seat in the lions cage or chariot when the word comes. Usually the parade Is