The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-03
Horses From the West.

lookout for stock which can be trained Tor the ring.
 Horses From the West.
 "Thoroughbreds'' which engage in the thrilling chariot races are generally Wiry western horses A few may have a strain of thoroughbred blood, but the most of them have come from the ranches beyond the Mississippi
 In fact. they are about the same kind of animals which cowboys use, and are the most vicious and difficult to handle. They are selected partly for these quail ties because they help put life Into the ex- hibition.
 While most of the circus people sleep at night in the cars in which they travel from place to place, they eat upon the ground, and this Is why the commissary of the modern show is one of Its most important features. It includes kitchen on wheels, which is model of it's kind
 When on the road the kitchen Is mount ed on a platform car built especially for 1t and is covered with wood side sand roof. The kitchen car. is always placed on the end of the train, and to 1t is attached folding platform. When the train stops the platform is stretched from the car to the ground and the kitchen taken on first A string of the heaviest horses Is attached to it. and it is pulled over to the show place as fast as possible followed by wagon containing the pots, pans. plates and other utensils and the chief cook and his assistants.
 Cooking the Meals.
 The. first thing done on arriving at the ground is to raise the. side coverings, which form a shelter under which the cook immediately gets busy. Fires are lighted in the range compartments which are filled with fuel and ready for the match.
 Steam is soon issuing from the coffee boilers and kettles and so rapidly is the work performed that within two hours after the kitchen has been funlimbered, as the military man would say, breakfast is ready for the first batch of hungry people, While they are eating bread Is being baked, meat cooked, and coffee prepared for the second batch. So it continues for perhaps two or three hours. Sometimes the cook arranges an annex. He has the laborers. build an oven of stone or brick puts an iron bar over the top, and uses this for boiling meat or vegetables, thus giving him more capaci- ty for cooking.
 There is one circus company in the United States which serves no less than 5000 meals daily when on the road, and It's grub tent" as the people call 1t, will seat over 300 at one time. In ono corner, spread with clean white linen, plated ware <tamped with the circus ini- tials, and china also made for the com pany, are tables for the managers, su- perintendents, press agents bookkeepers. and star performers.
 Each meal represents a different bill of fare, printed copies of which are placed before each guest as ne takes his seat at the table. It includes not only roast beef and lamb, but occasionally turkey and chicken. two or three yegeta- bles, sometimes a salad, and a dessert of such delicacies as ice cream, charlotte russo, and, of course, pie of various kinds.
 The ordinary performers and side show people have tables also spread with linen, but eat off different grade of china and use ordinary knives and forks. In for the ring hands, teamsters, and the Iaborers who are engaged during the time the show is in town.
 These tables are covered with white oilcloth, and each man has his tin plate and cup and knife and fork of steel, but just as good food goes to the third-class tables as to the first-class only there is not so much of variety.
 The food buyer for this company some times spends s10,000 in q town if perform ances are given for two of three days. for daily he must supply 2500 pounds of meat, 30 barrels of potatoes, 13 barrels of other root vegetables, such as beets, tur- nips, etc. and 100 cans of vegetables. A large portion of this meat however goes to the carnivorous animals. each tiger, getting 20 pounds and each lion IS pounds of raw meat a day.
 The giraffes, monkeys. and camels are also great vegetable eaters. but prefer. onions to any other kind. The elephants consume most of the three towns of hay required daily. as well as 150 pounds of bran. The buyer must also provide % bushels of apples, 10 heads of cabbage