Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-08-13
THEY KNOW HOW TO FALL.
Why Acrobats Have Been Successful in "Looping the Gap" on
 a Bicyle.

There was one act. however, which we knew to be dangerous; that was looping the gap" on a simple shuttle toop;" and here was a young Italian performing the same feat with the add, ed danger of the "gap," says descrip- ton of "How Circus Performers Learn Their Thrilling Feats," by Harvey J, D'Higgins, in Success. He cOasted down an incline that hooped back at It's foot and carried him, upside down, across a gap in the top of the hoop to the other side Of the circle and so down to the level again. In fact, flying through the air. head down. he turned a complete ,somersault with his wheel and came down on it.
 You can't say that isn't dangerous" one of our party challenged.
 "Dangerousl" the circus man replied
 tits deadly--to a person who can't do it. I'm only surprised that more ambitious amateurs weren't killed in that Coney loop. As for our man here well, just to prove what I say, NI'll tell you sopething that isn't known outside. We have to carry three men able to do that appalling feat but the three are all members of one troupe of acrobats, and they all do it equally well -and yet,'' he added with smile, none of them is a brave man. With each, skill eliminates most of the risk.
 He introduced us to them. They were French acrobats of the name of Ancilotti, either sons or apprentices of famous circus performer of Europe. When any of them "looped the gap" he rode in full control of his wheel. with an unbewildered consciousness of where he was at every moment of the way, and with an alert preparedness for any accident that might throw him. They had had many falls while they were learning the act. They had never been hurt They knew how to fall. They had, in fact, spent lifetime learning how to fall--and how to ride without falling. From the earliest years of their infancy they had been working at that art With their par ents in France, and with circusses in every country of Europe, they had been riding the single wheel, mounting the spiral, descending the ladder, crossing the high wire, balancing on each oth- ers' shoulders, and doing all the other circus feats that the bicycle introduced into the circus. They had added "loop- 1 ing the gap'' to their repertory. They will have g. new trick for next season. The circus man spread his hands. ''You see, we have no use for g. man who endangers his life. What we want is man who can do acts that appear appallingly dangerous, but can do them without any risk to himself, That is what all these men can do, and are paid for doingx-that and nothing more,
 William Wallett, an English bare
 back rider. undertook to explain. He Is 1 35 years old and has been riding in the
 circus since the age of four-when he
 made his first appearance strapped to
 the back of pony.
 l t'It is all done with the shoulders, ''
 he said "The shoulders are the center l of gravity, in the air. It is with the
 muscles of the chest that the lift and l turn are both made. For example, in l a back somersault you do not throw
 yourself over with a kick from the
 ground. You merely leap into the air
 and then, with the muscles of your
 stomach and chest, whip your legs up over you, revolve around your shoul-
 ders and come down on your feet That
 is the reason why all circus performers
 are widest under the arms and smallest
 around the waist. They are built like l greyhounds.'