The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-10-30
RINGLING CIRCUS ARRIVES IN CITY IN FOUR SECTIONS interesting Sight as Animals Are UnIoaded and the
 Tents Erected PARADE WILL START
 ABOUT 10 O'CLOCK All the Principle Streets of the City Will Be Parade d-Tralns
 Were Several Hours
 Late.

The circus is in town. Shortly before 6 o'clock last night long train pulled into the Frisco yards on Ninth avenue, and before it had come to a standstill no less than two hundred men were at work like so many bees. making prep aratons to unload.
 The train was the first section of the four long trains required to haul Ringing Brothers circus over the country. It was many hours late for about the second time this season, which is nearly over, the Flying Squadron" gang had to unload canvass and horses and put up the kitchen. horse and mess tents at night. Flying Squadron is applied to the first train because it carries the oommissary department, all of the canvass for the different tents, the thousands of stakes and posts that are used in putting up the canvass, utility wagons and numerous other things that are required in making ready for the things on the trains that follow. There are also carried on the Flying Squadron" enough horses to draw the wagons from railroad yards to the show grounds, Smiths park being the place selected in Birmingham
 Despite the lateness of the hour when the train reached the city yesterday, a large number of the curious were at tho yards to meet the first train, and when the first wagon load of canvass reached Smiths park several hundred of the thou sands or more who had wended their way to the park earlier in the afternoon were present to see what the inner life of a big circus is like. After the first wagon came another, and then another, and so on until within less than an hour the park resembied a mining camp.
 In the center of the park Happy Jack Smelling, chief canvassman, or In the cir GUS vernacular, the boss rag man." an chored with the kitchen tent. While it was going up men were putting up six ranges, each as large as the average hotel range. Another crew was throwing LID the mess tent while the dining room boys were setting the long tables for the hundreds of employees who were tired and hungry. A third gang was at work on the horse tents on the north side of the park, while hundreds of men were scattered in systematic way at different points about the grounds Some were driving posts, others were tightening ropes. while the kitchen and dining room forces were making preparations for the evening meal
 Work Done Quickly.
 The chief figure about the kitchen and dining room was Ollie Webb, the com- missariat, who sees that no man travel ing with Ringland Brothers goes hun gry. He was here, there and everywhere, telling 150 men what to do. Lights were scattered about the grounds, and then the signal was given for supper. It was all done so quickly that the hundreds or so of gaping men and boys looking on opened their eyes and months still wider in wonderment' When they saw the hun dreds of workmen seated under the biz mess tent, with a score of walters serV- ing them from steam tables, the tempt ing viands of various kinds proved So turing that they were seized with sud den hunger which drove them home. Or der in a high class hotel with half a thousand guests gathered in the dining room could not have been better than un- der the mess tent of Ringing Brothers circus last night. Before taking his seat every man washed his face and hands and brushed his hair. As each man took his place he was asked whether or not he would have his steak medium, rear or well done, and was also given the choice of tea or coffee. Something like 300 men were ready for the first call and they were waited on with as much dispatch as Is the case with an ordinary family or half a dozen. A newspaper man was among those who dined under the mess tent last night, and when man sitting next to him called for a second dish of potatoes, an encore of sausage and the fourth cup of coffee. he ventured to ask for an extra roll He was told that every man was instructed to send back for more until he had all he desired. The raid made on 750 pounds of pork sausage, 5000 pounds of loin beef, the dozen sacks of potatoes and the other things served last night was something out of the or |. 1.Ia ,f the trains had delayed the supper which usually begins at o'clock In the after noon.
 Other Sections Arrive.
 While this scene was being enacted at Smiths park, there was unusual activity at the Frisco yards, for all the other sections of circus trains had arrived. Sec tions No. and No. were loaded down with parade material and portions of the menagerie. Owing to the lateness of the hour 1t was decided not to transfer tho big wagons containing the wild animals until morning The hundreds of attend ants were busy, however, seeing that the animals were given proper food and wa ter.
 Among those at the train were J. J.. Brady and Dexter w. Fellows, the men who travel ahead of the show. They de- cided to remain over and get fresh glimpse of the big aggregation they rep resent While the animal mon were giv- ing out food they told many things of interest about animals and animal life. In one car was a little hyena. running about like a kitten. It Is one of four born about five months ago. The mother ate three and trainer took the fourth and fed 1t with a spoon until it was able to eat cooked meat. It does not know the taste of raw meat but is getting old enough to act badly.
 ''It will soon have to be placed behind bars" said the man giving 1t a piece of cooked beef "It will be perfectly safe for children to caress 1t in the menagerie