The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-24
THIS CIRCUS RUNS TO THRILLS
PROPER TO SAY O-O-OH! WHEN
THE LADY, LOOPS THE GAP.

Square Garden yesterday, and for the In
formation Of thoss who were not present
Il should be said at tho start that Mile.
MAuricia dc Tiers did her stunt Of looping
the gap In an automobile at both afternoon
and evening performances, and still smiles.
OF late years real thTillers have been the
features Of the circus. First II was the
loop-tho-loop; then the loop-the-gap, and
the loop-the-loop with the top Oh the loop.
But all the other acts that make hearts
oease to throb- look about as harmless a.
game Of tiddle-de-winks indoors COM
pared with the trip that Mile. Msuricia does
in her made-in-Paris automobile that won't
run-except down the slide. This is why
the announcement Is necessary that the
lady still lives.
Her act came at the very end Of the pro-
gramme, after the roces, in which the man
on foot beats the jockey on horseback
and the woman charioteer noses out the
gentleman charioteer who drives twice a.
many horses.
Every man, woman and child in the
Garden last night was keyed up for the
young French woman's act when the time
for it came. They had all been reading
their programmes and knew just how terri
bic It was before they saw IL, especially as
the red incline with the auto standing on
platform at the top Oft had been in sight all
through the performance.
The announcer yelled out something
about 1t being his pleasure to introduce
and "defes death" but nobody paid much
attention TO him. They were looking for
the lady herself who dehes the seven or
eight assorted kinds Of death.
There was 1honk honk' Of an auto
mobile horn. and then in she came seated
in the rear seat OF a real auto which has
been duly licensed in this State 90 that It
can make the circuit Of the Garden. Mile
de Tiers Is pretty, and she was dressed in
a handsome white gown. She was smil-
ing when she appeared, and everybody
cheered and clapped hands as she was
driven around the ring and back to the
east end OF the Garden again.
The man with the calcium focused ii on
her while her assistant, in very proper
evening clothes, was hoisted to the plat
form at the top Of the incline. Then
velvet chair was hitched TO a rope Made
moiselle seated herself in il, was raised
to her perch under the rafters by half Of
the hurry-scurry attendants, and was let
down in the automobile In which she was
to do the trick
A hawser was attached to the rear Of
the automobile, and by this the machine,
with the woman securely strapped in and
the calcium lighting up her face, was slowly
lowered until the back wheels we're on the
incline and the clutches, which keep 1t from
falling when 1t curls under the structure,
were in place.
Everybody in the audience got excited,
women began to breathe in gasps. 1t did
look terribly dangerous.
Are you all ready?' asked the announcer.
"Voila!" came back in a thin voice. A
man up on the platform yBnked a rope
and the automobile began to descend,
The incline is very steep and the machine
fairly leaped forward, chung TO the IRON
work, where it bent under like fshhOok
and then launched, upside down, into space.
For thirty feet it few thus through the air
Thud! II struck moon shaped incline,
ran down II and nghted itself like a lash
then SKINNED along the guard rails which
retarded its progress and came TO stop
under the boxes at the northwest corner OF
the Garden.
Tiers was smiling. The crowd was breath
ing easier again and cheering. The band
played the Star Spangled Banner and
everything was lovely. The automatic
guard rail which broke at the proper mo-
ment at rehearsals to make the act appear
more dangerous. refused TO break last
night. That was the only accident n the
act
There was little accident in the after
noon, though which prevented the other
hair raiser from being given in the evening
The Brothers Anoilotu loop the gap and
loop the broken loop on bicycles a. was
done in the show last year, except that their
two acts have been combined and they
take their flights simultaneously, passing
close 70 one another in the air.
HAsalr -.
noon the bicycle Of one Of the brothers
didn't stop as soon as IL should have done
and be bumped into a flight OF stairs, strik-
ing on his head, He wasn't hurt much, as
bruises 60, and was able to walk out Of the
arena alone, but his nerve vanished after
the accident and he didn't appear last
night. His brother did his half Of the act
alone and fell as he finished but his feel
ings were hurt more than his body.
As TO the rest Of the cirous-well, see II.
1t is true to the traditions Of oircuses. The
acrobats turn two somersaults over four
elephants and the crowd murmurs oh
in unison just as IL always has, Ladies
in blue tights jump on and on horses backs
and ladies In pink tights are thrown from
one trapeze to another In the approved
fashion. The starter Of the chariot races
is still 80 partial to the women when they
Taos the men that he would be mobbed II
he tried the same tactics at Aqueduot,
and the elephants are still patriotic.
There are some new acts besides the
thrillers. A troupe Of acrobats, three
women and three men, come in on a four-in-
hand @on their way 70 the races (see pro-
gramme) and do a lot Of tumbling and
riding in their street clothes az the rig is
driven around the ring, The jugglers
and clowns have some new tricks which
are entertaining and funny.
All these things combine 10 make the
production at the Garden the great big
show II has always been.
Some folks who wanted 20 20 20 the
circus got into the Garden Theatre by
mistake last night When they found they
were In the wrong place they demanded
their money back and got Il.
BESSIE ROSS GOT THE ANSWER, |