The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-04-30
Everybody Is On the Alert
to Welcome Barnum &
Bailey's Greatest Show
TENT WAS PUT UP YESTERDAY
BIG CROWD GATHERED AT CEN
TRIAL AVENUE AND NORTH
STREET TO WATCH THE PREP
ARATIoNs FOR To-DAY's TWO
PERFORMANCES


In the vernacular of the comedian, the
circus "hase came to town." Barnum &
Bailey's great aggregation-the greatest
on earth--pitched their tents yesterday
in the big stretch of open lots at Central
avenue and North street. The main en-
trance is from Central avenue The va
rious tents cover over twelve acres and
the facility with which the show was
transplanted from Brooklyn to this city
was marvel to even those engaged in
the transportation business themselves,
while the crowds that watched the rear
ing Of the tents gasped in open-eyed as
enlistment at the rapidity with which the
mammoth structures arose from the
grounds, almost like inflated balloons.
But they We're safely anchored. Every
rope tied 10 Il stake was done with tho
skill of a sailor and within few hours
the show was ready to open if it had not
been Sunday All day long curious
crowds visited the grounds and to judge
from the numbers of ice-cream ard lem
onade and peanut vendors lined up for
blocks along Central avenue. and the
crowds passing in and out of the grounds,
one could easily have imagined that tn
circus was going on. But not so. In the
menagerie tent animal keepers and train
ers were feeding their charges and put
ting them in shape for to-day's great ex-
hibitions. A herd of about thirty trained
elephants were arranged in semi-circle
and an equal number Of camels and
dromedaries were placed in a conspicu-
Gus position, while all other domesticated
animals, except horses, dogs, ETC., from
every cline, were roped off for the re
view of the great crowds that will at
tend this afternoons and nights perform
ances Many small boy, some accom-
paned by papas, got all intensely inter-
esting view of this scene. In the great
hippodrome tent-sixty feet longer than
the one in which the Barnum & Bal y
circus exhibited in. here the last time
crowds of spectators watched the hoist
ing of acrobatic paraphernalia to near
the top Of the tent and the rapid erec-
ton of the more than twenty 6lousand
seats.
Other crowds were interested in the
more than 400 draught and trained
horses and ponies. They watched for
hours the currying and rubbing down Of
these noble animals. Even the drarghr
horses appeared as well trained in their
parts as elephants who push up hill
the heavy cages containing hippopoatmi
and rhinoceroses.
Others of the crowd got glimpses of
the army of employees feeding in the res
taurant tent. All orders for provisions
for man and beast are ordered by con-
tract from local business men. The cir
eue people 90 QUITO f town with only their
local profits.
The great thriilers-the turning of a
somersault of an automobile with lady
in it, and byciclists on wheels that turn
somersaults- be among the great at
fractions. A resplendent new military
and allegorical spectacle founded on the
Russo-Japanese war, will take place in
the hippodrome at each performance.
While no parade occurred this morning
splendid free show was scheduled to
precede each performance.