The San Francisco call., 1907-02-10

NEW YORK, Feb. sI
4 MAGINE a Luna Park and a Hippo
drone Joined together as one huge
snusenent enterprise. Imagine It
built IN coIlapsible sections. which
can be taken down and put together IN
the space OF a few hours Imagine the
whole vast organization transported
over the country in special trains-
playing 'one night stands" Make the
conception as comprehensive as you can
and you viii have an idea OF the plan
by which Frederic Thompson. creator
OF Luna Park and the Hippodrome,
hopes to revolUtionize the time honored
circus.
7 had tried my hand at every kind Of
show business except the tented circus.
I thought there ought to be room for
practically no advance in the methods
used. and so ! decided 10 see what i
could do"
Thus briefly the man who regener-
sted coaey Island and built the worlds
greatest playhouse explains the mov-
ing cause which led him 70 turn his
attention to a task which has taken two
Sssrs to perfect.
Y Ny whole idea of hippodrome per-
forfnance was useless K I could not
get electrical effects ct all shows. 1
had 10 fnd 9 way to use q black top
and still keep the temperature down
10 & point where my matinee audience
wouldn't melt. IT took a long time
the longest any difficulty ever took me
10 make right in my whole experience
IN the show business. But now ] have
r ventilation scheme which I am satis-
fed viii make the temperature under
my black top cooler than the air out
rfE nd - M hn ~
OF any circus tent that was ever
pitched.
Il mention this at length so that you
may get some idea OF the amount Of
time seemingly unimportant details
take up when you start to build
plan Of this magnitude. II you will
take it for granted that the six months
I have spent working out this new cir
Gus have hs9 crowded into them every
conceivable detail you viii be able
perhaps 10 understand how I am able
70 describe exactly how the new show
win live during any given twenty-four
hours OF its season on the road.
We've played Hartford, let Us say,
and the next stop is Springfield. Possi-
tle Of explanation only as one of those
psychological Inconsistencies which the
Snowman meets In many guises every
day OF the season (and one have never
ceased TO marvel att, not one OF the big
formance remains behind to see the
striking OF the tents and the loading OF
the outfit.
Although the whole country turns
ept at & o'clock in the morning to see
- circus, no one ever seems 20 think
Il worth while 70 witness the much
more interesting spectacle OF big
shows departure from the lot AS
this IS true everywhere IL is safe 10
assume that the new show will meet
with the same experience. So we shall
omit the striking OF the show and
see what happens after the cans are
loaded and the trains are on their way
TO Springfield.
~As the trains pull out or the sidings
en 70 the main track--three sections
of twenty cars each--the fret evidence
OF the new order OF things Will ap.
pear. The entire surface of both sides
OF eli three trains will be studded with
electric light bulbs, with outline let
ters telling who we are, running the
whole length OF each train. In the
forward car OF each section will be
six decorated wagons, each containing
: gasoline engine and a dynamo. When
the train starts the generators start,
TOO. Wires connect all the cars, and
the fact that the circus Is coming 10