The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-10-14
INTERESTING FIGURES
TELL CIRCUS STORY

Monday, October II, there will be
the shape of a travelling amusement
enterprise that ever visited Oklahoma
-Barnum & Bailey's Circus, which
will play in this city on that date, is
bigger than any previous tent show
that ever went out under the same
name This means that it is bigger
than any other circus ever organized.
To equip a show of this klhI for a
tour of the United States, Canada
and Mexico, which will embrace a
railway trip of 10000 miles and a
visit to every town OF any size in
the northern half OF the continent, is
monumental business in itself. The
equipment of the Barnum 4 Bailey
Circus is alone worth more than that
of any other two circuses ever seen
in this country.
To begin with, the show moves in
four trains of SO double length rail
road cars, built expressly for 1t, and
owned by It, These trains are com
plete in every detail save one; they
have to borrow locomotives from the
roads which they traverse. The first
of the four trains to leave any Civ
en- point and the first to arrive and
be unloaded is called the flying
squadron" and is loaded with the
tents and pa"aphernail which must
be placed on the circus lot before
the rest of the show arrives. The
cook and mess tents are natural on
this tr2'E 10 are he Ieu'S IN nmCh
the horses ars stabbed. the tne N
which the menagerie is kept and
those used as dressing rooms by the
performers. To transport these and
other large tenta specially made
trucks are used and to drag them
to and from the trains $50 draught
horses are utilized These horses are
hitched as many as 30 to single
load and are relied upon to carry
the show to the lot and back in time
to make the next town. The l0i ami
NAL cages and the enormous parade
wagons must all be moved twice a
day or rather twice night in towns
where the stop is only for two per
formances. In most cases the circus
arrives and Is unloaded before day
break and 1t always leaves the lot
within an hour after the evening per
formance Is finished
The first tent erected aside from
the one in which the cooking Is done
is the mess tent and here the 1880
artists and artisans which make up
the personnel of the big show are fed
three times a day. AS soon as this
tent is pitched the canvasmen and
stake men have their breakfast and
as fast as the other trains pull in
the gastronomic festivity continues
until all have eaten, by which time
the tents are all up, the performers
are dressed for the parade, the COW
ers are off the big wagons, the
bands are playing and the street ex-
hi5ltton is ready to commence. AS
soon as this is over and the two+mile-
long parade has returned, luncheon Is
served and the afternoon perform.
ance is given. AS fast as the per
formers finish their acts they repair
to this tent again for their dinner
and by the time the evening show
is fairly started the cook and mess
tents are down and on their way
to the train.
To feed this small army of hard
working men and women Is no easy
job. 1900 pounds OF beef are used
every day of the circus. Twice as
much pork is served on the days
when it is part of the menu. Thirty
two bushels of potatoes are cooked
for each meal and when eggs are
on the bill of fare, 1000 must be
served for single meal. Every day
$50 pies are baked in the cook tent
and 1t is the duty of three cooks to
mold and fry 1000 doughnuts every
afternoon. Forty cases of canned
goods are consumed daily by the
employees of Barnum & Bailey's Cir.
Gus and every week hundreds of
bushels OF vegetables are also stow
ed away. when the circus is on the
road provisions for only 2i hours
are carried and the moment it ar
rives in town it is the business of
two men to purchase the next days
vlctuals. This year the increased cost
of meats and other articles of food
have added, or will add, 500, 900 to
the cost OF maintenance. To anyone
familiar with the commissary depart
ment OF a small household 1t will