The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1911-09-30
! HOW A GREAT CIRCUS
TRAVELS OVER COUNTRY
I Five Special Trains Are Required to
Convey the Ringing show from
Place to Place.

every nation is tTd'elihS iHSti,u
ton that has made place in Amerl-
can life" said representative OF
Ringing Brothers great shows,
which are to exhibit in this city on
Saturday. October IA The tented
city. coming in with the gray dawn,
vibrating with it's queer noises; the
tents rising like the proverbial mush-
room and disappearing in the dark
ness like the Turks village; the paint
smeared clown, intrepid performer
and highly colored poster are as fas-
cinatine to the boy of so as they are
to the lad of six.
And the improvement of the pres
ont day circus is wonderful. few
wears ago installation of the cash
register in the front door was I'M
thought of Employment of the ad-
ding machine in the ticket wagon
would have been considered an eX-
travagance, while the lighting of the
tents by electricity would have been
deemed a seven day wonder Then
there is the portable telephone sys-
tenn which makes possible the call
ing up of persons at any part of the
show grounds Imagine what the old
time circus man would say were 1t
possible for him to return and view
these wonders
"Not so many years ago the ad-
vance consisted of from I 8 to q per-
sons Now the vanguard embraces
900 agents and billposters And
these promoters of publicity are not
of the slovenly dressed type. Ihey
are of good family, educated and res
pectable
"The advance of Ringing Bros
circus is made up of five distinct de-
partments. each being under the dt-
:, rection of a general For example.
-. There are three advertising cars.
each manned by manager and %
'hilers.' Then there are the Skin
~ mishing brigade, that is. parties COM
prising from ten to fifteen persons
90 who are employed much in the man
~ ner a scouting party is moved dur
80 ing time of war They are dispatch
~, ed to locate the enemy-shows who
- are to appear in the same terrltor
- and secure advance billing tina
=, their firm may be equally represent
-, ed with the opposition. These brl
: gades are also employed to repai
y billing matter which is often damag
= ed by inclement weather.
There is the staff of contractins
agents. men who rent the grounds
= on which the show exhibits. secure
:, license. arrange for the use of city
!, water and buy feed for the hundreds
= of animals These men also cor ira ~
:, with the local liveryman for teams
to take the billposters into the coun-
try. They arrange for the billboard
! space, etc, etc.
!, ''The moving of the show from
town to town falls to what is known
A as the railroad department The
:, members of this staff after having
, been informed by their general just
), what towns the show intends to visit
:, HE themselves to the various rail
road Headquarters and contract fol
the transporting of the show, There
r. being five trains in which the Ring
% ling aggregation is moved arrange
80 ments have to be made for five en-
. gines Should the route be through
re
= ~! ~ ~ -,
t. -.
W
~ m, ,Iao., :.
as ~, a -. 11,o,4 -
o. sa.i,ta LIN -. ,o4a;l 80 ~,
* h,,.i,,aa, IN. 80 a,.,,ootoa 10 onu
n ,,.o-r a. ,,or,ort,s no+ioo i,st yher
Ia o,,.b road orossos .rotbor road
/" condition of +rarsfer tracks an,
o,botber annie etore tracks evist =
certain noipt Very often these me-
!" orr hatte, Informed reeardin
~ brepcb roade than the mon who on
j" crate ,heu
'S "The nress department is a vita
factor in the circus game It is mad
mn Of seasoned newspaper men
These men are not only reouired +
'. write conv hut expected TO write tn
right kind of copv Today the agen
- who can write good heart-interes
IT, matter in simple language is the on