The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-10-30
TRAIN IS OVER
A MILE LONG
WONDERFUL HOME OF RARNuM
G. BAILEY TRAVELS IN FIVE
SECTIONS.

When the Barnum and Bailey,
Greatest Show on Earth, is packed
away for the night and speeding over
the rails to its next point of exhibit
ton, it lives in rolling home over
a mile in length. This wonderful train
is divided in five sections. 1t Is n
congress of nations on wheels, a
Noah's ark of animals and a worlds
fair of thousand charms.
When the show lies spread out for
days business 1t covers fourteen
acres of ground. Over it waves a sea
of canvas, spotted with ten thousand
flags and banners. No other show can
compare with it in size, wealth or
variety. The spirit of P. T. Barnum,
the greatest Snowman who ever lived,
still animates it's faultless policy. The
wonderful system of James A. Bailey,
that has made the handling of the
gigantic proposition possible, is still
in evidence. urging it on from year to
year to better and grander achieve
ments.
This circus has spent many of its
fifty-five years in touring Asia and
Europe. This has kept 1t in constant
touch with the lands whence come all
wonders. Material for this years
street spectacle was gathered in this
way. Agents have searched savage
lands, artists and designers have
worked for months in the foreign
workshops of the show, experts have
ransacked the art galleries of France
and Italy, and the looms of China and
Japan have been busy since early las:
fall making the silks and satins to
clothe the people of the pageant. II
has taken two years to turn out the
equipment. and the management has
spent $1,000, 900 on It.
All strange types of the human fam
lily are found in the three-mile pro-
cession, together with their character
istic costumes, weapons, war vehicles
their music and their idols. Rich and
fantastic carriages Of state, gorgeous
tableau floats, fairy chariots bearing
the myths of childlore, richly draped
howdahs, engines Of warfare, pagan
images, Italian statuary, horse fairs
fairy carnivals, brass bands, barbar-
ian orchestras, tom-tom players, weir6
pipers, silver chimes, cathedral organs
siren pipes, chanters, dervishes. casta.
net ballots, kirmiss scenes, fete day
pictures, mardigras pageantry and 6
thousand other spectacular sights IN
fold themselves before the eyes Of
spectators for an hour or more.
The show carries its own dynamo
plant, where power Is generated fol
the various shops and for 1000 in
candescent lamps, flaring arcs and z
battery of spotlights. There is also
a circus postoffice, where mail is re-
| ceived daily from every country In
the world. The circus grounds are q
city in themselves, with doctors, law
yers, BARRIERS, detectives and artists
and artisans Of every description. Ii
the canvas hotel 1000 meals are cook
ed and eaten every day in the week
A corps of ninety chefs, cooks, wait
ers and kitchen helpers Is carried, and
900 people can sit at the tables al
one time.
The performance In the main TEN
begins this year with wonderful
spectacle of cleopatra" enacted BY
a cast of 1850 characters, ballet Of
| $50 dancing girls. grand opera chorus
horses, elephants and camels and q
traiHload Of special scenery. The pro-
duction is mounted on the biggest
| stage in the world.
A program of foreign novelties and
sensations follows the spectacle
There are many thriIlers and a com
pany of fifty clowns supplies the
the only baby giraffe on exhibition In
the world The circus will be seen
here on Wednesday, November 6.