The Washington times., 1912-05-06
ACRES OF CANVAS
!. COVER FIRST CIRCUS
!. CROWD Of THEY YEAR
IBarnum and Bailey's big
Show in Capital for
! $685.. Two Days Stay.

II there Is youngster in Washington
who Is not out at Fourteenth and II
streets northeast this afternoon wit
Messing the circus, OF else is at home
in happy anticipation of going olu to-
morrow. he has not been heard from.
For this Is circus day. The "only'
Parnum & Bailey greatest show on
Garth" is in our midst, and this after
Inotn tcn-acre tent is covering thou
sands of Washingtonians, as they sit
lcN'!ii edly in their seats and watch the
lthiilling numbers of the first show
which has visited this section this year
AS It's publicity department promised.
the Barnum e Bailey show is bigger
and gaudinr this year than ever before
Just out CT New York, where it spent
several months in Madison Square Ca
den, tho performers ard their animals
are fresh, the wagons, chariots and
Equipments are bright and clean, and
all the newncss which characturtzes
lcircus paraphcrnalia at the beginning
of each road season is there
A hundred thousand people lined the
Istrcets over which the threc-mie pa
rade wended its way this morning, and
WITNESSED the pageant. Twice that
number remained in Offices and hor,es,
cnvious OF their fellow men. women,
Iand children, who were so fortunate AS
TO see 1t.
did not nateralize. and the afternoon
has been an Ideal one for the circus.
! Heralded In Advance.
At 10 o'clock Fred Bradna, assistant
Equestrian director of the circus, the
outrider, dashed away from the show
grounds. and with a shout. rode IN ad-
va nf hn rntn nod
Itrians of its coming, and admonlshing
the drivers and riders Of horses to
watch their steeds.
Driven by Bud" German, equestrian
director of Barnum & Bailey, King
and Queen" two of the oldest horses
with the circus, headed the parade.
From the show grounds, westward to
Maryland avenue, to street. to New
Jersey avenue, and thence to Massa-
chusetts avenue, the long line of ami
mails marched out that wide thorough
in to K street. out that street to
Twenty second street, then turning in
to Pennsylvania avenue. From there
1t turned its head toward the East. go
ing through the departmental district,
and passing the White House. The
parade turned again at Fifteenth
street, and went south to Pennsylvania
avenue, and while four bands played
down that thoroughfare to First street
and thence to the grounds.
Horse a Veteran.
king" one of the horses which led
the parade, has paraded through the
streets Of Washington over the circus
route so many. times that he knew his
directions as well as his driver
There were forty elephants in the
parade, including Babe" the century,
old animal. which today completed its
seventeenth hike" over Washington
streets with a circus parade. "Koko,"
the baseball playing elephant, whose
trunk was Injured in a recent scrim-
mage, has recovered, and also was in
line. Three herds of camels were there,
and legions of ponies pranced along.
An innovation in the parade today
was the spectacle of Cleopatra" seen
for the first time since the circus left
Madison Square Garden, in New York,
many weeks.
Dancing and Singing Girls.
Three hundred dancing end singing
girls who assist in the tablcau. were
In chariots and on horseback. This is
the greatest number of girls the circus
ever has had in any of its outdoor
pal ades
-Four bands. chariot after chariot.
filled with animals. and a steam cal
Hope. which brought Up the end, We're
other features of the parade
Tho first performance Will begin at
2 o'clock this afternoon The evening
performance will begin at O'Clock. 4
matiner performance tomorrow at the
same hour. and another tomorrow night
will end :he two days appearance here.