The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-29
RINCLINC BROS.
 CIRCUS TO USE
 CRANE GO. LOT First Time in 30 Years For Big Circus To Exhibit in
 South End. BARNUM's CHERISHED SCHEME IS REALIZED Famous Snowman Bought Park Property Thinking
 of Circus Location.

For the first time in 30 years a big circus is to show in the South End. The Ringing Cros. circus, which for the sixth time will make Bridgeport on May 24,wii1 pitch the :ewhite Tops" on the big lot on the "Flats'' at Iran istan and South avenues.
 Years ago when P. T. Barnum bought a site for residence on the Sound and began the layout for Sea side park it was the wish of his heart that some day his big show should exhibit on a lot in that section. During his life, however, business reasons coupled with consideration Of the best lines of Transportation dictated that the show should be given on the lot north of the winter quarters, be- tween Norman street and Wordin ave- nue. Tn late years the show has ex-l hibited on the. old Sherwood driving park in Fairfield avenue. just west of the railroad viaduct.
 For several years streets have been cut through this tract conn ecting with the Hungarian settlement in the West End. Now many houses have been built on the property and it is no longer available for show purposes. 4 number of advance men for the show have been in this city recently and it has been reported that the circus has been hard put for a lot to show on. However, long before the Barnum & Bailey show left town it was arranged that the show would. exhibit on the Crane lot.
 The big tops of the Ringing Bros. show and the Barnun & Bailey show were parafned on this lot before eith- CT show left winter quarters. The winter quarters of the Barnum & Bal ley show are in Bridgeport, the win ter quarters of the Ringing Bros. in Baraboo, Wis The Ringing Bros, who own both shows, maintain big sail loft in this city in which all their tents are made. They are prepared in case storm or fire destroys one of the no matter where either of the big shows may be.
 The Barnum & Bailey circus will not play the East this season. No cir GUS will play San Francisco because of the Panama-Pacific exposition there. The exposition managers will not allow shows on the fair grounds other than those contracted for the exposition. The Barnun & Bailey circus expects to make Oakland just across the bay for a week during fair time.
 The No. advance car of the Ring ling Bros. show is expected to come here next Monday, May 3. Attaches of this car will make the preliminary arrang gernents for the coming of the | w. east for the first time nearly 20 years kagos it showed on the Parrott lot on North avenue where now school house is in the course of erection. At that time F. T. Barnum was dead but the late James A. Bailey was in active charge of several giant show enterprises, including the Barnun show, the Buffalo Bill Wild West and Black America. That the Ringing Brothers who had previous | c71 1-f should dare invade the east was con sidered an affront by the Barnum show interests, and political pressure was brought to bear to prevent the show getting a license ito exhibit in l Bridgeport the home town of the | Barnum show.
 The late Walter B. Bostwick was then mayor of Bridgeport He had l been an old friend of P. T. Barnum and was one of the greatest admirers of the old snowman but beyond ad-
 miration for anyone he had a we'll l defined sense of fair play. He not only insisted that the show should have the license but he saw to it that no excessive charge was made and he l hlpd tn agent to secure a location on | the .Parrott lot. Two years afterward the Ringing show came to Bridge port again and showed on the lot 1 where the Cornwall & Patterson fac | tory is now located at State street and Fairfield avenue.
 It was said today that the Ringling show had secured Crane park for the location for the cook and horse tents The lot selected is not as advanta ge- ous to trolley lines as the old lots in l the West End which were reached by State street and Fairfield avenue trolley lines. The Park avenue cars l go nearest to the South End lot
 For years small circuses exhibited in the lot at the foot of Main street west of the factory of the Locomo- bile company but there are buildings
 on this lot now and no show has been there since July, 1908.