The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-10

One of the biggest circus audiences that ever crowded a tent in th1s coun- try or Europe paid tribute to Brloge- portss ssGreatest Show on Earth yes- feriav. Fourteen thousand persons are said to have witnessed the after non performance with more than 15,oOO at the evening performances. so well filled was the great eight-pole top that nearly three thousand persons were accommodated upon bales Of hay and straw scattered upon the arena last night
 Under dificulties caused by the lack of trained circus men to handle the canvas and properties, and an audi ence which restricted all aren1c acts including the spectacle, to a minimum of room the show had that volume or interest and action which more than satisfied all sectors of the tent
 Beginning with the spectacle Per eta.'' or "A Thousand and One Nights the regular routine in three rings and an equal number of platforms cont1n- ued throughout until the closing con cert which includes all the feats or frontier days heretofore exclusive W1th the Wild West shows Before the ac- tuaI performance, the. animal tents were the rendezvous of thousands where the big elephants, the baby gir- affe and other menagerie features were to be seen.
 Harry Moneys elephant acts with  ring brought forth merited applause. Another act which made an instanta- neous hit was Ella Bradna's s graceful showing of Pegasus, the Angel Horse Elmer Wells ponies and dogs took first rank in the showing.
 The appearance of the HannerTord troupe of bareback riders was the sig nal for prolonged and tumultuous ap- pIause as they appeared in the ring "Poodles'' Hanneford was recognized "a ,.ff7 NrNT~1 and at the conclusion of the wonderful act was compelled to acknowledge the tribute out of character.
 To specify the multitude of acts that engaged the eye or entranced any section of the great tent would do injustice to a host of performers whose merits were equal. It. may be said that with few exceptions the acts, with the restrictions of scope placed upon them by the crowd and adverse labor conditions, were equal to any heretofore showing in compet- tive organizations
 The trouble encountered in reach ing Bridgeport was somewhat accen- tuated by dissatisfaction among the men believed to have been instigated in Hartford and New Haven by con- tact of the showmen with workers in the munition plants who successfully induced many of their friends to
 
 cities With about 15O men short when arriving at Bridgeport it was with some difficulty that sufficient number of trained men were found to start the parade on time. The tent and it's accessories were quickly put into place in widely separated areas by a host of small boys and loungers who were impressed into the service upon the prospect of with essing the show free. Tn fact 1t is said the show lot that the big top was raised mainly by the efforts of the enthusias- tic Bridgeport youths
 The main difficulty, that of the re- rnoval of the show, came for the fourth consecutive night in the rain which greatly dampened the ardor of the surviving canvasmen and drivers The paucfty of small boys and hang ers-on was keenIy felt as the midnight hour approached and additional de- factions from the ranks were record ed as old-timers in the circus game asked for their pay that they might remain here to get some of the highly touted "big salaries" So delayed was the loading cars that the last section did not leave the New Haven yards for Waterbury until o'clock this morning, which will mean a, de- lay in showing at Waterbury with the possibility of no parade
 Among the tents and dressing rooms yesterday it was currently re- ported that no such conditions have ever faced circus homogeneous in this country. The great organizati ton equalling in mobility the trained armies of nations, has for years never found difficulty in getting skilled men for the work.
 In fact with minimum salaries and ssho1d backs" the opening of a season has found more applications for trouping than could be accommodate ed in the organization. Suddenly prosperity boomed. Big shows de- icIared their intention of coming East. Carnivals increased their size. Com petition became active and as a cri- sis the factory wage now being paid has overcome the wander1ust.
 Though John Ringing was freely quoted by circus employees here yes terday with having assertd that un- less conditions improved and skilled TForkmen could be procured before the show quit Waterbury and Stamford where 1t plays Monday he would can-