Arizona republican., 1917-03-04
MOTOR CIRCUS
 LATEST FEATURE

IIt SfIldil DOyS Ol fHOtnlA pfODaDlN have new experience in store for them when the open season for balloons. red lemonade and peanuts comes and the first motorized caravan circus ever or ganized will take the road. Then in place of the gold and red band wagons and cages drawn by prancing steers in the narade through the principal thorough fares will come mighty horseless char tots, dens and cages with hundreds of potential. invisible horses under their hoods.
 A motorized circus that, like the wagon shows of many years ago will not have to depend on the railroads to transport it about the country is now in process of building 1t Is the child of the United States Circus Corpora tion. which has established offices in the KnickerDocker Hotel Annex build ing In West Forty second street The corporation has $1.000 900 capital stock, and it's personnel of officers includes men prominent in the show world.
 If the project is as successful as it's promoters believe 1t will be- the circus business may be revolutionized Thcse who originated the plan of substitutink motors for steam engines and horses as motive power believe they have solved some of the knottiest problems that lIJnSDOltlnB circuses eXpeditiously and economically from show lot to show lot They have figured that there will be daily saving of from Sl.200 to Sl,600 in transporta- ton cost and a time saving of many hours
 The company has building in an Ohic automobile factory 100 huge motor trucks, and in another factory seventy trailers. The latter range from F to iG feet in length. and will be coupled behind the trucks. One hundred of the vehicles will be finished as animal dens and parade wagons and these and the remainder of the ITO will carry the per formers, work people. stock. and prop critics Special trailers hung low to ia cilitate entrance and egress. will be built for the elephants. of which there VIII be herd of ten or a dozen A hundred head Of horses for ring work VIII be carried. also in trailers but none for draft work will be necessary. This Will mean great saving not oniy in initial cost, but upkeep. Bunk cars for the work people and special compart - ment motor cars for the performers and executives will complete the caravan. one of the greatest disadvantages the railroad circus has to contend with is that Of moving all the equipment simul [ several sections all must be handled as one movement of freight, and usually must give the right of way to regular traffic. The result IS that the organi zatlon often reaches d town too late to give the parade. which means a loss of patronage. and not infrequently too late Tor the afternoon performance. The motor circus will not have to face thls drawback. The equipment will be for l warded 10 the next stand as soon as il mas finished its work. After the last meal Is served the cook wagon will pro ceed, and then those bearing the side shows. menagerie. and other depart ments will follow at intervals. This VII put the vanguard of the caravan on the grounds soon after midnight if not before. and under ordinary condi tons. all of the equipment will have arrived by o'clock
 An average speed of ten miles an 1our wiil be aimed for on the road The country Is so thicSly populated now that few jumps are longer than sixty miles so that the show will usually
 pend between five and six hou-s on the road When the distance to be travelled Is longer il will be negotiated when possible. on a Sunday. During the frs, three years of it's existence the circus ] VIII play. the east and middle west where good roads make travel easy un- ger aH weather conditions
 The circus win not only he ,inioue but the plans are to make ii tho biggas, in the world. The Hagenbeck collection or wild animals, which for some time mas been kept in California for moving l picture work, has been purchased Id | form the nucleus of the menagerie Tho DIE top will be bigger and the parade wagons being all new. of course will be more resplendent
 These, 100-count them-are being made in the shops of the Rode Wagon company In Cincinnati. This k the ohiy concern in the United States that manufactures parade wagons and it se happens that practically all of the mer i who carve the figures and dingbats or the ornate tops are Germans. Conse. Iuentiy when the wCodcarvers came fe the taDleau wagon that was to repre. sent Great Britain in the pageant of in. nations the factory men met an incipi. ent strlhe. The carvers suggested thai 1T It was left to them the British lfor would be carved with an axe and in, fcofnucopia of plenty would be repre. senteu with torpedo puneturing ii, siue- The matter WAS finally comnro. missed by granting the artists permis. slon to unleash their greatest talent, on the float of the Fatherland. Th, parade wagon tops alone will cost S15O
 900. '' e'9' Si'V'
 The circus will be assembled in ohi, ana VIII give it's first performance oI May IA. definite route has not ve been determined upon
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