Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-06-30
Grea. Galaxy of FEATURES

This group OF charming young Ia
dies, members of the great feature
act of the Sells-Floto circus will be
seen here today. They are the fem
mime stars of the two flying Ward
troupes, numbering in all eighteen
markable aerialists. There are
nine male members of these troups.
as well as the nine beautiful girls
pictured above and they comprise
one of the greatest and most spec
tacular features ever seen under the
big top. But four of the girls belong
to the Ward family but they have
been together so long that they seem
like sisters.
Erma Ward, the girl at the foot of
the ladder on the left hand side is
by no means at the foot of the lad
der of fame in circus annals. She 1t
is, who hanging by one arm turns as
many as $50 somersaults in mid air.
Her sister Mayme Ward at the foot
! of the other ladder is the only woman
who does a double somersault in
mid air. Each of the other girls has
some specially, which is guaranteed
to thrill and please the crowds that
will today throng to the circus
grounds at Capital Park.
All of the Sells Floto stars are
here just as they were in Chicago
where they played for eight weeks
and in Boston whre in one week
they played to 10000 people. In
Boston it was found necessary 10
give two extra performances. one on
Friday and the other on Saturday
To do this the performers were not
out of their costumes from one in
the afternoon until II o'clock that
night and they were even obliged to
eat their suppers in their dressing
rooms.
Remarkable Program
Among the other stars who will be
seen in this city are Homer Hop
sons and Albert Hodginis hurr1-
cane riding acts; The Tybells in their
whirlwind aerial offerings: the fam
Gus Christensen Siberian tiger act.
which includes Caesar" the giant
killer; Jacot lions and lionesses; the
Julie leopards and the King junae
groups, as we'll as the Budapest
Liberty horses, together with so
clowns.
An inventory of the circus would
disclose a hodge podge of people.
animals and properties, all designed
to give the large audiences more
than their moneys worth in thrills
and enjoyment. There are horses,
clowns, elephants, tigers. lions mon
keys, polar and grizzly bears. big
gilded wagons and footing calliopes,
all of which with the big tents, side
shows, circus cars and other Won
derful things for kids both big and
small. make up a bigger, better and
livelier Sells F'loto show.
Perfect Organization
Few people realize the great
amount of work that was necessary
to bring this gigantic circus to this
city. Only the greatest system in
the world would enable the circus to
arrive in a town about seven in the
morning and erect all of those tents
and feed the performers and animals
in time for the parade at IL o'clock.
To have everything ready for the
first performance at 2.15 and to hold
a second at S15 and then get away
at midnight without the loss of as
much as single tent stake is in
deed an enormous job but TO do 1t
six times every week despite the
weather and unavoidable accidents
Is indeed a herculean task.
The large big top" seats S.2OO
people. Think of the immense
areas of canvas and the huge poles
that are required to support 1t. Pic
ture the erection of the seats hur-
ridly, and yet in such way that
they can not possibly give away un-
der the weight of these thousands
of humans. 1t seems an impossibility.
Arrived Sunday Morning
The special circus trains bearing
the bespangled folk and all the pic
turesque vehicles of the big top,
rolled into Augusta Sunday morn
ing about 8 o'clock from Rochester.
N. H.. while hundreds of sightseers
stood along the sidings and hill
fence" to see and to admire" Hard
1y had the first pole wagon rumbled
down the runs at the sidings yester-
day, when things began to move on
the show lot. 1t seemed but min
ute until canvas doomed against the
blue skyline and fifteen elephants
were making their numbering way
into the six-pole menagerie tent. But
q few short minutes later the mess