Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-05-16
Circus Always a Favorite
Of Washington Notables
From First President on to Present, Most
Chief Executives Have Taken Time Off
to See It's Productions.

Bailey Circus methods in loading, un-
loading and feeding their personnel.
Baskets Of flowers were sent by Pres
ident Grover Cleveland to circus per-
formers injured in the Adam Fore
paugh Circus during its visit to WASH
ington in 1893. In a patriotic pro-
logue entitled "l776," local army
hired as the foe took its duties 50 seri-
ously that the mimic battle became
an actual one. Ambulances had to be
called and number OF the more seri-
ously injured had to remain tempo
rarily in Washington hospitals.
Buffalo Bills Wild West Show and
William F. Cody, organizer, were
prime favorites of President Theodore
Roosevelt and his family.
Mrs. Alice Roosevelt Longworth
and her daughter Paulina are also
devotees
Both Mrs. Hoover and Mrs. Roose-
welt have seemed to enjoy the circus.
ClrcBes such as the one arriving
today own their own railroad trains,
the railroads furnishing only the en-
gines, the rails and the depots. Every
thing has to 60 on wheels with a
circus-its people, elephants, horses,
camelS and zebras.
The Ringing Brothers and Barnum
Il Bailey Combined Circus provides q
berth in its sleepers for every work.
man, just as it does shower facili-
ties, whether those be set up in suites,
state rooms or sleeper vestibules.
However, these showers in no wise
have done away with the traditional
bucket baths OF the performers,
which they still take after each per-
Torrance in the big top. This is
why there are always three or four
buckets beside each trunk in each
OF the dressing rooms, and it may be
why the circus carries six water
wagons equipped with sprinklers.
Takes Four Trains.
When the Ringing Brothers and
Barnum a. Bailey Combined Circus
started forth on the road again this
Spring after being in training In its
7oO-acre Wilmer quarters tract at
Sarasota, Fla, it took four long trains
OF 100 steel railroad cars to carry its
1000 people, seven herds of elephants,
l,0O9 menagerie animals, 700 horses,
81 tents and the countless tons OF
paraphernalia which make up the
big-top production.
The prolongatio ton Of the circus usual
tWo-day stay to three this season
proves that history only repeats itself,
according to the files of the Washing
ton Daily 1ntelligencer for April 81.
1886. Then the advertisement of
Welsh, Mann & Delavan's Circus at
Four-and-a-H street and Pennsyl-
Vanla avenue, read that in conse-
quence OF the increasing series Of APP
plications of the most respectable
classes of society. the managers were
induced to prolong their stay in
Washington for two more nights.
Three years later the Washington
Daily Republic of September % car
ried an advertisement concerning the
appearance Of June, Titus g. Co.'S Cir
Gus and Menagerie Combined in
Washington on September "a and Is,
IN Alexandria September rs and in
Georgetown September 81. Quoting
from the advertisement itself:
Among the animals in this ex-
hibition Is a splendid white or polar
bear, the only specimen Of this species
in the United States. Also the per-
forming elephant, Romeo"
In the days when telephones were a
rarity, James F. Oyster, whose place
OF business was at Ninth street and
Pennsylvania avenue, was president
of the Board of Education. Each wear
he won the gratitude Of teachers and
pupils by telephoning ahead to all of
the schools equipped with them that
the circus parade was coming. He
would further intimate that relay
runners should be sent to schools
without phones and that good man
agement ought to enable prolonged
recesses to coincide with the passing
OF the parade"
A rule OF the circus is that there
are no command or special perform
ances except under the big top. All
patrons must see its acst on the lot.
Here in Washington the only excep-
ton that the circus makes year In
and outs its special performance
for the boys and girls at the Chill
dren's Hospital Here wheel-chairs
and hospital beds make the ringside
seats for the circus acts that are put
on especially for the little patients.
Both staf1 and attendants claim that
they have superlative quality here
that they never achieve elsewhere.