Evening star., 1939-05-15
Washington Is '7odoy's Town
For Renovated Circus
Big Show, With Everything Streom|ined,
Arrives for Three-Duy Stund


the tables were set Immediately. The
performers eat at long tables, COW
cred with red and white checkered
cloths. They eat off real china
plates, which have to be packed
carefully after each stop.
When the yellow flag went up on
the dining tent, the roustabouts
dropped their work and waded into
the meal dished up by George Blood,
the man who has 1000 mouths to
feed every day.
The shop tents, including the
blacksmiths place, followed and
then the big menagerie tent. Trucks
and elephants hauled the wagons
into place and police battled to keep
the thousands of watching citizens
back on the lots edge. The true
circus fan always attends the un-
loading and is not entirely happy
until two tent poles are dropped
on his head.
The hardest job under the new
setup is putting up the horse show
tent. This is an innovation and the
tent houses the fine-blooded per-
forming horses. The tent rests on
complicated framework of pipes and
it requires a squad of plumbers, act
ing under direction of a battery of
Philadelphia lawyers, to put it up.
Big Top Goes Up Fast.
Last Of the Al tents to go up was
the big top. This blue and white
wonder rests on four 6O-foot poles
gold-painted poles, at that. 1t was
dusk before the straw bosses chants
they sing something that sounds
like "hug-bug-rug-n next one"-set
the pace for the guy-out crew hoist
ing the heavy canvas. The canvas
is new every year.
As the sun set over the lot, the
confusion died away. A city had
arisen from out of the dust. The
performers and the sideshow freaks
and the roustabouts sat down to
dinner.
Some one remarked that it was
comforting to note the absence OF
nationalist feeling in this little
league of nations. The performers
come from every part of the earth,
and yet-because they work togeth-
er and come to know each other
they do not make faces across any
boundary lines drawn on the dress
ing-room floors.
The performers were glad to get to
Washington. Circus people say there
are only three circus towns in the
world-yesterdays town, today's
town and tomorrow's town. Often,
they don't know what city they are
in. But Washington is different.
They all know when they get here.
For some reason, this has always
been sell-out town. None, could
guess how many thousands came
down to watch the unloading. But
on the basis of the interest shown,
the business Office was figuring on
six sell-out performances here.
The Ringing Brothers-Barnum
and Bailey show is the only big cir
Gus left. There is only one other
circus that travels on trains in this
country. All the others cashed in
their chips during the last disastrous
season.
1t cost about $4,000 day to keep
the show going last year. The cost
this year is probably much less.
Only the cream of the circus talent
Of the world has been retained.
Most of the names are familiar
to local citizens-whether they can
pronounce them or not.
Felix Adler is back heading the
clown troupe. Terrell Jacobs animal
act is one of the high spot of the
show. The Four Queens of the fly
ing trapeze have replaced FRITZ
Bartoni, who was badly injured a
few days ago when she fell from the
top of the tent.
There are the Flying Concellos-
with Antoinette, the only girl who
can do triple somersault from a
flying trapeze. The Walkmirs, who
get on a bicycle up at the top Of
the tent and stack up in more layers
than wedding cake.
Dorothy Herbert, the equestri-
enne; the great Arturo, clown of the
high wire; the Cristiani- -Zerbinis,
acrobats, and hundreds Of other per-
formers are going through their
routines in the main show.
The people, most of them, have
been with the circus all their lives.
They laughed at the mourners who
said last year that their business
was washed up. 1t looks like they've
earned the last laugh. For Wash
ington is today's town-and the
streamlined circus seems headed for
a lot of tomorroW's towns.