The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-06-17

Tomorrow the Ringing Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, travelling on four, long silver enameled trains, carrying 1900 people and 1859 ani- mals, will arrive in the city over the New Haven railroad from Pough- keepsie, for performances at 2.l5 and 8:15 D. rn., at the show grounds on West Main street. The doors will open at and 2 p. fn., to per- init public inspection of the vast menagerie, including Gargantua the Great, world famous, giant gorilla, and the hundreds of -blooded steeds in the new horse fair tent ad- joining 1t.
 This is a comparatively simple statement, but back of 1t Is a story of fast, concentrated effort on the parts of some eighty-odd men in advance of The Greatest Show on Earth.
 Eight weeks ago, John Ringing North, president of the circus, and J. c. Donahue, traffic manager, con- firmed their tentative route to in- clude Waterbury. Two weeks later, one of the two general contracting agents - William J. Conway and Al Butler came to town to arrange for licenses, lot, fuel, feed, bread and other supplies from local concerns for show day delivery. Two weeks ago, the No. Advertising railroad car, with thirty men aboard, start cd the circus ballyhoo. Allen J. Les ter, the first press agent to contact the newspapers, arrived on 1t. Since then, the No. 2 Advertising car, with "A men aboard, a brigade of oilers, special agents, one of the three story men of the publicity department and one of the three twenty-four hour men, have rolled into the city to accomplish their allotted tasks and roll on again. Several others, with the advance radio agent, F. Beverly Kelley, remain to play the show into town.
 The busiest man of the lot Is the twcnty-four hour man, who must see that all supplies ordered in ad- vance are ready for delivery today and at dawn tomorrow, that the railroad unloading crossings are planked for the wear and tear of 267 heavy cages, wagons and trucks laundering down circus flat car ramps into the street, the impetus of their descent delivered by 50 huge, performing elephants who double in brass - that is work hair- ness. It is the twenty-four hour man who must see that all is well on the streets leading from the rail- road crossing to the lot and that the lot Itself is in A. 1. order. If 1t isn't, he must make 1t 50, even if he literally has to build" the ground to the required levels.
 Then the twenty four hour man must lay out the tent plot, a whale of a job with the worlds largest big top now wider than ever and a new horse fair tent shooting at right angles or at tangent of the huge six-pole menagerie tent. It's really an engineering feat, this spot ting the location of the 4i tents with the Big Show and allowing room for the passage and stations of the scores oj wagons carrying them and their contents.
 Tomorrow morning the twenty four hour man will arise at 2 or 3 o'clock to meet the first of the four trains. It carries the inenagerie, the cookhouse and dining departments and the men, elephants and mech- anized power to handle them. At about matinee time tomorrow the twenty-four hour man will call 1t day, and "leapfrog" the other two men of his department to his next town. His is life of elegant ease.
 And back of all this is a winters job for 400 men and women to make the show ready for it's seasons tour repairing four trains of railroad cars, 287 wagons and cages, cater pillars, trucks and whippets: build ing new tents and grandstands, re- pairing light plants and installing new air conditioning equipment for the big top, this season fashioned from solid blue canvas. Yes, all canvas is new each spring.
 And the great 1940 features of the worlds largest circus didn't just happen. John Ringing North and Max Weldy of Paris, France, had plenty to do in getting "The Return of Marco Polo" ready. Weldy's Paris studio was a beehive for seven months making the costumes and trappings for this. the most mag nificent of all the opening specta- cles produced by The Greatest Show on Earth.
 Getting the marvellous Alfred Court and his three huge mixed groups of performing wild animals from Europe to America in war time was no child's play. Getting Roberto de Vasconcellos. visconte Ponte da Barca. the Aseveras-K yot troupe. Europe's foremost horse- men. and their stock to these shores was no sinecure. Nor was 1t easy to get Rola Rola. the Akimotos. the Ritters. the Wolthines. the Lopez trio. the great MassImllliann Trls- zi. Eilv Ardeltv. AdrIanna and Char ly. Mei Fi. Tanit Tkao and all thc rest of the new foreign stars out of Eisr0De and khr0ilnh trulhIed gilr-