CIRCUS HAULAGE.
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A South Coast Proprietor Favours Steamers for Transporting Equipment.
FROM OUR. earliest days we have
always associated the circus coming and going with a tramPing of horses' hoofs. Piebalds, skewbalds, we have seen them, hauling those wagons to the circus field, but progress, in its march onward, has swept those things before it, and to-day, Instead of the horse, the Foden steam wagon is used for circus haulage.
Mr. Silvester, with whom is associated Messrs. Bakers, of Southampton, are jointly concerned in the enterprise mentioned; and never in this country since the days of Barnum has a better organization been seen on the road. Steam wagons, instead of horses., complete electric installation for lighting the circus tent in place of the old naphtha lamp—these are the two outstanding features of Silvester's Two-Ring Circus and Hippodrome, which is now touring the South Coast resorts.
Six Foden five-ton wagons and trailers are utilized. To do the work which a five-ton wagon and trailer does on this kind of haulage would require at the least 12 horses, and do not think that there is any idoubt in the,mind of any haulage contractor but that the cost of this class Of work would be considerably higher than it is with theFoden. am quite confident that the journeys could not be covered in anything approaching the same time with horse haulage as with steam wagon haulage.
Let me give a week's tour of Silvester's Circus : Monday, arrive at -Tunbridge Wells from Maidstone, give two • performances; Tuesday. leave Tunbridge Wells at 6 am., and journey to Sevenoaks, two performances: _Wednesday, Sevenoaks to Bromley, two performances ; Thursday, Bromley to Sutton, two .perTormances ; Friday, Sutton to F.teclhil, two performances ; Saturday, Redhill to Horsham, two perfoimances ; Sunday, journey from Horsham to Brighton. in each case the circus has left one ground between .6 and 8 a.m., everything has been in place on the new ground at the other endof the journey,, horse tents fixed, two circus rings, racing arena, a three-pole tent capable of holding 3,000 people erected; and complete paraphernalia for the performance, in readiness for the afternoon, by two o'clock.
Doubtle 78 a great many of the pleasure-going public will remember Frank Fillis's production of Savage South Africa, at Earl's Court, some years ago, and of the second visit to this country of the Barnum and Bailey organization. Mr. Silvester was intimately interested with both these enterprises, and maybe it is from our American cousins that he has inherited his love of hustle-organization. It does seem that the old-time circus, Fodenized and electric lighted, is about to take on a new lease of life. Mr. Silvester is contemplating further novelties and the productiont,of a very. large spectacle in his circus of 1921, in which the Foden wagon will playan even larger part than
it plays to-day. A.E.