A CIRCUS PREPARES.

Waikato Times, Volume 115, Issue 19203, 13 March 1934, Page 8

A CIRCUS PREPARES.

EVERYBODY WORKS

INCLUDING THE ELEPHANTS. OYER 100 PEOPLE ENGAGED. When the Wirth Circus travels, 535 tons of wagons, canvas, poles, spikes, apparatus and equipment, and elephants, wild animals, horses, and ■people, have to he moved! And, when the Wirth Circus arrives at each destination, Ibis quantity of material and Jlcsli-and-blood has to be unloaded, in a space of a few hours.

Tlic work is eut-and-dried, or course. There arc over 100 people with the circus, and of these 50 are workmen, burly fellows, each having his particular j oh lo do. While some rushed up the menagerie tent, and put in their places therein the wheeled’ cages containing the wild bca.sls, others tackled the erection of the main lent this morning. First (lie two poles, eacli 55ft high, were raised. On the ground around. Hie canvas sea of the laid-out tent extended. This lent, when erected, measures 110 ft by SOft, and scats 2500 people. Suddenly, there was a huge ten!, where before there was no tent. The canvas was hoisted bodily, till the top of the “big top” stood taunt above a wide area of ground. Next slanting poles, additional supports for tlu: ■roof inside, wore man-bandied into place, while some men whipped the separate sides of the tent into position. Behind the main tent, horses were being attended to. There arc 3S horses in the circus, ranging from pocket-sized ponies to llie white, sleek beasts that carry the riders in the ring.

How These Elephants Work. There arc seven elephants, 100. These jcicplkinls work. Mow they work. Mr Philip Wirth, the veteran showman, considers that his seven elephants arc worth 500 men! In public life, llie elephants are admired by a wide-eyed public, and carry children for rides on their backs. In private working life, lliey low around big vans and circus floats heavily laden, it is necessary lo remember, when one of them walks by only a yard away, that they obey the slightest word of their trainers.

Here comes Alice, an enormous beast, carrying with lightness her large burden of years. Mr Philip Wirth Hie younger is saying something excessively interesting about how the big- top Is erected. Alice comes nearer. Behind her lumbers a wagon with a six-ton load of iron slakes and oddments. Thus must the Germans have fell, when they were first- introduced lo tank's in warfare. But flic man in charge gabbles something. and Alice, winking, swerves to the right, and passes by. The Undertaker comes along. lie grins. lie lias been with the circus for 20 years, and lliey call him Tne thiderlaker because his fealures have n certain cast of gloom, and he always wears a bowler hat. This bowler hat and The t mlerlaker's working overalls form an effeelive combination. The I'nderlaker grins because he is used lo elephants. Aiiee. it is said, has been known to push a 305 ton Hoad of equipment mi railway trucks—push. mil pull Elephants are much more powerful pushers, head down In llie job. Ilian they are pullers. They a I lend lo the. shunting of the circus train’s trucks in llie railway yards. 147 Years Old. The nldesl of the M'irlh elephants is ti 7. the \ ninige.-.| lb. The oldest one came from llie great Unstuck eir- I nis, Alice is Hie boss of llie lot.

Now and again, the grey beasts become mischievous. At least, the circus folk call it “mischievous." For instance. Alice recently ale a brand-new hat belonging to a circus man, and a waistcoat belonging to another, a waistcoat carrying with it silver money, a wateh-and-chain, and a razor.

In a Western Australian town, one of Alice’s companions, walking down the street, mischievously reached out her trunk and ripped up one of llmposts of a new shop verandah. Just playfully. Now for the menagerie tent. MeetLizzie, the African hippo, brunette, fat, two and a-half years old, and weighing a mere ton and a-half. She is having her daily bath. Along trots Lizzie’s valet, with a bucketful #of water. lie sloshes the water over Lizzie, and fetches some more. She is washed for half-an-hour in tins manner, each day. She drinks J-i to 1(I gallons of water a day. Loo, suckingit up in the same way that- a horse drinks.

Monkeys, now, a cageful, 28 Javanese monkeys shrieking for 1 heir morning rations, scampering about, pushing each oilier in Ihe face.

A leopard next. One of Hie circus pels. Quite. When Mr Philip Wirth junior approaches, Llie leopard rolls over on her back, like a friendly kitten—almost. Bred and born m I he circus. Panther’s Eyes Glitter. Not so her next-door neighbour, a big black panther. Even the circus people respect tills beast, and tell you not to stand too close to the cage. The panther’s eyes glitter as lie lies, lie mutters cusswords in his throat. The woodwork of the shutter which covers the bars of his cage at night, is ripped by his claws, as though chisels had been at work. And the four performing lionesses, the brown bear, Hie African baboon and other monkeys, the two polar hears, pacing their retreats, the two tigers. And llie Nubian lion, another pet of ihc circus. lie was hand-reared, the only survivor of a family. The half-sheep, half-goat, obtrudes itself upon the notice. I*t obtrudes itscli by galloping the full length of its mooring-rope, with the earnest ■object of impacting on llie nether regions of I lie unsuspecting visitor. Mr Wirth seizes Hie boast, by Hie horns, after a brisk wrestle, and points out ils combination of peculiar features, “gee for yourself—there is goal's ha'.r among the wool." “Yes, yes—extremely interesting," one replies hastily.

Tim escort remarks that Alice has a habit of undoing Hie shackle of tier leg-chain, and then undoing the shackles of Hie leg-chains on other elephants. Of course, there Is no danger in the menagerie trni, really. The cages arc strong, the attendants know their job, the animals probably would not know what lo do with themselves even if they did get loose. But feeding-time lends a peculiarly earnest atmosphere to places like this menagerie lent!