San Francisco Call, Volume 107, Number 173, 22 May 1910 — BARNUM&BAILEY'S GOES UP IN SMOKE [ARTICLE]

BARNUM&BAILEY'S GOES UP IN SMOKE

"Big Top" Tent Burns, but I s>000 People Are Removed Without Injury

. SCHENECTADY, . N); V.,: May 21.Barnum & Bailey's "Big Top,", the main tent of the circus, caught fire here today from a cigar stump "and burned like an overturned hot- air balloon. Fifteen thousand people who. filled the seats .to overflowing 1 : filed out like schoolchildren at drill. Spectators first smelled the smoke and, : «Viscovering the fire, began to 'beat it with' their coats. •' : 'C'- ~'f\ ■.''■■■' '•■ * ■ ":'

■ The . blaze leaped above their, heads and the next effort to conquer, itV came from the circus employes, who began to tear out huge, patches of .canvas. Their efforts met with jno better cess,, for the -fire,\ eating; upward, soon worked its way to the ; topmost' peak.* .

Energetic . men "and; cool,-- women in the. crowd, ■ aided by^employes, as-, sumed^direction of the audience > and orderly. files were soon moving steadily; from, the ; exits. -When a ./woman ■ fainted or. a ■ child', shrieked shouts : 'of -reassur-' ance rose and strong- arms were instantly ready for, support, i" ,'*• •-..' ".''- Not 'a soul was ; hurt,-, not 1 an animal injured." J The- damage is estimated' at $10,000.\ ' • ■ „* ; Hard Luck* at Circus

■■.PJTTSBURG, JPa.* ; May 21.— Five" thousand persons saw Osca r^ lJeroy of ; Perry',' Okla.,' an aeronaut: with' a circus,"- fall 2,000 feet through, the" air '.today fat. • Ell f wood,' Pa.. | near; hcre. : ; and escape' with his lifo,; his only.'injury.being.HT broken leg. -I^erby had;madci;balloonlascension, jbut his parachute^ soaked * r with' rain,. ref used^to'bpehiuntilithe aeronaut had' almost; reached'the' ground. 3 , ,= : : i ■

An : hour later,' while,, the;, performance was i n \ progress, the," grandstand" section of -''i seats }l collapsed,. ;*• carrying: down women "and* children. r , ''- '. ; ; '.■'■'. " ~*

% The tent fell "dverJthe strugglingVpeople.. but' while" many iwere? thrown -in to hysterics none sustained-' serious i -injury? .The', lire/department ahdj"circiis'attaches rescued tth'ose :.buried! beneath.the ! ,water.