Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Sells-Floto train at the crossing 1930 #6


I love this siege gun being off-loaded. Note the lantern hanging from the barrell for the previous night's trip from the lot.

Speaking of circus trips, I asked a friend yesterday if the Cole Show would continue to operate out of DeLand and he said not. That in fact the show is already booked for a winter tour of the Valley in Texas and will head that direction immediaely, then jump back East in the Spring.

Posted by Buckles at 11/08/2006 11:32:00 PM

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe that is the "Cliff Aeros" cannon. It is now at the Circus World Museum.

For those interested, there was a great article witten in Bandwagon on human cannonballs, by Fred Pfening (Nov. - Dec. 1976)

09 November, 2006 07:12
Anonymous said...

I thought it might be Wilno.

09 November, 2006 09:20
24-HOUR-MAN said...

Something I saw in the Wilson Collection from when they were with Sells-Floto,(though I can't remember what it was), makes me lean toward Wilno.

09 November, 2006 13:48
Anonymous said...

To Jimmy Cole - here is a reply from Erin Foley, CWM archivist -

Cliff Aeros was on Sells Floto in 1929 only, so the photo must be mis-dated. No cannon is listed in the 1930 program.

The cannon we (CWM) have identified as Cliff Aeros' came as a gift from Audrey Gordon, the widow of Buster Gordon, in 1989. The Gordons used it during the 1940s. The statement of gift indicates it had been used previously by F. O. Gregg and was "thought to have been designed and constructed by Cliff Aeros." A letter in connection with the acquisition cites Fred Pfening, Jr.'s opinion that this is "the only surviving example of a howitzer style circus cannon in existence," one of two designed and constructed by Cliff Aeros, a German, soon after World War I.

10 November, 2006 14:05
Anonymous said...

Obviously that would be the canon used by " Fearless Greg" and it was the feature of the Curtiss-Greg Thrill Show operated by Denny Curtiss and Greg in I believe the early thirties. Curtiss had been a great Ringling horse trainer and is credited with being one of the very first Producers of Shrine circuses.

11 November, 2006 08:54

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