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Thursday, December 07, 2006
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36 comments:
Any idea what that mounted "wheel" on the roof of this wagon is for? I notice a backyard light also on the wagon. Something you rarely see on today's few tent shows.
I this the wagon that hauled those (what ever you call them) infamous round top wardrobe trunks?
I was wondering about that wheel myself. Can't be anything permanently attached.
The performers trunks were loaded in wagon #72 shown in the previous picure.
It almost looks like some type of a "fly wheel" for some type of machinery, but I don't see a fan belt on it. What machinery, other than a sewing machine, would be in that wagon? It certainly wouldn't need a drive wheel that big.
Here we go again! A WONDERFUL SET OF PHOTOS BUCKLES! Keep up the GOOD work.
I had 11 of those hard rubber wagon wheels at one time. Over the years, I have given them to various friends. Still have 1 in my yard, and there are 3 or 4 more, around the area of Gibsonton, Fla. They came from the Olson Shows originally.
I also have 2 hard rubber wheels, with wooden spokes, which came from Cavalcade of America Shows.
JIM ELLIOTT
But there are items on the line to dry. This really does seem like it was done more often on more shows then noticed by some.
WHAT IS A " PAD ROOM " ?
A washing machine perhaps?
That's a good question.
The tent in the background was the "Pad Top" which contained mostly performing horses and ponies however one round end was side walled off into two sections, ladies dressing room on one side and men's on the other.
I don't remember if the term "Pad Room" referred to the dressing area or the horse trapping area. Both terms were used, John Herriott would know.
Buckles, I hope you know that hundeds of your loyal followers are not going to be able to sleep tonight until that wheel gets identified!
Looks like some pony trappings hanging on the side of the wagon. I believe the stripped top on the off side was the Ballet girls dressing top. No idea of the wheel, and hope someone can identify it. Looks like they just came off a bad lot with the mud on the wheels and the stuff hanging out to dry.
I think I would like the Old Cole Bros. Circus better than the proclaimed, New Cole Bros. Circus.
A TACK ROOM was the term used for keeping horse tack when I was around horses. It was also the LOUNGE name for horse show persons at the Kansas City Royal Horse Show. JC's dad had a beautiful TACK Room for his horses as did The Bushes in St Louis. Horses were their great hobby to show at horse shows. Nothing like the great circus.. Still a beautiful sight to see.
When talk of the Pad Room, One end stabled the ring stock and the other end men and ladies dressing rooms, and Josephine MacFarlan and Katie Luckey with the Wardrobe wagon right in the middle. My father told me that in those years they had 109 head of ringstock, not including the lead stock in the menagerie, the eight baggage horses and the private owned bareback horses. They carried Gaited horses, jumping horses and specialty menage horses. That is why they had three horse trainers on the payroll.
I remember reading a list of circus lingo on Circus NEWS. It was very interesting.
It could have been used to wheel down that Sky Hook you referred to,or maybe to roll up the ballet broads wash line.
Hey Buckles, in an unrelated subject maybe your readers would like to know that this coming Sat. will be the 39th annual Showfolks Circus at Roberts Arena. 7 PM. A full front page story and interview with Jenny Wallenda in todays Herald Tribune. She is our Pres. and two days ago Vice-Pres. and daughter Cindy had about ten minutes on our ABC ch. 7 noon time news, so it looks good for a turn out. We can't afford alot of expensive advertising for a one show shot, but you can be sure the circus folks will come out of the woodwork. All acts work free and Cindy tells me that have a fine performance lined up and it will naturally be done in a circus ring. After the show is the biggest night at our club each year with wall to wall showpeople until the wee morn. hours. It all happens on neutral ground both at the show and the club with an unwritten rule where all jelousies are set aside and competitors socialize for one great time. The next morning jackpots continue on the club grounds with our annual circus flea market and lo and behold in late morning the bar opens. It don't get any better than that. Put o9n your high boots a "come on down"
For Rebecca, A little circus history. At one end of the tent were stabled the horses, at the other were the performers or riders dressing rooms. In the middle was the area where the pads could be put on the bareback or rosinbacks, or the rosin bag could be used to pad the horses back with rosin, mainly to keep dry in case of rain. It was all under one tent. Tack room was not a circus term and the grooms never "tacked up the horses" It was harness up or put on the trappings and the riders wore "riding habits " if they rode Menage and the bareback riders wore jockey wordrobe or similar, even Indian wardrobe, ala Albert Hodgini. The worde tack came later if at all.
Just a thought... I don't think the wheel is on the wagon.. but on a tower behind it.
Too high for a fan. (Smile!)
Perhaps apparatus for an act?
Know this will trigger some ideas.
Regards.. Klsdad
For Johnny, I was around show horses more then circus horses. Two different life styles altogether. Different kinds of people. The show horses were a hobby for the rich. The circus is a life for a livelyhood and the love to perform with talented people . I much prefer the circus. Living in two different worlds can get confusing once in a while.
Klsdad's theory about the wheel not being on the wagon could be correct. It is really hard to tell for sure.
It could be some type of fixture that was part of the lot, and the show just got spotted around it.
Wouldn't life be great if the worst dilemas we faced each day were as simple as ID'ing a picture on Buckles Blog site!
These late Cole Show years of the forties until Terrel sold out after 48 and the Clyde Beatty railroad years to me represent the last real railroad show operations and the end of an era. The pad room and all it represented would be gone forever. Bareback riding, liberty, manege would no longer be essential parts of a circus. A new wave of circus performers would have no idea of what these terms meant and how they applied. On Ringling they still call the elephant display the "menage number" even tho that term got screwed up. Cole and Beatty at that time represented John Robinson,Hagenback-Wallace, Barnes, Sparks, Forepaugh, Floto, Ringling, Bailey, you name em, they all did it the same way. I am glad that I witnessed at least the very end of it and my comments are not that of a know-it-all smart ass, but of great pride in those and the events that preceeded me. It all ended for Cole in 1950 and when I was with Beatty-Cole over the years [before they got that new tent] as the last of the big old time circuses. Thanks for the memories of the blue room, pad room, G top. the pie car or privelege car and the Ducee books.
If you look closely it`s a flat wheelbarrow turned upside down on top of the wagon with one of it`s wheels missing. At least I think that`s what it is.
ON BE HALF OF ALL CIRCUS MODEL BUILDERS "THANK YOU", BUCKLES
WE DO APPRECIATE YOUR EFFECTS ALL YEAR LONG
BOB PHEBUS
PRESIDENT
CIRCUS MODEL BUILDERS INC.
My original instinct thought these 2 clever looking " TINKERS " were waiting for something to show up to fix or repair seeing that there are quite a variety of many tools , chains , shovels , etc. around outside(& possiably inside )along with those racks etc. & a STRONG folding up / down
" work bench " doors being the key factor ?
The light afixed to the upper corner would be handy & necessary for emergency repairs at dark especialy on the workbench .
The wheel on the roof , might be a Cart , missing 1 wheel ( in for repair ), instead of a wheelbarrow ?
That's some MACK TRUCK - 1st up .
I think it's quite plain to see an axle with a wheel on one end and the wheel missing on the other. You can also see angle braces supporting the axle legs. In spite of my idea being shot down in a conversation on the telephone, I'm still going with a stake puller!!
The groove in the wheel, the way the spokes are set, and the enlarged hub still make me wonder??? Whatever it is.....what the hell is it doing on top of that wagon....if in fact it is??
In any event, I think this picture has broken the all time record for most comments on Buckles Blog site.
Little wonder the guy in the chair is grinning at us!
And why would a stake puller, or a flat two wheel cart, still be up on the wagon so late in the day????
Maybe it's because it has a wheel missing!!!!
johnny,
In regards to those big tent shows, in that respect, I did get here too late!
Look real hard and it looks like a fan belt or chain of somekind is on the axle?????
it loks to me to be the beginning or end of a stake puller (Geogia buggy?)
if it was just missing a wheel it would face length ways not cross ways of the wagon due to a tongue or handles
so my guess is a stake puller axle assembly
but then if it were a stake puller there should be something attached to the center ? of the axle if indeed it is an axle missing a wheel
the only stake pullers I've seen with wheels like this have puller attachments at the axle as the fulcrum
excellent puzzeler
Way too much time on my hands! Blown up 400% with pixels added, then sharpened, I have no idea what the hell it is... I can tell you, that's probably not an axle and wheel, it's more of a pulley on a fixed shaft Supports fasten the assembly to a flat wooden base. Could have been used as a reel or spooler for something.
looks like those wheels the highway departnent used to make paint lines on the highway.
It just occured to me that once the pad room was unloaded it would be Waxie's harness shop for the day, hence the trappings hanging for repair and the rope holding other stuff related to Waxie's attention, and possibly that wheel assmbly had something to do with turning his big sewing machine to go thru leather and canvas. I remember it had a belt drive, and it would not be unloaded every day. My dad said Mr. Terell had a great sense of humour to agitate vulnerable people, ala Tommy Hanneford, and serious natured Waxie was one. He walked by that Waxie harness repair one morning and Waxie was sitting there smoking his pipe and reading the paper with not much to do and Terrel said, " waxie I hoe you are keeping our harness in good shape and not spending time making slop shoes for the Ballet broads" ,and walked one leaving Waxie fuming. Waxie had worked for Terrel on the Floto Show, went with him to Cole Bros. until it closed and Burkhart got him on Ringling. He and John Smith were good buddies and both long time Terell men and great people. His name was William Dyke and he could build an English Saddle from scratch,tree and all and make fitted collars for the baggage stock and beautiful liberty trappings and of course all the gals wanted Waxies slop shoes.
My dad said during the war they used a patriotic flag drop and Otto G. chinese was to hang the flag box each day and as is the case with most flag drop boxes they frquently hang up for various reasons and don't completely unfurl. Terrel said to Otto " what happened to the flag? It didn't come all the way down?" Otto went into some unintelligable reason about it and Terrel walked off saying, "well if it was the German flag I'm sure you could hang it right", leaving Otto Stewing.
I just remembered something about harnesses. NO WHEEL involved. When JC Had "HORSE FANTASY REVIEW" He used to let me help out once in a while. He taught me how to paint harnesses with Patten Leather Paint. "talk about getting high". I learned to set ringstones into leather. He also taught me to saddle stitch the harnesses with needle and thread and a wax ball,. I also learned to repair my shoe soles. I had forgotten all about that part of my circus life. I alway thought he was keeping me out of trouble and busy. HELL, he had free labor.
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