Tuesday, May 03, 2011

From Jim Elliott #8


05-01-2011 12;46;11PM, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Unidentified but obviously Cheerful Gardner probably H-W in the 1930's.
However I reluctantly pose this question to Chic, "Why do you suppose the doniker top is mounted on a skid?"
Buckles

4 comments:

tanglefoot incognito said...

I believe it was some three years that HW elephant herd was in hietus in California. Some 20 elephants witrh Cheerful in charge. My comment is ,What a miserable time. Have to worry about exercising for sure, try to keep the hands from getting jumpy and blowing. So much better than being on the road. I am sure I would want no part of it. SURPRISED Gardiner stayed on. It is always nice after a long tough season to get in wtrqtrs. and then what a joy to get out and back on the road. No forty miler for me. Showpeople are always interested to see whats on the other side of the mountain and tqwners ain't never figured us out. Moons ago I would mention I was With or had been on a circus. No more and heaven forbid that you would suggest that you were an "animal trainer." tanglefoot

Chic Silber said...

Why reluctantly Buckles

My best guess is to keep the

seat frame from sinking into

soft ground & to keep it level

(especially under heavy loads)

Anonymous said...

It's not a donniker, but either a spec or parade float. On the tent is "Camel Front," presumably an indication of how the apparatus was arranged on the beasts conveying it. The poles [your "skids"] must have been the means by which the sedan chair or whatever it was, were attached to the camel harness or saddles.

Cheerful allowed his wife and some of her friends to hitch rides on the bulls back to the show train at night. That courtesy went awry one time, when the HW elephants were hit by a train. Some of the girls were shaken up or injured.

Anonymous said...

2 day stand!
cc