Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Cap Curtis #2


5 comments:

JIM ELLIOTT said...

Seem to be pulling from the side, rather than the end. Am I correct?

Chic Silber said...


I don't think so Jim it's just

the poor quality of the photo

The poles are tied at the tops

so they are all lifted together

from 1 end (as usual)

Chic Silber said...


If you enlarge the photo Jim

you can see the hauling line

off to the left & the words

seem to verify my observation

Roger Smith said...

Fred Logan approached Johnny Pugh with a technique to raise the 4 Beatty show poles at once--his method by elephant power. Cindy Potter may have better history on how this worked out. Then, of course, came the day when Johnny changed tents.

Dick Flint said...

As written on the card: "Bill Curtis raising all 4 Center pole[s] at same time. First time in the history of circus … So[uth] Bend Ind[iana] Sept 7th,1913." Especially when enlarged, this photo shows the then-new spool wagon on the other side of the poles pulling them up simultaneously ("at the same time"). And the note that this was the "first time" certainly indicates a departure from the traditional method.
Dick Flint
Baltimore