THE SHOWMAN'S RELIANCE on
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ROAD AND AIR TRANSPORT
TEAN SPORTATION difficulties of one kind or another have put more shows out of business than have any other factor. The circus is particularly vulnerable in this respect, because of the bulkiness of the material, which has often to be transported 40 or 50 miles every week-end. '
The advent of mechanical transport has, of course, completely revolutionized the modern circus, and motor vehicles have now almost entirely superseded the old horsedrawn transport. Indeed, when onc. recollects that the modern tenting ciratie` has seating accommodation. for nearly 4,000 people, stabling for 70 horses', and a menagerie with a score of tigers, in addition to elephants, zebras and other animals, it will be understood that such circuses-could never have evolved had it not been for the advent of the
commercial motor. •
Abig 'show cannot do " one-day ". halt's,: for to make it a paying proposition it. must draw its audience not only from the town in which it is situated, but from districts within a radius of 20 miles around. This necessitates moves of considerable distances, which entail the use of a fleet of motor vehicles in addition to the special train which conveys the animals, the artists and the majority
of the staff, .
Despite the most scrupulous organization, however, delays due to bad road conditions, low bridges which do not permit the passage of high-powered lorries, and a hundred and one other causes, are constantly arising, necessitating the most de u20 tailed study of every route which bas to be covered during the course of the season.
As an illustration of the kind of transport difficulties the showman comes up against, let me cite the case of Capt. Schneider and his 70 lions, which were the star attraction at
Olympia a few years ago. The train in which these animals were travelling had to make a long detour as the cages were too large to go under the ordinary railway bridge. Then, on arrival at Havre, it was found that no cranes were available strong enough to lift the cages on to the ship. It was only after considerable delay that we managed to induce the French authorities to lend us their breakdown cranes, which wen brought all the way from Paris.
The same difficulties were encountered on the English side, but these were mostly overcome by removing the wheels of the cages before putting them on board and by using " well " trucks.
Problems such as these, which cannot be overcome in the ordinary Way because they are met with only in the circus, have caused us to rack our brains to seek some new mode of transport.
The day is, of course, still distant when it will be possible to transport
a complete circus by air. Nevertheless, my experience of flying has convinced me that it is to the air that the showman must look for the solution of many transport difficulties.
Already the air services have played a paramount part in the pro duction of the Olympia Circus, not only in enabling us to move with greater speed from city to city in our search for acts, but also in bringing such acts to Olympia.
A few years ago—in 1925—my father engaged for Olympia a Conti nental act comprising a large group of lions. The majority of these came by rail and boat. One, however; through a misunderstanding with the trainer, was left behind—a fact only discovered a few days before the circus opened. This particular animal was one of the "stars," and without it the act would have lost much of its novelty. What was to be done? It was too late to bring it by rail, and it seemed that
no alternative mode of transport was available. Then an idea occurred 'tbme. "Why not," I suggested,"bring the animal by air?" Undeterred by the hilarity with which the suggestion was greeted, I got into touch with Imperial Airways, Ltd., and asked if it were possible to charter an aeroplane to bring a lion from the Continent. The long and short of it was that a day later I was flying across the Channel with the first fully grown lion ever to travel by aeroplane.
Since then the Continental air services have been one of the most important factors in the promotion of the Olympia Circus. Last year we had a fully grown tiger brought by air from Munich with its trainer—the only method if it was to be in time for the opening of the show. If more aircraft designed to accommodate large and cumbersome cargo were available, to save us from having to go to the expense of chartering special machines, we would employ this mode of transport to an even greater extent.
As it is, we always use the air services in preference to any other form of transit. Within a few weeks of the closing of 01Faipia my father, my brother and I are off on our travels, scouring the Continent for " turns," visiting scores of shows in various parts of Europe and America in order to find new attractions for the following Christmas.
Before the air services became generally available we found it humanly impossible to cover these enormous distances in time. We consequently lost touch with many acts which we would otherwise probably have engaged. Indeed, at the present rate of progress, I see no reason why it should not be possible in the near future to carry anything in the air, provided it is worth carrying.
Of course, in this country we are somewhat handicapped by the fact that, owing to the smaller distances,
it is not worth while going by air because of the time it takes to reach the airport. Before air transportation in England can be made commercially profitable, we must perfect aeroplanes which can fly from city to city, and avoid these terminal journeys. We must also have a great many more aerodromes all over the country.
So far as the circus is concerned, it
will not be possible to transport the "big top" by air until goods-carrying aeroplanes can rise and land vertically in the circus field, which is usually only just big enough to hold the circus. The invention of a greatly improved type of helicopter, however, should make this possible. If aviation develops along the lines I anticipate, it should not be many years before goods-carrying by air becomes a normal mode of transport. When that day arrives I hope the Olympia Circus will mark yet another step in the evolution of the "big top by transporting the first circus by air.