WINMX Assorted Textfiles/Ebooks.tar/Text - History - The Great Hartford Circus Fire.txt

Text File | 2003-08-15 | 4KB | 68 lines

The Day the Clowns Cried

By R. J. Brown
Editor-in-Chief

The worst tragedy in the annals of circus history occurred during the
afternoon show of the Ringling Brothers Circus on July 6, 1944, at Hartford,
Connecticut. With nearly 7,000 people enjoying the performance, the big tent
suddenly became engulfed in flames. As fire spread up the side walls and
raced across the top of the tent, the bandmaster, Merle Evans, swung his
band into the song Stars and Stripes Forever -- the circus disaster tune.
The sound of this tune moved all employees into high gear. The horses,
elephants, the lions and tigers, were quickly led out of the tent out of
danger.

People stampeded toward the exit they had entered from. Unfortunately, this
was the end on fire. Fire had not spread to the other end yet and employees
tried directing them to that exit. In the panic, crowds still stampeded the
end on fire. Three minutes later, the tent poles started collapsing and the
roof -- what was left -- caved in. In six minutes total, almost all of the
tent was burned completely and the entire area was nothing more than
smoldering ashes. 168 men, women and children died as a result. Hundreds
more were badly injured.

The feeling of responsibility to the victims was uppermost in the circus
management's minds. Five of the top management personnel at Ringling's were
arrested on changes of manslaughter and subsequently served sentences and
were ultimately pardoned by the State of Connecticut. In addition, due to
the fire, Ringling's found itself with over four million dollars in damage
claims from victim's families.

In the aftermath of this calamity, Ringling management displayed an attitude
and integrity that made their circus such an outstanding institution. They
did not contest their indirect responsibility in the catastrophe; instead
they and the Hartford city officials set up a special court to hear and
judge all claims. No contest, circus management said. We will pay the
damages. Due to the integrity that Ringling had in the aftermath of the
disaster, an editorial appeared in the April 9, 1945 edition of the Hartford
Times. The editorial read in part: "They -- the circus officials who were
sentenced for involuntary manslaughter-- are in a sense the victims of
circumstances and they are to be sure they will be so regarded. No stigma
will attach to their names as a result of their sentences."

Shortly thereafter, their convictions were pardoned and they were released
from prison.

In 1954 most newspapers in the country carried a story that the Ringling's
had paid off the last of over 600 claims that resulted from the fire. All of
the circus profits for the ten years since the fire had been set aside to
pay those claims.

Circus people felt particularly sad about the Hartford fire. It didn't help
their feelings any when on June 30, 1950, the news services carried the
story that a pyromaniac had admitted to deliberately setting the fire, as he
had many others in other states. (See separate article in "Circus
Listings".)

An important footnote to this fire story is the fact that the circus had
tried unsuccessfully to obtain the necessary quantity of a new canvas flame
proofing compound that was developed by the Armed Services. It was pointed
out by the Army that no civilian concern was allowed the use of the
compound. Soon after the fire, however, the Army approached Ringling's and
granted them the necessary priority to obtain enough compound to fireproof
their tents. From 1945 on, the circus tents were treated with a flame
retardant compound.

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