Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-04-24
p. I. Barnum's Latest WOnders---A
Colossal Exhibition.

patrons double their moneys worth, and his /
claims are generally acknowledged but this /
time he seems TO have far outstupped himself. /
Last year he obtained from the Connecticut /
Legislature q charter for THE T. I. Barnums /
Universal Exposition Company" with capital |
of million Of dollars. Alr. Barnum who is |
president of the company, and Mr.. Coup, his |
manager, have spent many months In Europe !
perfecting their plans. The object of this !
great company, as they announce, Is to elevate |
amusements, divest them of all Objectionable
features, and thus render them worthy the
patronage of the most moral and refined
classes. They say that eventually they will
have q score or more of exhibitions (traveling
and permanently in America and Europe, and
they intend that their chartered title shall be a
guarantee Of the merits Of VIII ttever they bring
before the public. The present season they
have but two exhibitions. One is Mr.. Barnum's
weu-known Museum, Menagerie, Circus and
Travelling Worlds Fair" the other is simply
called 1.-The Great Roman HipPodrome." Mr.
Barnum seems TO have devoted years to per-
fecting this great enterprise, and nearly every
year of his personal attention was paid to it III
Europe. At an expense of several hundred
thousand dollars he erected a great hippo
drome building in the heart of New York city,
and under an outlay of over five thousand dol
lars each day he has run his establishment III
New York for nearly 20 year This exposition
company are engaged to ship the entire Hippo
drome TO Europe next autumn meanwhile
they have undertaken the difficult task of
transporting it entire to the principal cities in
America. HGrpa's Weekly says:
"The Great Roman HippOdrom9 will re-.
semble moving camp. There are 1000 men,
women and children in MIR. Barnum's service,
and the stock includes $50 horses and ponies,
besides elephants, camels, English stag and
stag-hounds trained ostriches, lions, bears,
tigers and other animals. For the exhibition
of the menagerie and the various shows, dis
PLAYS and performances connected with the en-
terprises, two enormous tents, each 500 feet in
length and 300 in width, have been provided
one of which will be kept i'll advance, i'll order
that no time may be lost by delaying in making
ready. The question of transportation by rail
"a very serious one-was solved by the con-
struction of $50 cars, twice the usual length,
built expressly for this purpose. Among them
are anumber of "horse-palace cars, construct
ed with commodious stalls, i'll which the horses
can lie down and rest while on the Journey and
arrive at the place of exhibition quite fresh for
the performance Besides moving the tents,
animals and all other material in these Hippo
drome cars, berths will be provided in those
devoted to the personnel of the company for
nearly all the employees. Besides the great
exhibition tents, and stable tents for the horses
and other animals, there is also attached to the
company large corps of blacksIniths and
carpenters and builders, some of whom precede
The SNOW several udyS, W llldh6 I6duN lOT Uu6
exhibition by preparing the ground, erecting
seats, etc. The dressing-room teuts alone will
cover more ground than an ordinary circus.
"To move such an enormous establishment,
without hitch or delay, requires the employment
of olear headed, practical men at the head of
each department. Everything is 80 arranged
as to move with the smoothness and precision
of clock-work. At the appointed hour the can
vas will go up, the street procession will move,
Che performance will commence. When all is
over, and the great tent is emptied everything
will be packed up by those detailed for the
work, and the caravan, without the loss of a
minute, will be on the move toward the next
place of exhibition.
1.-THE programme of performance will be
varied and attractive. Donaldson will make
daily balloon ascensions with a car large
enough to contain company of five or six per
sons, at cost of about $500 day for this
feature alone. Then there will be the "RomaI
races" in chariots driven by "Amazons;" the
elderly races, in which forty wild horses are
turned loose in the arena in exact imitation o.
the famous carnival races of Rome and Naples
"standing races" in which the riders stand OF
bareback horses hurdle races by ladies; fla
races by English, French, and American
Jockeys besides camel, elephant, ostrich, ant
monkey races. Another feature will be the eX
hibition of Indian life on the plains, in which
the actors will be scores of Indians with thei
squaws and pappooses. They will put up
genuine Indian encampment hunt rea
buffaloes, give war dances, pony races foo
races against horses, exhibitions Of daring
horsemanship, lasso-throwing. A band o
Mexican riders, mounted on famous mustangs
will make q pretended attack on the Indian
camp and give mimic but faithful representa-
ton of the wild scenes enacted on the Western
frontier. The English stag hunt will be al
exact picture of the sport itself, with a compan
of MAJ nd i'm full huntiDo q
and large pack of English stag hounds
There will also be many other interesting anC
, attractive features, the mere mention OF whlCl
would make small volume.
3 "Mr. Barnum certainly deserves great credi
for an enterprise which is calculated to affor
vast amount of innocent, popular amuse
ment and although this gigantic venture in
, wolves an enormous outlay of money, it vii
present too many attractions not to be general
sustained"
5 Amazing as this exhibition seems from til
description given by Hdrper's, We can say
from actual observation that one feature is t
be introduced into the travelling Roman Hippo
drome more interesting and instructive tina
any other. 1t is the great procession known a
"The Congress of Monarchs." The Harper
v omitted mentioning this, because, probabl.
they supposed Mr.. Barnum would not dare t
incur the expense of transporting such a
enormous affair through the country. But b
, will do so, and here is a brief description {
this dazzling and bewidering exhibition, &
4 given by New York contemporary:
OF all the gorgeous pageants the worl
ever saw the Congress of Nations is til
L greatest, and how the surprising genius {
! even Barnum could produce it is wOnde
The costumes are true to life, and many
/, them are genuine, having been procured dire
a from the nationalities which they represen
The individuals employed to personate IL
> historical characters have the most faithful II
e semblance to the originals in face and physiqu
4 Each nation finds its special portraiture
= some kind Of triumphal car, brilliantly bedecke
IS with appropriate flags, emblems coloIs and il
tricate devices, and all sorts of characteristic
/ in the way of peculiar uniforms, animal
u soldiery, attendants and music. Scores
glistening gilded charots illumine the arena vii
halo of lu5ter, as it were and tue display
royal splendor IL far more imposing and in
pressive than words can describe, thrilling tt
auditor with unspeakable amazement aud q
miration.
O ''As the name of the grand Congress il
-, plies it is a stupendous gathering of Il
- Monarchs of the universe, bringing i'll viz
y view the living Kings Queens, Rulers, al
II Potentates of tue past nine centuries, culmln
:, ting in an affecting fItdte 80 touching that
IL must awaken the emotions of stole. H
l. majesty, the Queen of England, heads the 81
., terlng column, surrounded by her royal Cot
and followed by long ancestral line, t
Q. notability and richly uniformed 'life guard
il men, Then France in the person of Napole
III the First and his famous field marshals Ii
land, Rome, Russia, Germany, Italy, Turke
10 India, Japan, China, and so ON, until all t
Monarchs and Courts of the entire world pa
ID in review, winding up like jewel besprinkl
coil around the continuous circle. To 10
upon this beautiful historical procession in
its grandness and greatness ls equivalent
sitting in full view of the courts of all t
J.. earth, 80 truthfully realistic are the bewild
" ing pictures revealed in rapid succession. Su
o. dazzling half mile Of solid gold, jewels, silv
and tinanl cnnll only ha. L