Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-04-02

Mr.. Barnum's service, and the stock
includes $50 horses and ponies, be-
sides elephants, camels, English stags
and stag-hounds, trained ostriches,
lions, bears, tigers, and other animals.
For the exhibition of the mcnageric
and other shows, displays, and per-
formances connected with the enter
prise, two enormous tents, each 500
feet in length and 800 in width, have
been provided, one of which will be
kept in advance, in order that no time
may be lost by delay in making
ready. The question Of transporta-
tion-a very serious onc-was solved
by the construction of $50 cars, twice
the usual length, built expressly for
this purpose. Among them are a
number of. ''horse-palace" ears, con
structed with commodious stalls, in
which the horse can lie down and
rest while on the journey, and arrive
at the place OF exhibition quite fresh
for the performance. Besides NOV
ing the tents, animals, and all other
material in these Hippodromc ears,
berths will he provided for those de-
voted to the l,nrSo~nei OF the com
pany for nearly all the employees.
Beside the great exhibition tents,
there arc cooking and dining tents,
and stable tents for the horses and
other animals. There is also attached
to the company large corps of
blacksmiths and carpenters and build
ers, some of whom precede the show
several days, TO make ready for the
exhibition by preparing the ground,
erecting seats, etc. The dressing
room tent alone will cover more
ground than an ordinary circus.
TO move such an enormous estab-
lishment without hitch or delay re-
quires the employment of clear-head-
ed, practical men at the head Of each
department. Every thing is so ar
ranged rs to move with the smooth
ness and precision Of clock-wor.;. At
the appointed hour the canvas will
60 up, the street tprocession will move,
the performances will commence.
When all is over, and the great tent
emptied, every thing will be packed
up by those detailed for the work,
and the caravan, without the loss of
a minute, will be Oh the move toward
the next place of exhibition.
The programme of performances
will be varied and attractive. Don
aldson will make daily balloon as
tensions with car large enough to
contain company Of five or six per-
sons, at a cost of about $500 day
for this feature alone. Then there
will be the "Roman races" In chariots
driven by "Amazons," the 'liberty
races" in which forty wild horses are
turned loose in the arena in exact i'm
itation of the famous carnival races
of Rome and Naples; the ''star ding
races" in which the riders stand on
bareback horses; hurdle races for
ladies flat races by English, French
and American jockeys; beside camel,
elephant, ostrich, and monkey races.
Another feature will be exhibitions
of Indian lite on the plains, in which
the actors will be scores of Indians,
with their squaws and papooses.
They will put up genuine Indian
encampment, hunt real buffaloes,
give war-dances, pony races, exhibi-
tions Of daring horsemanship, lasso-
throwing. A band of Mexican raid
ers, mounted Oh their famous mus
tangs will make pretended attack
on the Indian camp, and give Il mimic
but faithful representation of the wild
scenes enacted on the western front
ier. The English stag-hunt will be
an exact picture Of the sport itself,
with Il company of $50 men and wo-
men i'll full hunting costume. and
large pack Of English stag-hurting
HOUNDS. There will also be many
other interesting and attractive teat-
ures, the mere mention Of which
would make small volume.
Mr.. Barnum certainly deserves
great credit for an enterprise which
is calculated to afford Il vast amount
of innocent, popular amusement; and
although this gigantic venture in
wolves an enormous outlay of money,
it will present too many attractions
not to be generously sustained. 1t is
~. Barnum's intention to visit Eu-
rope next autumn with the whole cs-
tablishmen,, and astonish the Old
World with this wonderful exposition
of what can be accomplished by Yam
kee enterprise.