Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-08-24
What 1t Costs.

FEW MOMENTS TALK WITH MIR. W. C. COUP.
W. c. Coup's great combination, which includes
three circuses, hippodrome, menagerie and
everything else that can be thought of that can
be exhibited under canvas, will be here Friday,
August och. In this great show are employed
five hundred men and women, four hundred and
seventy-fve horses, fourteen principal advance
agents, twenty-one assistant agents, three adver-
Using cars, forysix billposters, one elephant car
nine bands Of music, one hundred musicians, one
hundred cages and chariots, one hundred princi-
pal performers two hundred auxiliares, three
circus rings. or four, including the ring in the
vast hippodrome which is nearly half a mile
round. Knowing the curiosity of the public as to
the expense of conducting such an immense show,
we questioned Mr.. Coup on this point and his
answer was substantially this: {" You can hardly
form an estimate, but am safe in saying that it
is not far from half million of dollars Our per-
formers number over one hundred, and II should
as many do-call all our supernumeraries per-
formers, could claim one thousand as the tour
nament in which every nation on earth is repre-
sented in their particular costumes and elegant
court dresses fully attest Our salary list in the
ring alone amounts to fully 81, 900 week more
than any show that ever organized" He
then gave detailed statement of salaries paid to
canvasmen, supernumerares and laborers and
their board, and then, speaking of the performers
said: The great Lulu draws salary larger than
any single performer in any other circus. Then
comes Miss Kate Stokes who receives a salary of
$500 week Many lady riders who are called
frst-cass get not to exceed S25 a difference of
Si75 a week for thirty weeks, amounting to
1929, on this lady Alone besides her attendants.
Then comes Melville and son, the troupe of
Indians, Japanese, Zulus (the first females Of this
class ever in America), exclusive OF the expense
OF bringing them to this country, would amount,
at a rough guess-salares and board to S25 OOO
Then the whole circus roupes for three rings, be-
sides f W, Fryer, Robert White and S. o. Stokes,
the horse-trainers, whose combined salaries equal
the entire pay-rols OF many shows You may
ask why this is So The answer is, these men can
either of them earn double circus salaries train
ing horses at home and selling them. Mr.. Fryer
began with us at salary Of $50 per week he
now demands $3.50, sum equal to S7,5sS. Place
few leading performers at the same, and you
will see that during the season the total on these
men-employed by no other shows So, 800. We
carry, on an average, five hundred people; one
hundred OF these are boarded at hotels the bal
anee in camps on the grounds. The average ho-
tel bills are about 81 30 per day, aggregatng for
season s3l, 600; four hundred in camp, at 81
each day, and you have ss4 600; total, sll5, 800
The ordinary wheezy circus band OF eight or ten
pieces salary about $50 per week for the whole.
possibly 500; Mr.. Coup's orchestra, of nearly one
hundred pieces, comprising some of the finest tai
ent in this country, the difference would be nearly
81 900 or more in round numbers-25, 600 for the
season. board 81 80 per day for ninety people,
Sls9o0 for the season Now, say for transporta-
ton for our shows, three and frequently four
trains, averaging 500 more a day than an ordin-
airy show, and making the total S2i, 900. The
additional expense OF men to move, handle and
load these cars say thirty extra other shows,
board, SO, 300; salaries, $40 per month, SS4, 400
we find that we have grand total of over $685.
$50, and have not mentioned hippodrome rider,
chariot driver, assistant managers, and only
few Of the names of performers, the automatic
museum, operators and managers" With this
fund of information the reporter departed, cogni-
zant of his inability to properly do justice to the
mass OF attractive immensities.