Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-07-16
HOW A CIRCUsIs RUN,
The General" of the show--studyiug I
Roate--Tbe Army of Employs

The "GensraI' of the show studying y
Roats--Tbe Army of Employs
From the New York Herald.
Each sircus has its general. Tshi
him Of any city or town in the cOa
try, and the thought Immediately
ours TO him; "Ah, yes n town oil
900, $4,000, $4,000 or Sl20Od
the case may be, profit" He hsN
almost to a unit the population 4
how much can be made out Of it
knows also the character oitheiuhas
tants, and he is acquainted thoro@
| ~ with the railroad and other isa
ties for getting into the place. Hems
out the route at the beginning Of
season, OF course changing il as ma
rs possible every year. There =
twenty-four advance agents, n
follow each other in regular .
tation. They look after the
vertisine, the provender for the q
maIs, the lodgings, and contrads
various kinds. These agents an ~
vided with checks. They gives elna|
on the show for the amounts n
tracted for. The treasurer taks
and pays the checks so that when 7
show arrives il has no trouble N
direction, II has happened
times that the firm has been swlnda
but it never refuses to honor q efi1
Ito keep up the credit OF the cics
Not one of the great exchanges N
York is better posted rs TO the mol
tary condition of any town OF
than the managers OF the circus
circus managers well know II Is VseS
going into a place where there Is na
commercial depression The chafss's
istics OF town are studied beion !
ing into it. For instance, It Is Encs1
when the miners OF Pittsburg are Y.
of, and right on top OF the even, eoa,
the show" II very rarely haPF
that a miscalculation IL made, pa
money is lost anywhere that plsr I
given . wide berth next season
The weather too, il watched alheI
as carefully rs ii il by the signal-sei
bureau. The circus never goes 49,
south that Omaha, Kansas wy =
st. Louis, or farther north than
Paul, MINI. There is no money =.
side OF those limits, The great SI
the circus il to strike lar ses'y
everywhere. When il is extremfls -
in the north the circus is enloy.Ia :
warmth OF the south and tne uVa
ofthe genial southerners. Whenn
comes too hot in the south tns1
wends its way in the opposite dlf's -
Moreover, it never attempts y
pete with n cheaper entertainer.
Barnum is billed for Maryvie' "a 4,
and % cent show gets ahead ON
pig circus passes on. Inc ,.Al
knows. too, how long it rs pfo@
to stay in town. ,;vs,l
The army OF employees IS on
into five divisions-the pertorn'els,..
ring attendants, the stable ana w.
f
erie attendants, the tralnnieh "
rus parlance ''razor-backs J, a%
canvasmen. The canvasmen hs"
200 out OF 70O--a large nunisu
not too many to cope Win .m
tent which is put up IN the sy II nd
On the trains there is spr%1la
oreverythingand everybody I'm
the trainmen could load the sa ~. 4
most blindfolded, the arrangei''s,.ass
so precise, and have been 80 w
smoothworking order. Inc tad (
men are the first to be paes 80
They touch nothing mtilthe'e.a;st n
have arrived on the groiina WI
canvas, and then, when the W.. W. M
they sit down and just watch 'm ';,h 3
"doing their bit" So e Is ~ ~
trainmen when they have loauea W
loaded the cars they willnot Pr. Z Ia
TO anything else, and periiai,syh ~ vi
did they would be only y 2, ' Saty n
Every employee has a speeissa hinsd
perform and does not cons,uie y NH
engaged for anything oatsideu