The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-12-29
Barnum's Great Show in Winter.
from the New York Sun. ]


Notwithstanding all that has been written
on the subject it is doubtful if any one who
is not a Snowman understands much about
the American circus. The desire of those
formerly connected with the show business
was to surround everything with mystery,
but the reverse Of that old custom is the
principle prompting all reputable circus
proprietors to-day. Most persons imagine
that at this season of the year the circus has
no existence, because they do not see it, but
in fact nearly all persons connected with
the show are really buster than in midsum-
mer when, covering the grassy sward with
its eight acres of snowy canvas it charms
thousands of spectators "twice daily" At
this season the propretors are engaged in
the Office with a correspondence taking in
every part of the globe and receiving from
trusted agents, abroad and at home, tele-
grams and letters about the curious objects,
expert performers and wonderful things the
agents have secured in their travels Terms
are being arranged and money paid Esti-
mates are being considered for the immense
volume of printing to be done, while the
pictorial bills, Autographs and other forms
of advertising material are being sketched
by artists written by agents and otherwise
prepared. Applications for all kinds of
places are pouring in, such as the applica-
lions of bill-posters, agents, grooms, canvas
men, etc, and personal applications are
made by others to secure engagements as
formers. AT Bridgeport, in the winter quar-
tiers, under the personal eye of Mr.. Barnum,
railroad cars, new cages, wagons and tab
bleux chariots are being built, horses are in
course of training, elephants, lions, tigers
and other animals are being educated to
perform new tricks, and a large force of
skilled people are kept employed the winter
long making tents and costumes, caring for
the live stock, breaking in young animals
and receiving the latest additions of curiosi-
ties, animate and inanimate, from all parts
of the world. The expenses for the winter
foot up about S250,0O0, exclusive of what
may be paid for chief features. The Bar
| nun and London shows are the only circus
employing most of their people by the year.
| They thus regularly employ all their people
except performers and canvas men. The
| magnitude of the American circus is some
thing so vastly superior TO that of the circus
of Europe that there can be no comparison.
| The latter is in about the condition of the
American circus of twenty years ago,
while the former has advanced prodigiously
in every way. In the Barnum and London
shows, which stand at the head of all the
shows in this country there are no less than
eight hundred fifty persons on the pay-rolls
To give an idea of the immensely of this
enormous amusement enterprise the follow
| ing has been prepared Number of miles
travelled last season, Il, Az length of season
Sundays excepted, III days: expenses pei
day, $1,000; gross receipts, : $50 900; black
smith s tent, twenty-five by thirty feet; three
confectionery tents, each twelve by seven
feet; BARRIERS tent, fifteen by ten feet; cir
Gus tent, $50 by $50 feet; menagerie tent
| 296 by 1876 feet; museum tent, PIG by 1876 feet
dressing-room tent, thirteen by seventy-siS
feet; elephant pavilion, 200 by 100 feet; side
show tent, 1876 by 116 feet; seven stable
tents, each eighty by forty feet; two hote
tents, each seventy by fifty feet. During
the season the number of