The Dickinson press., 1889-03-16
MOVING A GREAT CIRCUS.
A sKlLLFUL. MAN WHO DOES NOT
SHOW IN THE RING.

A SKl-LFUl. MAN WHO DOES NOT
SHOW IN THE RING.
Brain Work of the Railroad Contractor.
A MAJ of Large Experience and Burden
some Duties. Who Is Not rs Well Known
as the Clown.
There has always been more or less mystery
surrounding the sudden arrival and departure
of all large %circuses. and even the newspaper
man. who is supposed to know everything
and more too, often stands aghast at the
will-o,the-wisp manner in which the great
Barnum d Bailey shows manage to make n
tour of the continent year after year, exhibit
ing in q different town nearly every day,
scarcely ever missing III exhibition, and al
way on time.
How is it donel' asked a Times Exporter
of an old Snowman whose hair had grown
gray in surveying tho tented field.
well, it is just this way" replied the vet,
Gran, as he lighted a fresh cigar and leaned
back in a comfortable position against the
wall. You see, the first man that starts out
in advance of the circus is the railroad con.
tractor, as he is termed, and he must not only
DO n maj of vast experience, but n walking
encyclopedia as well. Among all the agents
and managers connected with the great army
Of circus and theatrical enterprises, few of
them understand the art of successfully pilot
ing a large show over the country and so or.
ranging everything that it is plain sailing
for the several advertising cars and the many
railway trains that follow afterwards, rs in
the case of 'Barnum's greatest show on earth
First of all, the proposed route for the entire
season is carefully mapped out by the man
ager, who must determine upon the territory
he wishes to visit, and then the railroad
contractor is called in to lay out the
route and arrange the order of towns, or
Stands Us they are called in show parlancc.
CONSIDERING ALL Il DETAILS.
"Here begins the brain work of the route
agent and the deepest study of tho successful
manager. 1t is no easy matter to even take
Il map and jot down the best and most prom
Using show towns in sucha manner as to mako
the runs easy and practicable. a thousand
and one questions will arise, and they must DO
answered then and there. 1t will not do to
make a double run'-that is, pass over two
distinct roads i'll going from ono show stand
to another-as it usually doubles tho price of
transportation and often causes serious de-
lays. Therefore the route must be SO ar
ranged that only one line is used on tho same
day, and this often nccessitatcs making pc
culiar geographical courses in order to bring
tho owns to be visited in proper rotation,
and whenever it is necessary to make a long
jump or uso two railroads in making tho
run it must be done on Sunday, in order to
give ample time to make tho transfers and
reach the placcof destination before daylight
~ Monday morning.
"All the while you must be looking far
enough ahead to bring the show into u GER
tain part of tho country just at the right sea-
son of tho ycar-that is, avoiding an agricul-
tural district in planting timo or harvest,
catching the Now England and coast country
before the regular excursion and picnic sea
son sets i'll, swinging back into the wheat
growing section after the grain has been
gathered and the farmers feel flush and ready
for fun, sweeping down through Illinois and
Indiana Wei: tho frost is on the pumpkin
and tho corn is in the shock, and later "a.
vending its way through the southern states
just in time TO reap u rich reward for the
pains and foresight of waiting until the last
bale OF cotton Is marketed and the festive
darkles are willing to give up their last dollar
for a 'yailer keard to the cirkis.'
ARMED with all this knowledge tho rail
ROAD contractor sets out to negotiate with tho
various railway managers for the transporta-
ton OF the show in the order mentioned.
Nothing daunted, lie approaches tho general
manager or general freight agent of n given
line-%probably renews old acquaintance
and at once proceeds to business. With sur.
prising facility and quick precision lie states
just what he wants, and often astonishes the
railway magnates themselves by giving them
n!ormatio about track facilities and their
connections with other roads at certain points,
which they could not vouchs;lfc without call
ing in the general traffic manager or tele.
graphing to some distant place for the desired
knowledge, He usually knows every side
track from Bangor to San Francisco, and by
some kind of psychological reasoning is able
to tell whether there is q " at Cranberry
crossing and if it is possible to make a trans
fer of the entire circus train at that point and
reach GROWER City before 6 a. H..
NO TlME FOR PLEASURE.
Having ascertained that everything is in
perfect order and agreed upon terms. he
whisks out Il blank contract, fills it up in
short order, gets the official signature of the
road, obtains sufficient documents and orders
to pass the advance agents and advertising
cars over the road, extends his best compli-
~ments-perhaps l should say complimcntarics
to the officers of the line, bids them good
day, and departs. No, he does not 20 and
play billiards after that. He has no time for
such pleasures. The car orders, transporta.
tion and other information has to be mailed
back to the various agents, the contract and
all details of the runs must DO sent to the
manager, and a letter of instructions written
to tho master of transportation, who has the
show in charge from the time that it is ready
to load upon the cars until it is unloaded al
tho next show stand.
"Then, too, he must consult the maps anC
guides and determine Upon the extent of thu
excursion routes to be made and notify Tho
excursion agent who follows closely in hi
wake and ailanges with the passenger agent.
Of all lines centel'ing at the place OF exhibi
ton for special trains and low rates of far,
Oh the show day The contractor and excur
sion agent are closely allied, and much tn,
same methods apply in perfecting the ar
engagements Of both. Few persons unfamilia
with the duties of these dignitaries realiz
the many details they have to look after O
tho necessity Of immediate action all
thorough investigation on their part. The,
are the ~forerunners of a great event and a
necessary to the circus as the center pol
itself. j A. Bailey, Burnun's equal partner
has always insisted upon having the YER
best men that money could obtain to f
these positions. New York Times.
Singular Stomachs.
Nature presents u curious variety i
St0machs A plant nerformS both tho finn,