The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-08-05
Circus Talk.

so many years the advance evangelist
of the P. T. Barnum greatest-on-e earth,
has been writing some interesting
stuff in the Syracuse Courier about Bar
mum and incidentally about circus ex-
periences.
II was travelling with P. 7. Bar
mum once, said Mr.. Stow, "long be-
fore the railroad shows were in exist
ence. We travelled by wagons from
town to town in those days, halting on
the outskirts of the town to enable the
circus people to put on their show
clothes and prepare for the parade.
We were to show in a small town in
Pennsylvania, and I had noticed that
bridge over which the wagons were
to pass was weak. I sent word to Mr..
Barnum to put the rhinocerous wagon
at the rear, but he did not do so, and
as it was in advance it broke the
bridge. The show did not reach the
town in time to make much of a pa
rade.
''That night Mr.. Barnum was seated
in the village hotel when an angry lot
Of people who were disappointed at the
size of the parade waited upon him
and told him that he was fraud.
"How so2' said Mr.. Barnum.
"'Well, replied the spokesman for
the crowd, you advertised two miles
of parade and there was only one.
ayes replied Mr.. Barnum, there
was one mile of parade and another
mile of damned fools following it.
That makes two miles, doesn't it?' ''
A rhinoceros is the most expen-
sive animal in circus. A well-bred
and well-developed rhinoceros costs
$4,000. The Barnum show recently
lost rhinoceros and was compelled
to cable TO Hagenbeck at Hamburg to
send on another at once. Hagenbeck
| is the largest animal supply agent on
earth. He furnishes the Geological
| gardens of London and similar gar
dens in the capitals of Europe. Ele
plants are quite common these days,
and half dozen of them could be
bought for the price of one rhinocer-
os.
The elephant is the meauest animal
| that the show people have to deal
with. Everybody is afraid of him, for
| no one can tell when the big brute will
take one unawares to crafty some
long treasured or fancied grievance.
A few days ago the show was in
| Rochester, when the elephant keeper
went into the elephant car to see that
everything was secure before the train
started. He.fastened the rear door
and thoughtlessly passed through the
car to examine the front door. AS he
| was passing the elephant, the brute,
| realizing that he was alone with his
keeper, crushed him to death against
the side of the car. TLc elephant is
the biggest coward of all animals, and
never undertakes to get the better of
his keeper unless he can take him off
his guard.
It costs not less than $4,000 a day
| to run big cireas and menagerie.
Notwithstanding this seemingly large
outlay frst-class show is usually a
| sure winner. Before starting out
discount for rainy days is made by
| averaging the rainy days during the
| past ten seasons. While this is not
| by any means reliable, it affords
pretty fair test.
Storms and tornadoes of late years
have interfered very much with the
profits of the circuses. Last season
| the Barnum & Bailey tent was ruined
by a cyclone at Des Moines. Mr..
Bailey at once telegraphed to Cincin-
| natl for new tent, for which the di-
mensions were given, and in three
days it was made and erected by the
show. All the sailmakers in Cincin-
natl were employed in making the new
canvas.
A new canvas is made every year,
and the one used the previous year is
carried along with the show for emer
gency. On the occasion alluded to
the old tent was left behind and the
show exhibited three days in tent
without top. Fortunately the
weather was fair.
An idea of the magnitude Of big
show can be gained from the fact that
1900 persons a.e employed in the
Barnum & Bailey show. The system
observed in putting up the big canvas,
taking it down and packing it in the
cars, and in putting all the rest of the
stuff in the cars each night, is some
thing wonderful. There are, perhaps,
twenty or thirty foremen who run the
whole business. Without these men
it would take green hands a week to
put up big tent and another week to
take it down.
When P. T. Barnum was in Lon
don fifteen years or SO ago he sent
tickets of admission to all the clergy
and to the Bishop of London and his
family. Barnum's reputation as a
philanthropist had gone before him
and it became necessary to establish
regular picket guard around him to
protect him from annoyance in his
hotel. The applicants for charitable
donations would frequently get
through the line and apply for dona-
tious ranging from 500 to $4,000.
After the Bishop of London and his
family had seen the show the Bishop
called upon Barnum and chatted with
him for some time. Barnum i'm
pressed him as he did everybody, as
being big-hearted, amiable and
brainy man. The Bishop on leaving
took his hand and said:
"Mr. Barnum, you are not such a
bad man after all. I hope to meet you
in heaven, sir. y
Well, you will, if you are there, y
replied Barnum.
The answer was too much, even for
the Bishop, and those who heard it
shouted with laughter.