The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-06
TIE WINTER CIRCUS.
ITS MANY TRIALS AND FEW TRIUMPH.
IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Mysterious Disappearance Of the Summer
"show" Explained A Veteran OF the
sSydust Ring Relates Some OF His In
tercstlng l. periences.


srsdust Ring Relates Some Of His In
tercstlng J. periences.
There Is place Id New Yorx city where
the ,'circus people copgregate after the
circus breaks rp for the winter. The
owner uf tho establishment is o fayorite
with the performers, acrobats, clowns,
jugglers bareback riders tight rope walk
ers and Others, who want some headquar-
ters when they arc Gin town" He has a
large printing Office, whore he turns out
the huro, highly colored posters which
decorate toe boards and fences. The pro-
fossion assemble In the outer room, gather
round the big stove and swap stories.
$50 you want to know what becomes OF
the circus In the winter" said the vet
eran. 1--WE he two big companies-the
Barnum al ,ho Forepaugh-go into win
ter quartcf one at Bridgeport Conn.,,
and the othaf at Philadelphia Most OK
tho performers are discharged, though
they may have e gagements for the COM
ing season. AaLy OF the men and women
do not want to lie idle during the winter,
and SO they seek engagements with small
circus troops hat go south. Some OF the
shows go to Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Costa
IAlCd anu SOlne VI tHclll w W
the South and Central American countries
Ito Brazil, Argentine. Republic, Hon.
duras and Nicaragua. If the circus makes
asuccess, the performers have good time,
spend the winter in nice, warm climate
and come home with some money in their
pockets and IRE ready for the summer
campaign in he United States.
Eyes; have been with the circus In the
tropics six times in my lifetime. can't
say that my experience has been n pleas
ont one Fuur times the company struck
hard luck, AID every one suffered, even
the animals. Ny first experience was over
20 years aeo, when j Joined the F.
company, and shall never forget 1t. We
went first To Havana, and there we found
circus in full blast They had tho
patronage, while we played to empty seats.
After trying the city for about three weeks
the manager ave up and decided to pitch
his tonts oN,, "A the island of Bermuda.
"Here we had another run of bad luck,
and we lost the good will OF the English
people In n singular manner. You know,
the EngliSLmen control things in Bermu-
da. Now, our clown was an lrishman,
and he had an assortment Of Jokes that
would tickle an American audience
Somehow Il Gown made bad break. 1
| Go not rel sr tho exact joke that
caused the sa.tr. but il was something
like this. He asked the bareback rider,
why did Richard III offer his kingdom
for horse'' The rider gave it up. The
| answer, l K, was either Because Eng
land is only pne horse kingdom, or Be-
cause 1t wa, q hu. 60 on King Richard
However, u Eng lsh people were offend
| ed, and tho tept away from our circus.
fut ", m
| short time - . were ready to admit that we
| were dead.
"My second exr,r'encc was better one.
| This tinu l joined u circus which went to
| Mexico and % Central America We re-,
moined IN ..aI.c1 y or ciglt weeks and
| made mone} Another Lad experience
| had with n Clrrus in 10 Argentine Repub-
| lic. We showed a voral weeks in Bue-
| nos Ayres, IL &c OH IN 3itheater In
stead OF holeilg ca tp q good thing, the
| manager CT C..r circus cccncd to go into
the interior ui tfIs1 country. That is where
| he made his l.is,ake. We went by boat
| up the Rio ParaDa, about % miles, and
| there we stCupci. Bad weather came on,
| tho rain fell II torrent, aud the river be-
came dGngorSi;s ior navigation. There was
| nothing TO co but 60 wal; Ill the clouds
| rolled by. Tho Storm continued without
| any real ipt0rmls sio.S ior about two weeks,
| and meanwhils tho expenses went on just
| the same The money made at BueDos
| Ayrcs soon disappeared, and besides the
show was in bad share. We wcco all glad
| to get back safely tu Buenos Aysss with q
loss of $50, 600. / shall always remember
| those two wesks On ne kio Parana.
Perhaps thc ,st tapcricnce l ever
| had with "a circus y.ns nh0uUten years ago,
when / was in yerczu,.l. We landed in
Caracas just ABOUT trc time that an inter
esting r. ,olution brusc out. The city was
In astato of sieae; stories wore closed,
houses bar lca, and streets deserted OK
copt by So, - l5 was I'D time nor place
to hold a c.nas. Ine yolution was cir
ous in itself re al raction for
tie people 1 "a ve could give them"
What Il , IL c.. - form circus to
taiEe south the 2"
1T will f:em $4,000 TO $50, 900 to
get thoposi ecs rcpug.Ies and animals.
or course e.. ,ase depends upon the
size of the any,"
How Go o cirouses that ~ south
compare VITA the troops that travel In the
United Statesr"
Is "Some of thcm Ially give first class
lfertcrtainmcnt osGt.ially the troops that
have the star l,riorncra of the big COM
panies. Thu truth is, taking circus &c
tho South American countries Is big
SPECIFICATION. The man who makes money
at 1t deserves every dollar for his pluck
and courage
IF tho manager has streak Of bad
luck, bo may bo ruined In two weeks IL
he has made his with the people, he may
make % small fortune in the same length
OF time Lave known the proprietor OF
q winter circus 10 clear S75, 600 in single
season. But 1t Is easier To lose $40, 900 in
the venture than 10 make it."-New York
Times.