The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-14
GOSSIP OF THE TOWN.


great Wallace show, is in the city. In
discussing the subject nearest his
heart, he said:
When the trains of the great Wal
lace show pull in Tuesday morning,
and the work of unloading and putting
up on Pioneer square for two days
exhibitions are at hand, it will be seen
that big undertaking is on. 1t is a
gigantic job, and requires a small
army and military discipline, but the
work is comparatively easy sailing,
for the way has all been cut out for it,
business is over. 1t is that finished
part-the advance work-of which I
want to tell you.
Just as soon as the show gets COM
fortably settled in winter quarters
each fall, the work for the next season
begins. w. E. Fuller, Mr. Wallace's
general agent, gets out a big stock
OF maps, railroad guides, crop, min
ing and industrial reports and COM
mences the study of conditions. He
is looking for the most desirable and
available territory for the circus for
the next spring. The show business
is one that does not thrive in ilard-up
communities, for $4,000 expenses must
be met daily, and if good times exist
anywhere that where must be found
Each section of the country must be
caught in its most flush time, such as
Immediately after a harvest, when peo-
pie not only have the money, but feel
like lndulging in a holiday. To illus
trate, nobody ever sees a circus in
Iexas till after the cotton is gathered
N q Fol
and other northwestern territory is
pretty good circus ground generally,
but crops there were failure in 1894,
and last year only one circus went
there and it had to hurry away to
keep from starving. Last season the
crops were good and two or three
shows are up there now. 1t is always
compliment to a community's pros
per1ty for successful show to visit it,
If free silver should win, the circuses
would be tearing for this country Just
as fast as trains could bring them.
when the most likely sections for
spring showfng-later months may be
decided later, according to current
circumstances been determined,
Mr. Fuller begins his travels. From
state to state he goes, always study
ing the business outlook. Finally a
general section has been decided on.
Then comes the selection of towns
He visits the ones of sufficient size
and puts his thumb on the business
pulse. 1t requires a trained and COM
prehensive grasp to take in all the
things which go to distinguish between
dead town and a prosperous one.
He must act quickly, for there are too
mn
in one.
When his choices are made, rail-
road contracting follows. 1t may be
the railway people are exorbftant and
he has to cancel all and begin again.
II terms are made. he moves on for
the succeeding territory. So he goes,
on and on, not even stopping for the
opening date in the spring, for after
the summer harvests he might have
entirely different ideas. Besides, there
are a lot of other bright agents look
ing for the best country for other
shows. Each is watching the other,
and each trying to tie up the best
places in contracts that will exclude
all rivals.
This leads to some clever scheming
If a show is a. big and successful one,
its rivals give it credit. for sagacity in
the selection of dates, and so thinks
pretty we'll of what it selects If one
agent can learn where another intends
goinG, he just takes a flyer in there
himself to see if, perchance, it is better
territory than he himself has already
found. If so, he tries to wres,t as
much as possible of it away. The
agents resort to all kinds of schemes
to deceive the other fellows For in
stance, a year ago last winter che
Wallace show had a, man flying all
over Canada making a bluff at con-
tracing, ETC., till it was generally con-
coded the Wallace show was sure TO
be in Canada for about three months.
The other agents felt satisfied on that
point till they walked up one morning
and found Mr.. Fuller had all California
contracted for the period they had
located Wallace in Canada. Secrecy
is maintained always about the route,
and even performers never know but
two weeks ahead where they are go
ins.
While all this is being done the
winter quarters is like a. bee hive.
Mechanics of all kinds are busy repair
ing, rebuilding, overhauling and max
ing new railroad cars, wagons, tents,
flags, seats and all other para pher-
MALTA Trainers of various specialties
are busy from daylight till dark; the
hippodrome director has a. carload of
new racers to break in; the stock
trainer is educating horses, dogs, bears,
sea. lions, elephants and anything else
that may become a feature, and put
ting the old stock through work daily
that what it knows may not be for
gotten Mr.. Wallace, in his office, is
surrounded by half a dozen typewriIters
and a correspondence that is appalling
is carried ON with performers, agents,
bill posters, supply houses and others.
1t is no small job to consider the many
applications and finally book the peo-
Pile.
White this is going on the literary
man of the show is having prolonged
seances with the lithographing and
publishing houses. He is collaborating
with the artists in properly depicting
the marvels, wonders and asltounders
that are to be. This literary man is
the individual who writes the posters,
those flaming sheets whose verbiage
would make TIE ghost of Webster
weep with envy. If his literary nibs
can possibly suggest anything new in
design, color or wording, he must do
SO. Thinking is his job.
FINALLY a suggestion of order APP
pears out of ali this chaos and the
management thinks it sees the end.
Accordingly the opening date is
selected, some distance off, for the con-
tracing agents must start six weeks
ahead of the show. The general
agents contracting is limited to the
railroads. Two contracting agents go
from town to town, engaging all that
will be needed. The first contract
made is with a. lfveryman. AS soon as
made, the agents each take a rig and
get over the territory as quickly as
nNSSihda They select the most favor