The San Francisco call., 1899-09-17
WILLIAM SELLS ON THE
EVOLUTION OF A CIRCUS
THE ARRANGEMENTS MADE IN
RECENT YEARS.
How the Walter Main Show Started
With Spotted Pig and Be-
came Famous.

There has been q most complete evo-
luton in the circus business during the
last few years. and the circus of to-day
is far from being the circus of our boy
hood days" remarked William Sells, who
has been coming to San Francisco in con-
nection with circuses for several years
past.
Speaking of the original circus ven-
ture of Walter L. hain some fifteen years
ago, he was then living on a rocky farm
over in Ohio. He conceived the Idea of
having a circus. AS a boy he had played
circus with the other boys at school. He
had visited all of the travelling shows that
stopped in Geneva, O., and gaining what
started a circus. He had a couple
of trained dogs, a cat and sheep, Like
other boys, he showed In back yards and
bles as pay for the tickets to the reserved
seats. The juveniles, of the, town visited
the performance and brought their par
the greatest show on earth
"One night. while he was sleeping In
the loft Of the old farm house, he con-
cluded to take to the road. Geneva is not
much of a show town, but one fine sum-
mer morning the citizens Were surprised
dead walls. calling attention to the fact
that upon a certain date Walter l. Mains
circus would give its initial appearance.
gaudy in bright colors, but instead they
were plain affairs, the printing being of
the scrawly kind such as you would ex-
pect frcm boys.
"Well, the long and short of 1t was that
Walter L. Main had a circus He had
tent that party of surveyors had used,
and in this he exhibited a learned pig, a
cow a dog and some hens The expert
ence in Geneva was the beginning of
life career. 1t meant that he was to be
a Snowman: The mex next year he bought a
modest way and under a little tent he
started out visiting some of the nearby
towns. He made a little money, and the
man who could ride the horses and do
acrobatic turns in the ring. At the end
of the season he had made more money,
and the next year branched out, bought
a few more animals and hired few more
performers.
with him every promise was pledge,
and he advertised nothing he did not
show This was the beginning of his sue
cess. Since then things have been COM
ing his way as well as could be asked for.
Each year he has added to his show, and
From a show that had only spotted pig
he has built up a concern that travels by
three trains. There are 300 people upon
the payroll, with salary .Jdat list that re-
to say nothing of other expenses.
LAS to San Francisco, / regard 1t as one
of the best show towns in the country,
and always feel certain Of doing a good
business This year we opened the sea-
son in Cleveland, O., to enormous busi-
ness-in fact, turned people away at all
performances.
Like all other lines of trade. in order
TO do business you must have the biggest
and the best. There was a time when the
one-ring show travelled over the country
and was good enough for anybody, but
now If man would start out with such
concern he would go broke inside Of forty
days. unless he had an unlimited bank
account. To draw the crowd you must
come to town with blare Of trumpets.
You must first have your gilded advertis-
ing cars, and then you must follow this
up with your smooth advance agents who
can drive good bargains After this you
must have a lot Of boomers who come
couple of days in advance Of the show
show OF course. with the circus there
must be a lot Of gold braid and tinsel. but
on the whole 1t must be show worthy of