The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-12
IN ADVANCE OF A CIRCUS.
MORE MEN FOR ADVERTISING
THAN FOR PERFORMING.

| "Papering" a TOWN. zoo, 900 LdthO-
graphs-Hosv Favorable Territory
Is Judged-S1eO,OG0 to Announce
the Coming of the Show-The Ola
and the New Press-Agents.
| From the New York Evening Post.
Advertising contributes so Importantly
to the success or a circus that from the
general advance agent and special press
representative to the meanest bill-poster,
! the work actually employs more men
| than there are performers in the arena
when the SHOW is ION the road" One
of the largest travelling circuses now in
this country spends more than 100000 in
a season of 200 days, and employs eIghtv
men for much longer time for nothing
! but to announce its coming and boom rs
attractions. In this circus roster of po"-
formers in the rings for last season there
were seVnty-fve names. The number of
people" With the show" of course, was
| very much larger. From the travelling
| proprietor 10 the cook, and inclu Eng the
canvasmen. the sleeping car quarters.
the side show orators" the blacksmiths
and the smallest groom. who does what
he is told and s.eeps when and where he
/ can, there were G27 employees. Neverthe
less. the proportion of advertising agents
is surprisingly large.
There ere three kinds of adve-t ST. =
newspaper, pill BOARD and "freaK." r; e
billboard announcement of the coming Of
the circus IS the first. To advertise the
circus referred TO, no less than 2,4OO 600
| Autograph sheets were posted on bill
boards and dead walls and hung IN shop
windows, through a season of 2l5 day s.
an average of zoo a day. The lijhogra ph
bill of a circus IN a year is one of the
largest items Of expense the proprietor
are put to. 1t cost the propriotors of ere
circus more than 100000 to paper" the
show tor appearance in 1874 cities and
towns. This sum was the cost of print
ing alone, the whole cost of transported
ton, posting and distribution was con-
siderably more For that season, accord
ing to the proprietor himself, there We're
ordered from the printers about 1900 600
sheets of pictorial matter" 100000 copies
of two illustrated pamphlets" and 1900
600 folders
The circus has four advertising cars,
to distribute this paper" and keep it
moving and fresh" Three of them
go over the same route at intervals of
one week to the very fay; the fourth is
an emergency" car, TO meet unexpected
circumstances. The first advance car
leaves the winter quarters, fully stocked
with bills, three or four weeks ahead of
the show. 1t has a gorgeous exterior,
and is always stalled in a conspicuous
place in the railroad yard, if the chief
agent knows his business. 1t carries
general advance agent to oversee the
work, a contracting press agent to ar
range for advertising space in the news
papers, and a boss" bill-poster and his
gang" All this work is inspected by the
second advance car, which arrives a week
later.
1t is the duty of the men on this car
| to cover the excursion routes-that
| is to say, the towns within radius of
| fifty miles not covered" by the general
| advance agent in the first car. They not
| only put up the paper, but interest the
newspapers and arrange for and adver-
| tise the excursions to the show town on
the show day. The.third car arrives in
the week following to freshen the pa
| per" which the other two have posted
/ The emergency car is a very important
factor in the advertising. 1t is sent any
| distance at any time where it may APP
| pear TO the m lnagers that a wedge should
be driven in. If. for instance. wind of the
| intention of an opposition circus to APP
| pear at any point on the route comes to
| the proprietor, the emergency car is inn
mediately disp .tched to that point. They
| are sometimes sent over queer routes
| now attached 10 a cattle train, and again
| to a through express.
| 1.-THE first work in advance of a cir
Gus, however" said Frank o. Miller, an
! advance agent now in this city, lis done
when me route Is being laid out, months
| before the start is made from winter
| quarters. Men are sent out to discover
| the business conditions in the territory
| through which it is planned to take the