Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-05-05
BUSINESS SIDE OF
A BIG CIRCUS
ARMY OF MEN, INCLUDING EVEN
LAWYER, DOCTOR AND
NURSES.
CROP CONDITIONS POINT OUT
THE ROUTES TO
THEM

The circus is not all animals, featS
OF skill and daring, fanfare OF trum-
pets, popcorn and sawdust Much OF
the most interesting part of the Bar
mum and Bailey shows now in New
York lies in that realm which is nevel
seen by the people who buy seats.
The business organization OF the
enterprise is filled with interest fol
those who take pleasure in order and
system, but it is really little known
even 10 those to whom thorough
study of it would afford much salts
faction
1t is easier to get good idea OF the
complex nature of the show by enum-
Grating some of it's many activities.
There are, for instance, eighty-nine
cars, of railroad equipment. There
are eighteen sleeping cars, and the
men in charge of the transportation
divide these cars into four and five
separate trains. They carry the 1880
men and women who form the person
mel of the show There are $50 horses
and IA acres of canvas. In the COM
plete circus equipment there are 10
tents.
Shows Advance Guard.
The approach of the circus to any
given point is not made in mass.
There are skirmishers or outriders.
Three advance cars blaze the way.
The first reaches a town three weeks
in advance of the circus, the second
comes two weeks in advance, the third
comes a week ahead, and by the time
the third car has come and gone
everybody in the neighborhood for
miles around knows that the circus
is coming because each of these cars
has been emptied of acres of gayly
colored Autographs setting forth the
marvels of the show. This most nee
essary advance work is done by one
hundred and thirty men, more than
are to be found in any except the
most pretentious theatrical organiza-
lions, numbering everybody from the
manager and the star to the last
chorus man and the wardrobe woman.
The main circus tent seats 15,50U
persons. 1t seats them all, too, be-
cause no standing room is sold, even
in those communities in which the
law has no objection to the placing
of some of the spectators in aisles
Fifty ushers, all of whom travel with
the show, seat the people who pay
their money at the box offices.
1850 Persons At Meals.
In the cook house of the circus
meals are prepared three times a day,
and they are served in the dining
tent, although when the show is in
New York big room in Madison
Square Garden is utilized. One thou
sand aud fifty persons sit down to
each of these meals. The office
force, booEkeepers, ticket sellers and
the like, numbers thirty-five persons.
TO see these employees and the others
at one of the meals furnishs a good
at one of the meals furnishs good
means Of getting at the real extent of
the show for at the board are the
members of the secret service depart
ment, a regular travelling police force;
the Red Cross department, composed
of professional nurses, physician and
surgeon and two assistants. A chem
ist sits near the young medical men.
He and four nurses are on duty every
day in the drug store that is carried
with the show, and that is as well
stocked as the best drug store in
many of the towns in which the circus
shows.
AS the men and women in the show
are cared for by the medical attend
ants, so are the animals under the
care of veterinary surgeon, and he
has three assistants. There is a
harness shop. with ten employees: a
blacksmith shop, with fifteen: a wag-
on shop, with eight, and a paint shop,
with twelve.
Lawyer Goes Along.
AS the circus has daily, almost
hourly. need of the trades so also has
it need of the professions. The law
is represented by a lawyer in good
standing who travels with the show
and by legal adjuster who has had
legal training and who is on the pay
roll to keep down the annoyances
arising from petty claims against the
circus. The question of licenses is
one with which the circus is always
face to face. In some cities the fee is
made high under the impression on
the part of the towns governors that
a circus takes too much money out
of town" In other towns there are
venal officials whose greed for money
is Unsuitable. The smaller shows have
more trouble with these predatory
officials than the big shows have. be-
cause the big shows, as the old phrase
has it, know their rights and knowing
dare maintain. But even with the big
shows it sometimes requires all the
adroitness of the legal staff to make
arrangements that are satisfactory
There are four hundred performers
with the Ba~num and Bailey circus.
Fifty provide the merriment which
from the beginning has been an inte-
grail part of the circus performance
One hundred and eight acts are given
in the arena performance, and the