Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1917-11-15
SIDE LIGHTS on The
CIRCUS BUSINESS

organizing and equipping a big show
today compared with that of thirty
years ago was plain to be seen among
the big shows this summer. During
my time with the Adam Forepaugh
show it was my business to be in Phil
adelphia some two or three weeks be-
fore the opening Of the show. | had
what was called my horse and
buggy" which l used to go shopping
with every morning, buying material
and all kinds Of equipment for the
show, such as blacksmith's materials,
ropes and other articles. 1t was easy
work in those days, for l knew just
where to go to get the things needed.
We had harnessmakers, black
smiths and other mechanics around
the show. When they would give me
an order there never was question
asked, for the reason that they knew
what was needed around the show.
Some three or four days before the
opening of the show l would tell Dan
would like to meet his men at work
two days before the show, in order to
get their names and give them num-
bers, for each employee had a num-
Der on the payroll When these men
would line up in the spring more than
80 per cent Of them would come TO the
ticket wagon with smiles on their
faces and say, "Dave, we are glad to
see you back on the wagon again. LOT
they were "Old-timers," as they were
called. The next evening Billy Con-
nors, boss canvasman and hostIer,
would line up his men, and the per-
centage of old drivers would even be
larger than that of the canVasmen,
especially among what is known as
the big team drivers, and those were
the men who had been with the show
for many years.
Occasionally, for some reason or
other. we would get few big team
drivers from the Barnum or Sells cir
Gus who had been with the show for
many years; but the per centage or
Old-timers with the show for the last
wear or two was greatly diminished,
and in many towns we would lose
from twelve to thirty men in a day, so
that before the season was over there
were comparatively few Old-timers
with the show. The bosses in the diff
ferent department we're only too glad
to hire any kind of a man to help
them out. The largest percentage of
Old-timers in the departments Of the
show were the big team drivers,
which they had to have and were will
ing to pay them the price they asked.
To be sure, the heads Of the depart
ments, and especially the general
manager, has more or less to do with
the keeping of the men. In my time
the highest class manager that ever
knew was John A. ForepaUgh, nephew
of Adam Forepaugh. While he was
exacting with his men, he was never
unreasonable and was always on the
Job. He was the first man on the
lot in the morning and the last to
leave it at night. He Travelled IN
private car with his wife, and consid-
cred himself a working man with the
show. and was a man who naturally
drew the working class around hlm.
Many times in the spring, when the
old-timers would, commence to arrive,
many Of them would say to me, Dave,
[ hope Mr.. Johnny will be manager
again this year." It is just as hard,
% ioIz fO q
manager for a circus as it is to get
( a good, capable bank president.
Goes Back to Show Business
Charles Gollmar Of Baraboo, who
! until a year ago was one of the pro-
prietors of the Gollmar show, recently
went to Jackson, Miss, where he has
taken UP the management of the Ha-
genbeck- Wallace show. That Mr..
Gollmar is a capable man in every
way goes without saying. He was
one of the acting managers Of the
Gollmar show for many years and Ed.
Ballard, owner of the Hagenbeck-
, Wallace show, is to be congratulated
on securing the services of Mr.. Coll
mar.
! Man and Lion Fight
:. A fight between a performing lion
and Emil Schwyer was a feature not
| on the program Of the Hagenbeck-
! Wallas circus in Dallas, Texas, re-
! Gently. The trouble occurred when
one of the lions in the act became un-
! ruly. Schwyer fought the beast for
: fifteen minutes before it would per-
form it's turn. When the audience
saw that the trainer had triumphed
there was an outburst of applause
which was deafening. Incidentally
every seat at the afternoon perform
ance was taken, while at night many
people were compelled to stand.
Circus Women Knit
The ladies with all the different
shows are doing their 'bit'' to help