The Billboard 1904-04-02: Vol 16 Iss 14 (1904-04-02)

THE BILLBOARD MEN = ON, CIRCUS USEUM: WILD WEST A FEW NOTES Regarding the Opening Week of The Barnum and Bailey Show. New York, March 26, 1904. The first week of what promises to be the most successful engagement of the Barnum & Bailey Show in Madison Square Garden was brought to a close today, when two enormous crowds packed the tiers, ‘and with enthusiastic applause and murmured expressions of Won.-r and amusement pronounced the great circus of 1904 to be the most complete, finished and thrilling performance that has ever been presented in the history of modern arenic exhibitions. During the first week of the season the crowds have been larger than any ever before attending Madison Square Garden. Even with the increased seating capacity is has been impossible to accommodate the vast throng that have demanded admission. Every evening the last ticket has been sold and the last section of extra chairs filled. This has also been the case at both Saturday matinees, and as for ‘the other afternoons, suffice to say that the attendance has been Phenomenal. In all bis experience ‘“fody’’ Hamilton has never before placed an advertiscment in any publication announcing that all seats were disposed of for two performances. It became necessary, however, last Thursday to declare that every seat had been sold for Saturday's performance. Among the guests at the opening performanee on Saturday evening, March 19, were U. S$. Senators Spooner and Kearns, and Ex-Secretary of the Treasury, Lyman J. Gage. A consignment of 60 African baboons were received last Saturday. These, with the two new Transvaal giraffes, the pair of Brahmin sacred cows, an African addax and two rare specimens of tlhe spotted hyena, add greatly to the comple.eness and value of the Barnum & Bailey zoological collection. Moncay evening, March 21, was Shrine Nignt. ' Two thousand nobles of Mecca Temple occu\ pled the arena seats and boxes and were great\. ly surprised at th sque of ihe Nayaticls ation. a / Wedding of Ella Brandna, premiere equestrienne, to her cousin and manager, Fred Bradna, was announced during the past week. They were married in London last winter, and the announcement came as a surprise to th nany friends, who hastened to bestow atula bride and groom the heartiest_ c . neil LONDON LETTER. Pointed Pencilings by syramus. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West begins its tour at Stoke-on-Trent, Monday, April 25, rehearsais being called for the 18. There have been persistent rumors of the Wild West opening at Olympia and also that Col. Cody would visit the St. Louis Exposition with his show, but the above call is official and sets all contrary reports at rest. Col. W. &. Cody and James A. Bailey are now proprietors; Fred B. Hutchinson, general manager; F. sistant manager; Clarence L. agent, with the following assistants: Gruening, E. Mitchell, C. B. Meredith, Burt Kahn, Harry Morris and an efficient corps of billposters, programmers, lithographers, etc.; Chas. Wells, contracting press agent; Alfred D. Starr, treasurer; Johnny Baker, equestrian director; Prof. Wm. Sweeney, leader cf cowboy band; Chas. E. Griffin, manager of side show; M. B. Bailey, superintendent of electric light; Jake Platt, master of canvas, and Jacob Posey, superintendent of stock. Mr. George 0, Starr, director general, is still absent in America. I will send you a complete roster of this organization after the show opens. The eurrent issue (March 5) of “‘M. A. P.’’ contains an excellent story of the life of James A. Bailey, which I notice Mr. O’Connor has taken the precaution to copyright in Ameri In this article Mr. Bailey attributes his success to his knowledge of the details of the show business. He says: “I know hew every man’s work should be done, and he knows |! know it. Knowledge is not only power; it is property—about the only kind one can be sure of being able to hang on to through thick and thin. The reason the late P. T. Barnum was obliged, in 1880 to take me in as an equal partner, rather than risk further rivalry, was because he had no special knowledge of his business and was at the mercy of his agents.” All showmen know this to be a fact. Barnum did not know a toe pin from a guard stake. He was a museum proprietor with great enterprise and a talent for advertising. A long time ago, when Charlie Griffin was a boy going. to school in Iowa, he wrote a letter tc Mr. Bernum, stating that he had been to his show and wags disappointed in not seeing him. The great man answered the kid’s letter and enclosed his photograph, all of which was duly noticed in the press of the country, and thus secured for Barnum a lot of free advertising. The modern circus proprietor would he too busy and austere to notice a child’s letter in this way. But it was just such episodes as this which made Barnum’s name a synonym for anything odd or strange, and it remained for a great man like James A. Bailey, with a technical knowledge, only learned by every day association with the business, to perpetuate the name and fame thus gained. There is a fortune for the first man brings a dog and pony show over here. Of course, it would require considerable capita and must be dpne on the same elaborate scale as conducted by the Gentrys or Norris and we in America. Plenty of American paper, a fine procession and a good show would do the work. No railroad equipment would be required, as the stands are close together and roads are like paved streets everywhere. As I have said before, the English are the greatest show-going people in the world, and an entertainment of this character, being a distinct novelty and appealing for support to women and children, would be the greatest kind of a success. Leon Morris, with his dogs and ponies. is doing fine in the musie halls. He recently purchased a fine pair of Japanese apes for training purposes from Mr. A. E. Jamrach in St. Georges Street. I have just learned that J. M. Ward, who has meade a tremendous bit as the Scarecrow in the Drury Lane pantomime, is an American. sole who * MENAGERI I know nothing of Mr. Ward's previous but he has certainly has made his role one the most conspicuous i: the production, as, in the hands of a less competent person, it would, at best, be a minor part. His singing and dancing reminds me of our own Char lie Whalen. Williams and Walker have London season at the Shaftsberry Theatre, and are now touring the provinces, presenting In Dahomey, under the management of Hurtig & Seamon. They will be at the King’s Thestre, Hammersmith, week of March 14. The New Coliseum in St. Martin’s Lane is rapidly approaching completion, and when jinished will be conducted on the American con tinuous plan. Harry Houdini, the ‘‘jail breaker,”’ is creating his usual sensation at the Hippodrome. So much for specializing. Only a few years ago Houdini was a side show magician with Welch Bros. Circus. Since giving his whole attention to the hand-cuff act he has been the hit of two hemispheres, appearing in all the principal cities of America, Germany, Russia, France, and Great Britain. Speaking of side show magicians, me of another remarkable evolution, that of Billy Robinson into the demure celestial conjuror, Chung Ling Soo. The first time I saw Billie previous to his lengthy stay at the London Hippodrome, was in a Chatham Square museum. Then he was with Kellar for a long while, and for several years previous to the great Hermann’s demise was his right hand man, and In the estimation of those who know should be his legitimate successor. When Leon and Madame Herrmaann quarreled Billie dropped out of sight for a time, but finally bobbed up in London as Chung Ling Soo, creating one of the greatest successes in a magi eal way, of the century. PYRAMUS. work. of whiere finished their reminds WALLACE WRECK FUND. ‘“*The Billboard’’ has started a subscription list to supplement that of the bosses with the — Robinson Show for the purpose of buyig a tambstone for the unidentified victims of the Wallace Show wreck buried at Durand, lich. As a large amount is not required, we leem it advisable net to accept subscriptions larger than $1.00. Ameunt previously reported............ $374.00 RS ae ee 1.00 tees t OD Vi ghe eins cseedeatcekex ceccoss 2.60 NO CIRCUS OUTFITS CARRIED. The Lackawanna Railroad has decided not to carry any circus outfits whatever on the Morris and Essex Division of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. This ¢ivision is the only road touching at some of the most important points in New Jersey and part of Pennsyivania, and will no doubt cut out all circus performances at Washington, Morristown, Boonton, Hoboken, N. J., unless the circuses resort to the old way of wagoning it about fifty or sixty miles from the main line of this road. CIRCUS GOSSIP. C. A. Hibbard’s Shows are in winter quarters at Lakeport, N, H. W. F. Guyott has signed to clown with MeLain’s Wagon Shows. G. E. Bucey will be with the ForepaughSells Show the coming season. Ed. Cake will have charge of Car No. 1 with the Hargreaves Circus. Charley Grady, of Portsmouth, Ohio, has signed with Indian Bill. Jerry Mugivan has the privileges with the Great Van Amberg Shows. The Great Van Amberg Shows will use 12 cars and two advance cars. L. Brannan is the general agent of the Great Van Amberg Railroad St ows. Swallow & Marchel’s Floating Opera House is en route upon the Upper Ohio river. W. C. Lane reports at headquarters as ticket seller for the Pawnee Bill Show March 25. W. E. Sands will rejoin the staff in advance of Buckskin Bilil’s Wild West next week. The Forepaugh-Sells Show will open in Philadelnhia on April 18 for a two weeks’ stand. The work of billing Chicago for Ringling Brothers’ opening began on Saturday, March 1). Grant Brown, of Eveleth, Minn., will soon leave for Baraboo to join Gollmar Bros.’ Shows John Lappe, the cne-man band, has signed with the Great Wallace Shows for season 1:4. Chas. Barnes has signed with the Great Mel bourne shows for the coming season as singing clown. Welsh Brothers will have a trained elephant and a monster den o: lions with their circus this summer. John H. Rice, of the Hargreaves Circus, has mapped out a route for that show that looker like a winner. Kress and Brooks will do slack wire turns with Ellis’ Great Two Ring Circus now at Tower City, Pa. Harry Pitney, of Rockford, 11l., will go with the No. 1 advertising car of the Gollmar Bros. Circus this season. Vernell and Morton, acrobats. have once more joined hands and will be with <he Colorado Grant Show this season. Word comes from the Hargreaves Circus that all preparations are complete and that the opening will be on April 30. Thomas Spielman emphatically denies the report of having signed with Barnum & Bailey for the .coming tenting season. The Rexos, unicycle skaters and hoop roiers. are in Mexico with Orrin Brothers. They will return May 1 to open Shaynes’ Park. Frank CC. Bostock has received the $100,000 insurance placed on Consul, the educated monkev which recently died in Berlin, Germany. H. W. Whittier has given up his position of advance agent for Uncle Hez. and has joined the Welsh Brothers Circus as advance agent. Ringling Bros. lost a ecarload of show printing in the fire which destroyed the plant of she ge Show Print Co., Milwaukee, Wis., March The recent rains have put the wheat in fine condition throughout Southern Kansas and Okl«homa, and every indication points to an early spring. Alexandrian Georgian, the Russian Cossack, has had his claim against the Luella Forepaugh Fish Show settled and he! will join the Buckskin Bill Wild West Show. It is said that Frank C,. Bostock will concentrate all] of his shows in Paris, France, after this summer. a monumental success. Tom L. Wilson has resigned his position press agent of the Lyceum and Academy Music, of Seranton, Pa., to join the forces of Walter L. Main’s Shows, Bell and Henry, with the Forepaugh-Sells Show. have a new trick for the coming season. Mr. Henry does 20 flip-tlops on a table, wii'e Mr. Bell does a complete double somersault over him. Col, Crawford, Van Amberg & Company will open their museum at Allentown, Pa., May 16, for one week, and from there go to Pittsburg. The coming season promises to be one of the best ever. Mr. Ralph Spencer, who is connected with the bureau of publicity of the Barnum & Balley Greatest Show on Earth, has made many friends, Mr. Spencer is certainly a great hustler and a valuable man. Thompson and Dundy, His European season has been as of advance of Luna Park, Coney Island, have recently received frown Hamburg forty camels for the great Indlaa Durbar spectacle. The elephants are expected to arrive about April 10, The Robinson Circus is now and hurried arrangments for the season of 1904. The first performance will be given, as a matter of course, at Norwood, Ohio, on or about April 25. A feature of the Forepaugh-Sells Circug this year will be fourteen polar ars a monstrous cage. This open den will be split into three parts for the parade, but in the menugerie will be one large den. La Mont Brothers have added a number of new wagons, which swells the amount to 4. They have engaged many new performers and now have about 70 people. The advance will be in charge of Mr. Fred Mackintosh. E. J. Gosney, the well-known circus man, g:e with Campbell Brothers this season as genera’ contracting agent. Campbell Brothers are to be congratulated upon their acquisition of \: Gosney, as he is one of the leaders in his line Miss Hazel Earl, aerialist and contortionist. formeriy of the famous Earl Sisters, has booked herself ‘‘incognito’’ with the Great Wallace Shows for season 1904, after spending the win making active the opening of ter at her beautiful villa in historic New Orleans. The Forepaugh-Sells Circus will opea tte season on April 18 in Philadelphia. The show will leave Columbus, 0., on April 11, and wil run direct to Philadelphia. Rehearsals will b> held in that city. The show will remain in Philadelphia two weeks. The mayor of Philadelphia has not as yet issued any amusement licenses for this year except the one to the Forepaugh-Sells Circus. All of the theatre licenses have been held up pending the fina] report of the fire commissioners appointed in January. J. M. J. Kane, manager of Al. G. Field’s Greater Minstrels, will manage the opposition car of the Forepaugh-Sells Circus this season. Mr. Field will release him when Mr. Peter Sells is ready for him, and the Field Minstrels will not close until May 30. The ‘“‘Kenyon Press,"’ of Des Moines, Ia., has the illustrations and pilates under way for the rara avis of circus books, entitled Troupers cf the Golden Mascot, bound in fine grain vellum de luxe with emblematic gold stampings. lt will be issued about April 15. The World-renowned Da Coma Family says: “We highly recommend Paracamph as a quick healer for cuts, burns, bruises and sprains.’’ Paracamph stops pain quickly, heals the wound and prevents blood poisoning. It is an actual necessity to every circus performer. The McLain Cireus, which will open the season at Hibbing, Minn., the last week in April, will be an up-to-date wagon show and has already engaged some good circus talent. Mr. McLain will be with the show and B, 8. McCarty will manage affairs at Hibbing. Notes from the Nickel Plate Shows: We opened big and with the smartest organization we ever had. Three big days last week and three bigger day’s rain. Train and baggage wagous green and look best since 1898, when wagons were all new. Kernan says its the ‘‘Irish Limited.’’ James T. McLaughlin, of London, Ohio, was a caller at ‘““The Billboard’’ on March 22. He will be associated this season with Mr. Bowman, who has the privileges with the Sun Bros. Shows. This is his only interest in the Sun Bros. Shows. Sun Bros. are, of course, sole proprietors. Prof. John Andrews, who has been resting in Puiadelphia all winter, will leave New York on April 9 for England. He has been engaged for the second season with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West to do magic. He will he accompanied by his wife, who will do a specialty in the concert. Hargreaves’ big circus will have a number of novelties this year. Two big. aerial novelties have been secured and a number of striking features for the hippodrome races. The show will leave its winter quarters in Chester, Pa., early in April. Ra Morris will have Phone 285: Established 154% Thomson & Vandiveer MANUFACTURERS OF CIRCUS TENTS TENTS FOR RENT. * 230-232 E. 3d St., _ CINCINNATI, 0. UF. CIRCUS CAN VASES, Poles and Stakes, SEATS, Flags, Etc. BLACK TENTS For Moving Picture Work. SIDE SHOW PAINTINGS. Fronts and Banners tor Street Fairs. Aveuts for KIDD’S PATENT CIRCUS LIGHTS 11 North Ann &t., CHICAGO, ILL. Take Lake St. Elevated anywhere onthe loop. Ann St. station is fourth stop over the river—iive minutes ride from centre of city. SHOW TENTS Eqos! to any in workmanship, shape and arr A Get our prices before buying. Agents for Kid lights and Baker's Torches. Black tents for moving | ype Good second hand tents from 35x30 to 1255 at Bargains. BAKER & LOCKWOOD, Succee = e C. J. Baker, 415 Delaware Street, Kansas y, Mo. TENTS ALL KINDS AND SIZES. Indianapolis Tent & Awning Co, INDIANAPOLIS, IND. F ANY A The World Over And you wil! finé Nothing too mange or too SS TENTS Shows use the best tents and we make them. Balloons and sporting tents of ev eo 1{ption made to order, 2d-hand tents for sale. rite for particulars. W. H, LUSHBAUGH, | The Practical Tentmaker. COVINGTON, KY LUSHBAUGH for our shop. Al! th Detroit Bag & Mfg. Co. Successor to The T. W. Noble Co. CIRCUS CANVASES And Tents of all kinds. 80 foot Tops and under carried in stock. Tents rented to state and County Fairs. ESTABLISHED 1858, charger? the side” st llewer withstanding ag fact that the newsupergs of Philadelphia have formed a syndicate to keep out all advance notices of amusements, one of the smart press agents of the Forepangh-Sells Cireus succeeded in getting n \tites In papers last week. This may resv in ising 4 the combination of mowgpnytrs. J. C. GOSS CO. Builders of HOW CANVA Catal 4 DETROIT saree trae ETO. mice. Side Show Paintings SIEGMUND BOCK, 62 Blue Island Ave., Chicago, Ill. M. ARMSTRONG Show Canvas, Parachutes, Black Tents and all Canvas Office, 6100 Michigan Avenue, Telephone Garfield 1098, ‘Scenery and Show Paintings ! JOHN HERFURTH, (No. 2183 Boone St... CINCINNATS, © STEVENSON & [IcGEE AWNINGS, FLAGS AND Yacht Sails hire. Old Canvas “Oo Covers for Sale or Hire. We have oupertenced Show Tent Men = our employ. Light Street, Baltimore, Goode. Chicago FOR TENT LIGHTS AND OUTSIDE LIGHTS.... GEO. 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