Reminiscences of a Showman

Having previously described the entry of the Barnum and Bailey show into London on its second visit to that metropolis of the world, and given the details as to the railway cars and arrangements for transportation throughout Great Britain, I will now relate some of the obstacles that were encountered and had to be overcome, and relate several years of probably the most interesting show history ever written. This, too, in a country celebrated for its ancient forums, halls of justice, learning and the birthplace of civilization.

However, it is an incontrovertible fact that in this instance James A. Bailey, an American born boy, carried to the very shadows of the Seven Hills a far greater amusement enterprise than the Romans ever dreamed of or the old world had ever seen.

It is, therefore, important that we record these events as they transpired, and it is equally essential to note that it was not one continuous round of pleasure or lacking in many hard fought industrial battles.

Sailing from New York on the steamship Kaiser Wilhelm de Grosse, in company with Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Bailey, R. F. Hamilton and wife and my daughter Virgiline, our party arrived in London several weeks in advance of the circus outfit, only to find that certain restrictions and obligations had been put upon our scenic plot and previously acceptable arrangements for a huge spectacular production, practically the same in construction as we had given on our visit a few years before.

From the very moment we set foot on British soil, it was a continuous struggle to meet and overcome the many obstacles placed in our pathway.

Obstacles to Overcome.

To begin with the London County Council refused to allow us to open the show at the Olympia until a fireproof proscenium and curtain composed of iron, steel, masonry and noncombustible material had been constructed. Here was a herculean task and only six weeks in which to draw plans, make the contracts, forge the iron and complete the job. All England shook its head and said it couldn't be done, but it was done - well done and quickly, too. Mr. Bailey himself stood sponsor for the work; almost night and day he patroled the building from end to end. Every contractor and every agent received his careful instructions and was spurred on to greater energy. The foundry and shops at Stoke-on-Trent were kept in full blast, all other contracts where our railway cars were being built, were thrown aside; great steel columns, girders and spans were fashioned into shape. Special trains were put in service and pieces of pig iron were often rolled into bars and in less than forty-eight hours placed in position in the Olympia over a hundred miles away.

As the height of the proscenium arch was forty-five feet, it was necessary that the curtain wall should be moved out far enough to get a reach of ninety feet, so as to provide space above for the direct lift. The proscenium opening was 240 feet and no fire-proof curtain covering such an opening could be rolled. It could only be moved up and down in well-oiled grooves and by hydraulic power. It had to be counterbalanced like window sashes, and the weights, cables and machinery to operate it had to be practically invented.

The stage of the Olympia is thirty feet deep, though behind it is a greenroom twice that width and the full length of the building. The former spectacle stage erected by us for Kiralfy was but fifteen feet wide. The big drops must be 300 feet long and sixty-five feet high and weigh three tons each.

There were two heavy set scenes, each covering about 7,000 square yards of canvas. There were mosques, towers, fortified cities, rivers, mountains, forests, etc., representative of the Upper Nile, where the plot of "The Mahdi," our new production, was laid.

The spectacle was prepared by Bennett Burleigh, a famous war correspondent in the Soudan, and put on as an afterpiece to the circus, as "Columbus" was presented in America some years ago. It was with the circus a military piece and pictured camp life and battles in the Soudan. A hundred Soudanese, of various tribes fresh from their native land, had been injected into the play, which employed about 600 people. Among these were 100 English cavalrymen from the Royal Reserve, two batteries of artillery and the incidental full uniform and equipage. The raw natives of the Far East presented a distinct entertainment in themselves, in their curious costumes, camp trappings, arms, religious rites and pastoral games.

In the battle which ensued between the natives and the British troops, infantry, cavalry and artillery hotly engaged, and as if these were not enough to furnish the necessary noise and excitement, a gunboat from the Nile took a hand in the melee. There were bombardments. cavalry charges, artillery practice and hand-to-hand engagements of the most bloodthirtsy character, the getting of the British forces into action forming one of the most thrilling scenes ever placed upon a stage. All of this was made to clothe a story of love and British. heroism.

"The Mahdi" was staged by Richard Barker, assisted by R. H. Burnside, now stage director at the New York Hippodrome, who, from a great mass of the most incongruous material, evolved a remarkably even ensemble. The scenery was by Fred Dangerfield, an Englishman, better known to the profession in America than in London, having mounted the grand operas at the Metropolitan, New York; Henderson's "Aladdin," Chicago, and many other great spectacles during the past thirty years. He painted the famous "Black Crook" and succeeding spectacular pieces at Niblo's Gardens back in the '60s. Besides possessing the interest attaching to the greatest canvas in the world the scenery was particularly worthy of note, from being the first ever produced and made strictly fire-proof. It was treated with some noncombustible compound according to the requirements of the London County Council. Any part of it might be held in the fire without being burned. It could not burn. It simply turned black and charred and went out.

The Menagerie.

Abutting upon the main building, or Olympia proper, is another large semi-circular building with the flat side joining the former, called the Palmarium. In this was displayed the menagerie and the freaks. The central roof was supported by noble iron columns representing palm trees, the umbrageous capitals of which give a peculiarly inviting aspect to the place. Beneath these palms were tethered the great elephants, the camels, zebras, buffaloes and all the vast collection of "led animals." The cages, beginning with Johanna and the carnivora on the left, ranged around the semi-circular corridor in the rear. No better arrangement of the liberal space allowed the big menagerie could have been devised. It afforded a grouping at once convenient and picturesque. Between the archways against the walls of the central room were high and narrow stages upon which the numerous freaks or curiosities were displayed.

An altogether new circus attraction was the "horse fair," to be seen daily in the annex across the street from the Palmarium and reached by a spacious, well-lighted underground passage. The arrangement of the stalls was systematical. The long rows of double stalls, horses facing each other, were built down the asphaltum floor. Another set of stalls ran completely around the room against the wall. There were from twenty to thirty feet of space between to afford room for visitors. The horses were placed by color and breed, the big, dapple gray Norman baggage horses in one row, the white ones in another, the black in another and so on. There were strings of beautiful bays, then the great forty-horse team, the long lines of Kentucky thoroughbreds, the performing ponies, the chariot horses, the general hippodrome stock, trained horses, bareback, jumpers, etc., all of which could be viewed to advantage by the curious public during the hour before the regular performance in the ring.

There were 400 horses to be seen here, and the 400 harnesses, saddles and more gorgeous trappings of the parade and ring on exhibition with them. Back of this building is a ten-acre field, formerly used as a summer garden, in which the animals were exercised daily. Here also the squadrons of cavalry and batteries of artillery had been drilled in the mud while the rings and stage were being prepared, and the sight of natty cavalrymen and their cockney officers charging over this field through the slush was a preliminary exhibition that delighted scores of showmen who witnessed the performance. It was worth more to the latter than the entire circus and its gorgeous spectacle accompaniment.

The Show Opens.

The greatest - indeed, the very greatest show on earth - opened on Boxing Day - the next day after Christmas - and turned away thousands of people at the first performance, while some 3,000 promenade tickets were sold for the Palmarium and horse show, after all the seats in the arena were filled, and the police finally ordered the doors closed to all comers. Every seat for the night performance was sold before the doors opened and the applause from start to finish was something astounding. The entire London press the next morning was teeming with columns of unstinted praise, and as I often looked out of my window I could see thousands being turned away from the building because they were unable to get inside.

The success of this venture, regardless of the cost, which, in our money, amounted to over $90,000 more than was anticipated, would have staggered anyone but Mr. Bailey, and assured the future of the show, as I shall disclose later.

It was the original intention to open the winter season in the Olympia on December 15, but the many obstacles placed in our path by the London County Council, as stated above, made a postponement necessary and Mr. Bailey decided to change the date to December 27. The extension of time was none too long for the gigantic undertaking, and as soon as the last piece of this huge curtain of iron, asbestos and mechanical skill had been hung, the lever controlling the engine which had been especially built to raise it, was thrown into action and the giant affair moved like magic and was raised and lowered several times in succession without a hitch. The last obstacle in the way of our opening was overcome.

The above meager description cannot possibly impress the reader with the magniture of the task, which was only accomplished by constant and consistent work night and day. But it was done. And done well, too. And when the committee from the London County Council made the final tour of inspection and found their demands faithfully carried out to the letter, they were completely overwhelmed with astonishment and admiration and expressed themselves not only amazed but delighted. They frankly admitted that Mr. Bailey and his American aids were nothing short of a twentieth century wonder.

Rehearsals were constantly going on in the meantime in the arena in front of the curtain line, and also in the open ground outside of the building, and the, "greatest show on earth" made its second bow to the London audience on Boxing Day, December 27, 1897.

"Boxing Day," it may be explained to those who are not familiar with the expression, is the general holiday set apart for the celebration of Christmastide and, while every place of amusement in Great Britain is generally crowded on that day in the cheaper sections, it is a very remarkable thing to have an extensive advance sale for the higher priced seats. In this instance, all of the reserved seats and boxes were sold in advance and when the doors opened the crush of the Boxing Day crowd was so great the turnstiles were blocked and the admission tickets exhausted in less than twenty minutes after the doors opened.

The program was a long and varied one, moving with remarkable precision and perfection because of the frequent rehearsals and was received with unbounded enthusiasm from start to finish.

Royalty Visits the Show.

During this, our second London engagement, we were visited by almost every member of the royal family, including their royal highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales (afterward King Edward VII. and Queen Alexandra), the Duke and Duchess of York (the present King George and Queen Mary), the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, Duke and Duchess of Fife, and all the younger members of the royal families, including Edward, the present Prince of Wales. Most of these royal personages visited the show at least twice, while some of them as many as five times, so favorably were they impressed with the performance and its surroundings. Nothing could have been more gratifying to Mr. Bailey than to realize that his efforts had been crowned with such success, and the compliments paid him by royalty only voiced the sentiment of the public.

During this winter engagement at the Olympia all arrangements were perfected with the English railways for a two years' tour in that country, and the writer personally laid out the route, contracted with the railways and obtained transportation for the officials and advance agents of the show through the railway clearing house which made this transportation available on all railways in Great Britain. In order to give the reader a more comprehensive idea of the towns visited and the territory covered, I will append the official routes for 1898 and 1899, it being understood that we remained in some of the principal cities from one to four weeks, although most of the towns were from one to three-day stands. To the curious it is an interesting study to take a map of England and check off the towns in the order in which they appear herewith for 1898:

Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Glasgow, Leeds, Edinburgh, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Sunderland, West Hartlepool, Scarborough, York, Lincoln, Blackpool, Preston, Southport, Bristol, Weymouth, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Folkestone, Chatham, Croydon, Ipswich, Cambridge, Norwich, Peterboro, Grimsby, Hull, Bradford, Oldham, Rochdale, Burnley, Huddersfield, Blackburn, Bolton, St. Helens, Wigan, Warrington, Chester, Crewe, Macclesfield, Stockport, Derby, Burton, Coventry, Leamington, Rugby, Northampton, Bedford, Luton, Oxford, Aldershot, Reading, Swindon, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Hereford, Worcester, Kidderminster, Dudley, Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury, Statford, Stoke-on-Trent.

On February 20, 1897, the steamship “Massachusetts" of the Atlantic Transport Line, departed from New York with the balance of the show, which was needed for the winter season in Olympia, and was landed at the Royal Albert docks in London, from whence it was immediately transported to the new winter quarters which had been constructed at Stoke-on-Trent.

Through the Provinces.

The engagement at Olympia closed on Saturday night, April 2, and before daylight the next morning all of the cages, horses, elephants, camels and other animals and such other material as had been used during the winter months were loaded on the cars and en route to Manchester, the city selected for the inauguration for our provincial tour. The ground selected for the erection of the canvas was old Trafford Park, a beautiful meadow or lawn in the heart of an old English state.

The first circus parade of any importance ever given in Great Britain took place on Saturday afternoon, April 9. The streets through which it traveled were crowded even from the house tops down to the sidewalks and into the middle of the driveway with such throngs as none of our people had ever before seen in the great gatherings in New York city elsewhere, but the excellent police service enabled the procession to pass through the streets without delay or accident of any kind. The Manchester newspapers contained lengthy accounts of the event and admitted that it had attracted the largest crowds ever seen on the streets of that city.

On Sunday following the parade the crowds which wended their way to Trafford Park were so great that it was found necessary to send for additional police in order to stem the tide and to keep the people moving in line. Early Monday morning the inhabitants began to gather for the afternoon performance. The side shows did a tremendous business all day and up to as late as 11:30 p. m. that night, while the sale of tickets to the "Annex" or side show had frequently to be stopped in order that a performance might be given, the crowd dismissed and another throng admitted.

When the ticket wagons were opened for the "Big show" two hours before the regular performance was to begin, there was a mad rush which continued until every ticket had been disposed of. Again at night there was a similar rush for tickets and thousands of people turned away at both performances. This continued throughout the Manchester engagement for three weeks and a repetition of this business may be reported for three weeks and a repetition of this business may be reported for the entire tour in the various cities and towns whenever the weather would permit. The last stand of the first season on the road terminated at Stoke-on-Trent November 12, when the show was moved to winter quarters in that city as soon as the last performance was given.

The total length of the road tour of 1898 was 186 days, during which period seventy-one cities were visited, covering a total of 2,976 miles, the longest journey from one stand to another being 208 miles, while the shortest run was five miles; the total number of performances given were 362, while ten were lost owing to bad weather conditions. In this connection it may be said that the proverbial English summer consists of three hot days and numerous thunder storms.

The new and spacious winter quarters having been completed during the summer tour, everything was in readiness for the reception of the animals and traveling outfit when it reached Stoke-on-Trent. It was but a short haul from the lot to the winter home of the show where the buildings were constructed entirely of brick and iron, and lighted throughout by electricity.

Preparations were immediately commenced for another winter engagement at Olympia, in London, where the third London season opened on December 26, that being "Boxing Day," the same as the year before.

Another London Engagement.

An almost entirely new performance was devised for this engagement. The long program, excelling in many ways the one of the previous season and begun with a water display entitled "A Day at Coney Island" in which were depicted the scenes that one is accustomed to seeing at that famous seaside resort. An immense Painted panorama or drop curtain formed the background for this scene, upon which was painted, in perspective, the principal features then existing at Coney Island, including the big elephant, the Ferris wheel, the tall tower, iron pier and various scenes with which the beach abound.

Aquatic events of all sorts were also introduced, including the expert and fancy swimmers of the world, with the latest modern water craft, ingenious aquatic devices for sailing, rowing, diving, floating, swimming contests, log rollers, water polo and many comic events interspersed between the various acts.

The closing feature of this aquatic exhibition portrayed with historical accuracy the battle of Santiago, the sinking of the Merrimac and the attempted escape of the Spanish fleet under Admiral Cervera, showing their final bombardment and total destruction. All of these ships were exact facsimiles of the originals, built according to scale, and all propelled by electricity in a lake of natural water.

The Show Incorporates.

The success of the show on the road and during its various engagements in London made it the talk of the country and Mr. Bailey finally concluded to turn it into a limited liability company, with a capital stock of 400,000 pounds sterling, or practically $2,000,000 in American money; the shares at one pound each were issued to the public, Mr. Bailey receiving on account of the purchase consideration one-third of these shares at 25 shillings each, which was the maximum amount allowed by the rules of the London Stock Exchange. The shares were offered to the public at 5 shillings each, this premium a totaling 50,000 pounds to be put aside as a working capital. The subscription lists were opened on February 20, and as a matter of fact the whole number of shares were subscribed for before the perspectus was generally known, as the receipts and profits of the show, which had to be published on account of the revenue laws, made an exhibit over 28 per cent. on a capitalization of $2,000,000.

Applications for stock were received in such overwhelming numbers that when the subscription books were closed, within three days from the time they were opened, it was found that the whole amount of shares had been subscribed for several times over, the applications coming from the United Kingdom, the continent and by cable from America and from all classes of individuals, including school masters, ministers, manufacturers, merchants. tradesmen, mechanics, the gentry and nobility. According to experts, the company started with one of the best lists of shareholders ever known. The date set for taking over the show as a going concern by the Limited Company was April 8. When the show closed at Olympia on Saturday night, April 8, Mr. Bailey's sole ownership of the great concern became a thing of the past and the show was turned over to the new company on that date, and the Barnum and Bailey Limited began its active operation on its first run from London to Birmingham, where a second road tour was inaugurated in 1899 and continued as follows:

Birmingham, Bristol, Swindon, Reading, Oxford, Northampton. Wellingborough, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Derby, Burton, Manchester, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Llandudno, Chester, Shrewsbury, Worcester, Hereford, Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Bath, Tauton, Torquay, Plymouth, Exeter, Weymouth, Bournemouth, Salisbury, Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton, Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Folkestone, Ramsgate, Margate, Canterbury, Maidstone, Chatham, Southend, Colchester, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth, Norwich, Bury St. Edmunds, Kings Lynn, Boston, Grantham, Lincoln, Gainsborough, Goole, Beverley, Scarborough, York, Harrogate, Darlington, Middlesborough, Stockton, West Hartlepool, Sunderland, South Shields, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Berwick-on-Tweed, Galashiels, Motherwell, Falkirk, Dunfermline, Kirkaldy, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Montrose, Arbroath, Perth, Stirling, Dumbarton, Paisley, Glasgow, Greenock, Kilmarnock, Ayr, Stranraer, Dumfries, Carlisle, Workington, Barrow-in-Furness, Lancaster, Preston, Keighley, Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Wakesfield, Barnsley, Doncaster, Chesterfield, Loughboro, Spalding, Ely, Huntingdon, Kettering, Belford, Banbury, Nuneaton, Hanley.

It is impossible and unnecessary to give the chronological events that happened during all these journeys, although a very complete record was kept by Harvey L. Watkins, the press agent back with the show, during the tours in Great Britain and on the Continent and would make very interesting reading, especially to those who are identified with the business.

A summary of this second tour of Great Britain shows that 112 towns were visited; the total number of performances given were 349, with twenty-three lost performances on account of storms. The number of miles traveled during the season was 4,073, and the longest run from one city to another was 113 miles and the shortest distance six miles.

No performances were given during the winter months of 1899 and 1900. Still the business staff, advance representatives and working forces were kept busy preparing for a tour of the continent which was to be inaugurated at Hamburg, Germany, the next spring. The invasion of a new country with a different language presented entirely new conditions, consequently the business office and agents at home and abroad were in constant activity.

Preparing for the Continent.

New canvas was made here in America and shipped by express to Hamburg, Germany, under my personal supervision. Arrangements were also made with the Atlantic Transport Company, of New York, whose steamers were the only ones large enough to handle the great railway cars and other heavy material, which we had already constructed at Stoke-on-Trent, in England, to be transported across the English channel. One of their largest and newest ships, the Michigan, with a tonnage of 14,000, was selected to perform the service. The immense hatchways of that vessel enabled the lowering of our railway cars, the most of which were over sixty feet in length, directly into place on the first or second deck or they were slid into the hold between decks like sticks of timber. It required two trips of this ocean giant to perform the task and the officers of the company are deserving of great credit for the manner in which they accomplished the work.

Everything at Stoke-on-Trent was completely overhauled and ready early in February for the shipment, which took place on March 14, the first of the special trains containing the canvas, seats and properties, baggage, horses, and a portion of the working staff left Stoke for Tilbury docks, London, where the work. of loading the Michigan began at once and continued day and night until the morning of the 20th, when at 1:30 a. m. the good ship, a modern Noah's Ark, with more show property loaded thereon than Noah and all his following ever dreamed of, started on her first voyage across the North Sea to Hamburg, where she safely docked two days later and the work of disembarkation began.

The same evening the Michigan sailed back to London for the second cargo, consisting of the performing horses, a few of the loose or lead animals and such of the railway outfit as could not be handled on the first trip. Then the big ship steamed out of the docks in London on her second and last journey to Hamburg, reaching there the second night thereafter, where the work of unloading began at once and the last of the show was safely deposited on German soil thirty-six hours later.

The tents and fixtures, which had already reached Hamburg, were up and ready for the reception of all the material, and the following day active rehearsals began. The transportation of the show from London to Hamburg was one of the wonders of that section of the world. It was the first time huge railway cars, sixty feet long, built on the American plan were ever loaded on board ship without being taken apart. They were unloaded from the ship and deposited on the railway tracks in Germany just as they were taken from the docks in London, wheels and all, and were the first English-made cars ever run in Germany.

The various members of the company, including the artists, curiosities, musicians and others, who are assembled in London, were all. transported from that metropolis to the German seaport by special trains and boats, arriving there March 30, where they met another large contingent of Americans whom I had engaged on this side to complete the company for the continental tour.

The Hamburg Engagement.

During the four weeks' engagement of the show in Hamburg, which opened on April 15, 1900, everything passed off pleasantly, the attaches were treated most graciously by the officials and the public. After the landing of the railway cars on German soil they were all sent to the Prussian shops at Altona for inspection and the attachment of some minor appliances required by the German railway directors.

It is worthy of note that Hamburg is the home of Carl Hagenback, the world's most famous animal dealer, whose beautiful Thier Park is well stocked with all kinds of rare animals which are left to roam in their natural state, as near as possible, in what he calls 'The New Arcadia.' This was in close proximity to our show grounds, and the kind and courteous treatment by himself and his employes made all the members of our company many times his debtor.

The first railway journey over the Royal Prussian Railways was from Hamburg to Berlin, the capital German city, where the show opened to big business May 18 and continued until June 10, during which time twenty-eight performances were advertised and only one lost owing to very high wind.

It is also a noteworthy fact in connection with recent instances of the great war, and the remarkable facilities the Germans have demonstrated in handling troops, the headquarters of the German army were at Berlin and the members of the commanding officers and staff took a great deal of interest in what they called "the wonderful organization of the American show," which to them was far more interesting than even the great performances. The clock-like manner in which everything around the show moved, including the feeding of the people, sanitary conditions and discipline so interested the principal officers that upon the night of the departure of the show several members of the general staff came tot he grounds and asked permission to witness the taking down of the tents, etc., making many notes regarding same. Another party put in the evening at the railway station watching our method of loading the trains with stock and baggage, and as one general remarked: “Gained many points in methods of transportation and handling a great organization or mobilizing forces of this kind.”

Some Stubborn Officials.

The balance of the journey through Germany was devoid of any particular event or incident with the exception of the entry of the show into the free town of "Braunschweig." At this point a condition of affairs confronted the management which had never before been presented in the history of the show, and which both press and public unanimously agreed could not occur in any but that old city, whose history alternates in describing its rise and decay. When the commission which was to examine and pass upon all of the arrangements for the reception of the public arrived, it was apparent that their antipathy to the show was already established.

As was customary in all foreign countries, a list of requirements and conditions were filed in advance of the show's arrival, and in this instance they had been passed upon without question; but when the officials came for inspection they demanded certain arbitrary conditions which were immediately met. But as fast as one obstacle was overcome another presented itself, and when they finally demanded that a steep incline plane should be made on every aisle reaching from the ground to the top of the seating arrangement, it was very evident that such a construction would be dangerous to the public as the inclines would be too steep and slippery for safety.

Mr. Bailey endeavored by every means to convince them of the folly of their demands, assuring them that the seats as erected were exactly the same as had been used for many years all over the world without accident of any kind. Finding that it was impossible to alter their determination to enforce their official prerogative, Mr. Bailey gave instructions to stop the advance sale of tickets and to notify the press and public that no performance would be given in "Braunschweig." This announcement created the greatest indignation on all sides, and the officials were strongly denounced by everybody. The advance sale of seats for the opening performance had already exhausted the supply, and when the intending patrons who had purchased their seats reached the grounds, only to be informed that their money would be refunded at the ticket wagon, it nearly precipitated a riot; but their indignation was not directed against the show. The daily press championed his cause and devoted columns in extolling Mr. Bailey and upbraiding the officials for their actions. No pleas or persuasions would cause the officials to change their silly requirements, and the great city of white tents which had been erected for the pleasure of the populace was taken down and moved to Hanover, the next regular stand, thus causing a loss of two days and without giving anything but the street parade in "Braunschweig."

The first tour in Germany in 1900 shows that the total number of cities visited was fifty-five; performances given, 380; lost shows on account of storms and other conditions, twenty-two; total distance traveled, 4,799 kilometers, or 3,000 English miles. The longest run from one city to another, 291 kilometers; the shortest, nineteen kilometers.

Into Austria.

Arrangements already having been made, immediately after the closing performance at Passau, Germany, on Saturday afternoon, November 10, the four special trains of the show were loaded and departed for Vienna, Austria. On arriving in that city, the work of unloading was quickly accomplished, and at 8 o'clock that night everything was snugly housed in the colossal imperial building known as the "Rotunda," which was to form the winter abode of the show and its people. The work of preparing this huge building, which was originally constructed as a portion of the International Exposition building of 1873, was enormous. It required three months of constant labor to put in a general heating plant, arrange the seating and make the building habitable for the winter months. George O. Starr, one of the managing directors of the show, busied himself in Vienna watching the progress of this work, seeing that everything was being done to conform to Mr. Bailey's instructions. The center of the Rotunda was originally built in the form of a circle, and it was here that the circus proper was given. The outside buildings, forming a square, were utilized for the stables, work shops and storerooms. Long rows of stalls were arranged for the horses, and wide promenades through the center permitted the horse show to be opened to the public, which proved one of the most interesting parts of the exhibition. Around the outer circle of the building cages of wild animals were placed, the space between being filled with raised stages, on which the living curiosities and other attractions were exhibited.

On Sunday, November 25, 1900, the first performance in Vienna was witnessed by a tremendous crowd, which applauded every act that entered the ring. This engagement will go down in history as being one of the most fashionable and altogether interesting amusement exhibitions ever given in any part of the world.

A Present from the Emperor.

Upon the 14th of January, 1901, at the beginning of the new century, Emperor Francis Joseph I. expressed his appreciation of the "Great Show" and the many courtesies extended to the members of the royal family and citizens of Vienna by Mr. Bailey, the managing director, by especially honoring him in the form of a handsomely worded letter of thanks for his extreme courtesy and generosity. The letter was accompanied by a glittering token of his esteem, which Mr. Bailey prized beyond all expression. It was a gold cigar case polished on both sides, relieved on one side by the imperial and royal crown, in raised and beautifully chased gold, in which appeared twenty-five brilliants and one ruby. Intertwined with these were the initials "F. J. I."; also in bas-relief in which forty-three brilliants were fixed. The catch was formed by a single sapphire of great size. A beautiful Morocco case snugly held the handsome gift, which came as a complete surprise to Mr. Bailey, who, irrespective of its great value, cherished it beyond description, for presents by and from emperors, to other than royal persons, are of infrequent occurrence. The news of the emperor’s gift was soon known on the streets and cabled all over the world.

The final performance in Vienna was set for February 24 and the management was in receipt of hundreds of letters asking that an extension of time be made, as the continental custom of advertising the closing days and then announcing an extension of an engagement had heretofore been in vogue. It was some time before the populace could be convinced that the closing date was positively fixed.

Upon the close of the Vienna season the work of restoring the "Rotunda" to its original condition was immediately begun and completed exactly as specified in the contract.

After closing the winter season in Vienna, the next prospective stand was Budapest, the thriving capital of the Hungarians, where the show opened on April 7 for the first performance under canvas in the year 1901. Twice every day thereafter during the stay in Budapest, as well as at nearly all other towns during the season, the patronage was nothing short of phenomenal. The advance advertising was a revelation everywhere. Billboards to display the big posters were erected in many places, while the windows of almost every store, even on the principal thoroughfares, were filled with lithographs. The erection of the tents always stimulated interest, while the newspapers were full of advance notices and praise.

The title of the show became so distorted on the large posters it was almost unrecognizable to anyone who had not known it by its English name, and if you would like to know how the "Greatest Show on Earth" looked in the Hungarian language I will give it to you as it was written - "a fold legnagyobb latvanyossaga" - and you will not wonder that our people were confused in trying to enlighten the natives as to what show they were traveling with, and the sideshow orators had to be changed in all the different countries in order to make their conversation intelligible to those who understood only mother tongue.

During the season 1901 the show visited all principal points in Hungaria, Slavonia, Croatia, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Holland, Belgium and again a large portion of Germany, closing the season at Mons, in Belgium, making a total of five great empires, in nearly all of which the presswork had to be translated and changed into as many different languages, although the. principal people with the show confined themselves to plain English and relied upon the interpretation of linguists to make their wants known.

The season covered a period of thirty-one weeks, during which time 125 cities were visited, 449 performances were given and the traveling totaled a distance of 11,110 kilometers, or about 6,905 miles, the longest run from one city to another being 241 kilometers, while the shortest distance was twenty-one kilometers.

Arrangements had already been completed for the show to winter in Paris and exhibit in the Palais des Machines, directly in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The last shows of the road season were given at Mons, on November 16 And 17, where three performances were witnessed by enthusiastic audiences in spite of very cold and inclement weather. Immediately after the close of the afternoon performance on the last day the work of packing up began and at 9:30 that night the last wagon was loaded on the trains ready for departure to Paris.

The Paris Engagement.

The winter engagement in Paris was but a repetition of the successes experienced in all other great cities where provision for long stays were made, and terminated in time to take up the regular tour through France in the spring, which covered all principal points in that country. Thus the journeys throughout the old world were completed. After having arranged to reship the railway cars and such other equipment as was not needed in this country, back to London and Stoke-on-Trent, for the purpose of handling the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show in Great Britain and over practically the same route as previously traveled by the Barnum and Bailey show, both of these shows were transported across the Atlantic, changing positions in territory and operation for the next four years, when the Buffalo Bill show was recalled to America after the death of Mr. Bailey.

The Only Accident.

During all these eventful journeys by land and sea only one accident of any consequence occurred, which speaks volumes, not only for the efficiency of our organization, but for the pains taken in transporting the show from point to point and the ample provisions made for the safety of all concerned.

Upon July 6, 1901, at Beuthen, Germany, one section of the show trains had pulled into the yard where the flat cars were detached and run upon an adjoining track ready for unloading. These stock cars were shunted on a short siding, at the lower end of which was a brick building belonging to the railway. Here they were to be unloaded and remain on the tracks during the stay of the show in that city. The second section of the train, composed of stock cars, carried the racing and performing horses, baggage stock and ponies and several flat cars. In the pony car several of the grooms were sleeping, among them William Smith superintendent of the ring stock with John Wilton and his son Willie Mr. Bailey's private coachman.

The third section, drawn by two locomotives, came into the yard at a speed of thirty to forty miles an hour, and instead of the engineer in charge following his instructions to “pull up" before entering the yards, to ascertain if the yard was clear before proceeding, he neglected to obey orders and dashed into the yard at full speed. As the switch had not been changed the third section run onto the same track and dashed into the stock and pony cars with terrific force, cutting the pony car in two in the center. Smith was hurled to one side and instantly killed, while Wilton and his son were thrown under the engine. The other groom's miraculously escaped death and managed to extricate themselves from the debris, some of them with serious injuries in the way of broken shoulders, wrists and legs.

Immediate assistance was given, but it was found that Smith was dead and that John Wilton, though alive, was fatally injured and, while he with the other injured men were hurried to the city hospital, he died at 7:30 that morning. Several of the most valuable performing stallions, race horses, baggage horses and five ponies made up the total number of animals killed on the spot, although many others were badly mangled and made valueless to the show. The men who were injured soon recovered from their painful bruises and in the course of a few weeks rejoined the show.

This accident happened shortly after 2 o'clock in the morning. The electric lights in the yard were burning brightly and it was just breaking day, so there was no excuse for the engineer failing to see the warning signals. When the engine telescoped the driving wheels continued to revolve until someone closed the throttle, which gave evidence that the engineer had neither shut off steam or reversed his lever. Therefore, there was but one cause for the accident, and that the gross carelessness of the railway employes, which the officials at once realized and opened negotiation for an adjustment for all claims for damages, and the final adjustment was satisfactorily made.

In spite of the serious events of the early morning, the show opened on time, although some of the horse acts had to be omitted or curtailed. Every attention was given the wounded men, and the bodies of those who were killed in the sad calamity were embalmed and shipped from Beuthen to their relatives in America.

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