Sells Bros. Great European

7 Elephant Railroad Show, 1878

Proprietors and Managers

Allen Sells, General Director
Ephraim Sells, Treasurer
Lewis Sells, General Manager
P. Sells, Director of Advance
Willis Cobb, Press Agent
Chas. Ewers, Equestrian Director
Richard Rivers, Master of Circle
Louis Heck, Musical Director
Richard Terrie, Manager of Side Show
Archie Seal, Manager Canvas
Thos. Bosworth, Manager Animal Department
Jacob Green, Master of Stock
Win. Folkner, Master Transportation

Advance Department

P. Sells, Jr., Director
Chas. Stowe, Assistant Director, also Newspaper Man
H. I. Leech, Contracting Agent
W. C. Allen, Chief Bill Poster
James Henderson, Lithographer
Foster Washburn, Middle Agent
And Twenty-one Bill Posters Traveling In their own Palace Traveling Car.

Prof. Louis Heck's Band

Louis Heck, Leader

Ed. Merkle	Dan Becker	John Horn	John Kunkle
John Horn	James Aiken	J. Becker	B. Heck
Gus. Stevens	Win. Cochran	Allie Simpson

Performers

Gents

Willis Cobb	Chas. Ewers	Newton Jasper	Thomas Jasper
Clint Jasper	James Kinkcade	Orrin Hollis	Willie Sells
John Davenport, Sr.	John Davenport, Jr.	Sam Rinehart	Fred Castle
John Wenfield	Wm. Gregory	Mat Green

Ladies

Mrs. Allen Sells	Mrs. Peter Sells	Mrs. Richard Rivers
Miss Viola Rivers	Mrs. Thomas Adams

Programme

Overture, Prof. Louis Heck's Silver Cornet Band
Grand Entre, Camels and Elephants
Nursing Baby Elephants Introduced by Willis Cobb
Song, Jno. L. Davenport
Leaps, Company and S. Rinehart, Champion Leaper
Ponies, Willie Sells
Willis Cobb's, Minature Circus
Miss Viola Rivers, In her Principal Act
The Three Milton Jaspers
Somersault Pad act (Riding), Oron Hollis
Dancing Barrel, C. J. Gregory
Four Horse Act, Chas. Ewers
Educated Dogs, Introduced by Willis Cobb
Balancing Trapeze, John Wingfield
Tumbling Feats, Company
Contortionist, Mat Green
Two Horse Act, Viola Rivers and Oron Hollis
Horizontal Bar, Wingfleld and Gregory
Bareback Act, Willie Sells, Champion Amateur Rider of the World
La Schelle Arcolite, Milton Jaspers
Bounding Jockey, Chas. Ewers
Comic Mules, Introduced by Willis Cobb

Privileges

Concert: Mrs. Nick White, Proprietress and Manager

Performers:

Mrs. Thos. Adams	John Davenport, Sr.	Wn. Cochran, Director
Col. John Murray	Joseph Davidson	Miss Viola Rivers
Mr. Tims. Adams

Ticket Sellers: Col. John Murray, Thos. Adams, G. Peters, Chas. White, Ed. White

Candy Stands: Mrs. Nick White, Proprietress and Manager

Mr. N. White	Mr. Chas. White	Wm. Case	Wm. Strickler
Charles Meator	J. Markey	Ed. Wilson	Wm. Woods
Gus Peters	Fred Clifford

Large Show Ticket Sellers: Wm. Sells, J. Epstein

Reserved Seats: Wm. Cast, Manager; Nick White, Proprietor

Ticket Sellers: Col. John Murray, Chas. White, Gus. Peters, Ed. White

Seating Capacity for three hundred and twenty people. All the Privilege, Candy Stands. Concert and Reserved Seats are managed and owned by Mrs. Nick White.

Steam Pianist, W. L. Keating

Animal Department

Thos. Bosworth, Master

Assistants: John Wakefield, Wm. Robey, John Kelley, T. Buckley, W. Perrie, W. Johnson

There are eighteen cages of animals, seven elephants, eight camels.

Canvas Department

Archie Seal, Master of Canvas
Mat Barbour, Assistant Canvas Manager

Canvas Men:

Joseph Morris	Dick Johnson	D. Watterman	A. Altman
P. Hadin	C. Van	M. Watterman	J. Marshall
C. Miens	O. Vantres	T. Marshall	J. Bainbridge
S. Robinson	C. King	J. Clark

The company generally runs from twenty to twenty-five workingmen; they come and go.
Size of Menagerie: 110 feet around top, three 30 feet middle pieces, four centre poles.
Size of Large Pavilion: 120 feet around top, one 50 feet middle piece, two centre poles.
Large Pavilion, Seating Capacity: Six Thousand, including reserves.

Solomon Shelley, Blacksmith

William Harrison, Carpenter

William Compton, Master of Lights; George Clark, Assistant

Stock Department

Jacob Green, Master of Stock

J. Hutchinson	M. Isdell	W. Wickoff	W. Cruse
J. Clark	G. Smith	H. Deacon	G. Miller
J. Hay	W. Wickersham	O. Hacket	J. Stone
W. Hill	J. Eckert	E. Coughlin	H. Williams
A. Scott	G. Foster	W. Pottin

Stock: Twelve head mules, twelve head ponies, seventy-six head horses. Three stables, each fifty feet oblong, five center poles each.

Transportation Department

Wm. Folkner, Maater of Transportation

Train Men:

S. Jones	W. Sherman	G. Griswold	W. Drugin
J. Halevet	L. Talbout	H. Jacobs	C. Wilgus
J. Donaldson	F. Pool	M. Wheland

Watchmen: H. O’Donald, H. Walcutt, J. Teesdale

Eighteen flat cars, seven stock cars, two elephant cars, five sleeping cars.

Property Department

Charles Welch, Master of Property
Assistants: Wm. Raymond, George Tompkins
Henry Hill, Master of Wardrobe; Charles Minner, Assistant

Hotel D’ European Department

Adam Ritter, Steward
Assistants: Charles Topfer, Nich. Rease, Wm. Nelson, Wm. Brown, John Wallenger, O. Goble Feeds ninety at each meal. Size canvas thirty-four feet oblong, five centre poles.

Side Show Department

Sells Bros, Proprietors
Richard Terry, Manager
Pat Miles, Ticket Agent
Ike Shippley, Ticket Agent
Francis Norton, Magician
John Minoot, Door Keeper
F. D. Coyle, Prof. Edison’s Phonograph

Curiosities: Chas. B. Tripp, Maggie Minott, Mary Persinger
John Flanagan, Canvasman
Size of Canvas: 30x60; four centre poles.

Procession

Prof. Louis Heck's Band In the Lead
People on Horseback
Eighteen Cages of Animals
Three Tableau Wagons
Three Clowns on Mules
Mardi Gras Figures on Horseback Tableau Wagon with a Small Elephant on Top
And last, a Steam Calliope
Making a long and grand appearance as it moved through the streets.

States	Cities	Dates
Ohio	Columbus	April 20
	Sunday
	Columbus	22
	Newark	23
	Zanesville	24
	Coshocton	25
	Urichsville	26
	Steubenville	27
	Sunday
	Bellaire	29
West Virginia	Wheeling	30
Pennsylvania	Birmingham	May 1
	East Liberty	2
	Allegheny	3, 4
	Sunday
	Uniontown	6
	McKeesport	7
	Connellsville	8
	Greensburg	9
	Blairsville	10
	Indiana	11
	Sunday
	Butler	13
	Kittanning	14
	Brookville	15
	Parker City	16
	Franklin	17
	Titusville	18
	Sunday
	Oil City	20
	Meadville	21
	Greenville	22
Ohio	Youngstown	23
Pennsylvania	Sharon	24
Ohio	Warren	25
	Sunday
	West Cleveland	27
	East Cleveland	28-29
	Wellington	30
	Galion	31
	Mechanicsburg	June 1
	Sunday
	Dayton	3
	Springfield	4
	Delaware	5
	Marlon	6
	Bellefontaine	7
	Sidney	8
	Sunday
Indiana	Union City	10
	Muncie	11
	Bluffton	12
	Fort Wayne	13
Ohio	Defiance	14
	Toledo	15
	Sunday
Indiana	Huntington	17
	Wabash	18
	Logansport	19
	Lafayette	20
	Attica	21
Illinois	Danville	22
	Sunday
	Decatur	24
	Springfield	25
	Jacksonville	26
	Taylorville	27
	Pana	28
	Flora	29
	Sunday
	Shawneetown	July 1
	Olney	2
Indiana	Salem	3
	Vincennes	4
	Washington	5
	Seymour	6
	Sunday
	Rushville
	Shelbyville	9
	Franklin	10
	North Vernon	11
	Columbus	12
	New Albany	13
	Sunday
Kentucky	Mt. Sterling	15
	Frankford	16
	Lexington	17
	Shelbyville	18
	Louisville	19-20
	Sunday
Indiana	Salem	22
	Bedford	23
	Bloomington	24
	Green Castle	25
	Crawfordville	26
	Terre Haute	28
	Sunday
	Rushville	29
	Frankford	30
	Kokomo	31
	Noblesville	August 1
	Peru	2
	Rochester	3
	Sunday
	Anderson	5
	Monticello	6
	Kentland	7
	Maro	8
	North Manchester	9
	Warsaw	10
	Sunday
	Goshen	12
Indiana	Elkhart	13
Michigan	Cold Water	14
	Albion	15
	Hillsdale	16
	Adrian	17
	Sunday
	Millford	19
	Bay City	20
	Midland City	21
	St. Louis	22
	East Saginaw	23
	Flint	24
	Sunday
	Plymouth	26
	Monroe	27
Ohio	Fremont	28
	Norwalk	29
	Elyria	30
	Medina	31
	Sunday	September 1
	Canal Dover	2
	Salem	3
	Ravenna	4
	Canton	5
	Bucyrus	6
	Upper Sandusky	7
	Sunday
	East Liverpool	9
	Barnesville	10
	Cambridge	11
	Caldwell	12
Water-bound	Water-bound	13-14
	Sunday
Ohio	Athens	16
West Virginia	Parkersburg	17
	Clarksburg	18
	Cameron	19
	Fairmount	20
	Grafton	21
	Sunday
	Piedmont	23
Maryland	Cumberland	24
West Virginia	Martinsburg	25
Maryland	Frederick City	26
Virginia	Winchester	27
	Harrisonburg	28
	Sunday
	Staunton	30
West Virginia	Woodstock	October 1
	Charlestown	2
Maryland	Front Royal	3
Virginia	Alexandria	4
Pennsylvania	Rockville	5
	Sunday
	Beadford	7
	Huntingdon	8
	Tyrone	9
	Clearfield	10
	Phillipsburg	11
	Bellefonte	12
	Sunday
	Emporium	14
	St. Mary's	15
	Warren	16
	Corry	17
	Erie	18
Ohio	Conneaut	19
	Sunday
	Ashtabula	21
	Painesville	22
	New London	23
	Shelby	24
	Cardington	25
	Marysville	26
	Columbus	27

Total:

Cities - 158 States - 26 Miles - 7,224

Remarks

    The opening of the season of 1878 of Sells Bros. Seven Elephant Rail Road Show, Circus and Menagerie, at Columbus, Ohio, April 20, has been an eventful one, it being their first season by rail. Transporting their cages, paraphernalia, baggage and people over the road by rail on thirty-four cars, at times one train and again, divided, making two trains. The cars were constructed by the United States Rolling Stock Company, at Chicago, Ill., and made a grand appearance flying along over the road from city to city. The season proved a paying and good one to the managers, proving also the advantages railroading has over wagons, in early to town, plenty of rest to all, and a readiness in the people to work hard to please the managers and the vast audiences we have had during the season. Accidents were few.
    At Birmingham, Pa.. May 1st. the train in passing the depot struck the end of it, causing three cages to fall off the track. The rhinoceros den in falling burst open and let loose his majesty, the rhinoceros. He was startled, but for a second. When he tore down the track, trying to see if the locomotive was stronger than he was, he caused a panic among the good people, but was captured and put in a car for safe keeping until his cage was repaired.
    At Canal Dover, O., Sept. 2. had a severe storm, blow and hard rain and almost a conflagration. The band wagon was badly scorched, all the paint burnt off one end, but it was soon painted again.
    Caldwell, O., Sept. 12. Opened there, made one show and then tore down; rained all day and all night, causing a flood all around the country, washed away culverts and tracks, and making bridges unsafe between Caldwell and Marietta, O.; remained at Caldwell. Sept. 13th and 14th, and left on the morning of the 15th of September - Sunday.
    Arrived at Athens, O.. in the evening at 7:30 P. M.; lost two stands - Marietta. Sept 13 and Chillicothe, Sept. 14.
    The elephant cars jumped the track after leaving Caldwell Sunday morning and caused some jumping among the men. jumping from the top of the car to the ground. One sprained his ankle, but was soon out again.
    Had a severe wind storm at Tyrone, Oct. 9; blew down large canvas; pulled down seats in large canvas and badly tore up the menagerie canvas; run in the cages and put up the side wall around them, with no top; put up seats - extending to the ring from the cages and gave a performance. In the blow down the black bear escaped and caused a panic among the people waiting around until the door opened, but was captured and brought back. The side show was blown down, but soon put up again. In the evening the menagerie and round top were put up and we gave an evening performance. The hills and tree tops were full of people looking at the performance, paying no fee to do so, as we had no top in the afternoon performance.
    Erie, Pa., Oct. 18. - Heavy rain storm all day: made procession after dinner, at one o'clock. Two elephants broke from the procession and made a tour of the city, all by themselves, causing a panic in the streets among pedestrians who came In their way. They missed their babies, who were in the car, out of the rain and cold. The lioness Julia gave birth to three little babies. One of them will be named after its birthplace - Erie. They are little beauties.

What They Say of Us

    From scores of notices, equally complimentary to the magnificent Seven Elephant Menagerie and Circus of the Sells Bros., which exhibited at Erie on Friday, Oct. 18, we have room for the following:
    Sells’ Seven Elephant Show brought to Brookville the largest crowd we have ever seen upon its streets, and we do not think there was a single individual in all the vast throng that witnessed the street parade, or the performance in the arena that went away disappointed. The show is first-class in every respect, far above the average. The proprietors and employees are courteous, honorable and obliging; the management is prompt Ii meeting its obligations, and gambling devices are not allowed upon the grounds. - Brookville (Pa.) Democrat.
    Great liberality, originality and ingenuity are displayed in its street pageant, which seems to compass the limits of possibility in that direction and give an excellent Idea of what comes after for pay. The menagerie is very large and complete and notably cosmopolitan. The circus troupe is an unusually large one and combines a wide diversity of talent. The bareback riding of the best and the various gymnastic feats command continued applause. Willis Cobbs' educated dogs, monkeys and goats give most entertaining and laughable variety to the programme. - Allegheny (Pa.) Daily Mail.

Remarks to the Press

    Also the management thank the press generally throughout the States we have been in for their liberal advertising and many kind notices we have had in their papers.
    We have had but little sickness. Some suffered with chills and fever and rheumatism, but were soon about again, and now sickness among the people is unknown, and all are hearth and well and well pleased with the season of 1878. I will close my remarks by thanking the management, in the name of the people, for their kindness and for making everything as comfortable as possible. One and all good bye, and a safe journey home.

Yours respectfully, W. L. Keating, Publisher.

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Last modified October 2010.