On the Road With a Circus

by William Carter Thompson

We showed two days in Pittsburg and there was afforded an opportunity to witness the wealth of resource, the courage, the tactful skill and the untiring energy of the man. All went smoothly and serenely the first day. Then came Saturday, when the workmen of the circus received their weekly pay. Across the street from the tents was a combined saloon and hotel, which at once became the focus of dissipation. A wave of inebriety seemed to sweep in upon teamsters and canvasmen. One by one they became extremely drunk and reduced new-found friends to the same condition. By night all order and decency had been abandoned and they stood about the bar or lot shouting and swearing, and making threats with knives or clubs. The season was just beginning and time had been too short for a discovery and weeding out of the tough characters among the help. The owner was making a hurried visit to his home, three hundred miles distant, and the general manager met the critical situation alone. How he managed to conduct the performance, to break camp with the few employees who remained staunch and true, and to load the trains and move out of the city, none of our feeble brains could ever grasp. But he accomplished it without serious delay, without an affray of consequence, and with a finish and skill which veiled from the public the fact that anything out of the usual was happening. Before the start from the railroad yard there was a careful and systematic count of men, stock, wagons, baggage and apparatus, for some of the drivers, continuing the debauch, had deserted their horses and vehicles in front of saloons. All were finally rounded up. The transgression cost seventy-five men their positions, and for the rest of the season other circuses marvelled at our state of grace and piety.

The general manager is rich in worldly possessions and free with cash and credit. When one’s supply of money runs short, from “butcher” to man of high rank, he turns for temporary relief to his more fortunate and more provident comrade. His wants are always supplied, except in isolated instances, for not to pay a just debt entails the blight of universal condemnation and loss of confidence and honor. It is in winter, when the general manager is hiding from mankind in a Florida shelter, that the demands come fast and urgent and never pass unheeded. For then it is that the thriftless circus man, who knows no business except that which warm weather provides, is in a pecuniary predicament. The manager’s bounty extends to his friends in all parts of the country, but a few weeks of the next season sees it returned to him with grateful appreciation.

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CHAPTER XV
AMERICAN CIRCUS TRIUMPHANT

OFFICIAL ROUTE
CIRCUS
[Sample Itinerary]

Date	Town	State	Railroad	Miles
Apr. 2-19	New York	N. Y.
	Sunday
“ 21-26	Philadelphia	Penn.	Penn. R. R.	99
	Sunday
“ 28-29	Baltimore	Md.	“	113
“ 30	} Washington	D. C.	“	50
May 1
“ 2	Hagerstown	Md.	B. & O. R. R.	77
“ 3	Cumberland	“	“	124
	Sunday
“ 5	Clarksburg	W. Va.	“	124
“ 6	Fairmount	“	“	32
“ 7	Connellsville	Penn.	“	70
“ 8	Washington	“	“	96
“ 9-10	Pittsburg	“	“	42
	Sunday
“ 12	Johnstown	“	Penn. R. R.	79
“ 13	Altoona	“	“	39
“ 14	Lewistown	“	“	75
“ 15	York	“	“	97
“ 16	Reading	“	“	89
“ 17	Pottsville	“	“	36
	Sunday
“ 19	Wilkesbarre	“	“	118
“ 20	Scranton	“	C. R. R. of N. J.	18
“ 21	Allentown	“	“	103
“ 22	Easton	“	“	17
“ 23	Elizabeth	N. J.	“	62
“ 24	Jersey City	“	Penn. R. R.	14
	Sunday
“ 26-31	Brooklyn	N. Y.	Ferry
June 2	Paterson	N. J.	Erie R. R.	17
“ 3	Newburg	N. Y.	“	47
“ 4	Kingston	“	West Shore	32
“ 5	Schenectady	“	“	70
“ 6	Gloversville	“	W. S. F. J. & G.	37
“ 7	Utica	“	N. Y. C. & H. R.	61
	Sunday
“ 9	Poughkeepsie	“	“	165
“ 10	Danbury	Conn.	N. Y. N. H. & H.	63
“ 11	Ansonia	“	“	30
“ 12	Meriden	“	“	31
“ 13	Holyoke	Mass.	N. Y. N. H. & H.-B. & M.	49
“ 14	Greenfield	“	B. & M.	38
	Sunday
“ 16	Gardner	“	“	40
“ 17	Lowell	“	“	13
“ 18	Lawrence	“	“	13
“ 19	Concord	N. H.	“	45
“ 20	Manchester	“	“	18
“ 21	Haverhill	Mass.	“	33
	Sunday
“ 23	Portsmouth	N. H.	“	33
“ 24	Biddeford	Me.	“	43
“ 25	Portland	“	“	15
“ 26	Lewiston	“	Grand Trunk	35
“ 27	Berlin	N. H.	“	74
“ 28	Sherbrooke	Quebec	“	99
	Sunday
“ 30	Montreal	“	C. P.	102
July 1	“	“	“
“ 2	Valleyfield	“	C. P. & C. A.
“ 3	Ottawa	Ont.	C. A.	52
“ 4	Cornwall	“	N. Y. & O.	85
“ 5	Kingston	“	Grand Trunk	57
	Sunday
“ 7	Belleville	“	“	51
“ 8	Peterboro	“	“	64
“ 9	Barrie	“	“	88
“ 10	Toronto	“	“	64
“ 11	Hamilton	“	“	39
“ 12	Brantford	“	“	27
	Sunday
“ 14	Guelph	“	“	36
“ 15	Stratford	“	“	40
“ 16	Woodstock	“	“	23
“ 17	London	“	“	29
“ 18	St. Thomas	“	L. E. & D. R.	15
“ 19	Chatham	“	Grand Trunk	62
	Sunday
“ 21	Buffalo	N. Y.	“	186
“ 22	Rochester	“	N. Y. C. & H. R.	69
“ 23	Geneva	“	“	51
“ 24	Auburn	“	“	26
“ 25	Cortland	“	Lehigh V’y	43
“ 26	Binghamton	“	D. L. & W.	43
	Sunday
“ 28	Ithaca	“	“	55
“ 29	Elmira	“	“	70
“ 30	Williamsport	Penn.	Penn. Line	78
“ 31	Lock Haven	“	“	25
Aug. 1	Dubois	“	“	101
“ 2	Butler	“	“	122
	Sunday
“ 4	Wheeling	W. Va.	B. & O.	110
“ 5	Zanesville	Ohio	“	83
“ 6	Mansfield	“	“	87
“ 7	Lima	“	P. Ft. W. & C.	86
“ 8	Springfield	“	D. S.	67
“ 9	Columbus	“	Big Four	45
	Sunday
“ 11	Piqua	“	P. C. C. & St. L.	73
“ 12	Richmond	Ind.	“	47
“ 13	Indianapolis	“	“	68
“ 14	Anderson	“	Big Four	36
“ 15	Marion	“	“	33
“ 16	Logansport	“	P. C. C. & St. L.	40
	Sunday
“ 18	Springfield	Ill.	Wabash	195
“ 19	Jacksonville	“	“	34
“ 20	Quincy	“	“	87
“ 21	Keokuk	Iowa	Burlington	43
“ 22	Burlington	“	“	43
“ 23	Galesburg	Ill.	“	40
	Sunday
“ 25	Kewanee	“	“	32
“ 26	Sterling	“	“	92
“ 27	Aurora	“	C. & N. W.	70
“ 28	Elgin	“	“	27
“ 29	Racine	Wis.	“	72
“ 30	Waukesha	“	“	42
	Sunday
Sept. 1	Marinette	“	“	205
“ 2	Green Bay	“	“	52
“ 3	Oshkosh	“	“	48
“ 4	Janesville	“	“	103
“ 5	Freeport	“	C. M. & S. P.	50
“ 6	Rock Island	Ill.	“	93
	Sunday
“ 8	Peoria	“	C. R. I. & P.	100
“ 9	Lincoln	“	C. & A.	93
“ 10	Pontiac	“	“	64
“ 11	Bloomington	“	“	35
“ 12	Danville	“	Big Four	80
“ 13	Lafayette	Ind.	Wabash	47
	Sunday
“ 15	Huntington	“	“	84
“ 16	Defiance	Ohio	“	84
“ 17	Toledo	“	“	29
“ 18	Findlay	“	T. & O. C.	44
“ 19	Bellefontaine	“	Big Four.	63
“ 20	Dayton	“	“	58
	Sunday
“ 22	Chillicothe	“	C. H. & D.	81
“ 23	Athens	“	B. & O. S. W.	60
“ 24	Charleston	W. Va.	T. & O. C.	103
“ 25	Huntington	“	C. & O.	50
“ 26	Mt. Sterling	Ky.	“	107
“ 27	Lexington	“	“	33
	Sunday
“ 29	Chattanooga	Tenn.	I. & C.	254
“ 30	Tullahoma	“	N. C. & St. L.	82
Oct. 1	Nashville	“	“	69
“ 2	Paris	“	“	117
“ 3	Jackson	“	“	80
“ 4	Memphis	“	“	85
	Sunday
“ 6	Tupelo	Miss.	K. C. S. F. & M.	105
“ 7	Birmingham	Ala.	“	146
“ 8	Anniston	“	Southern	64
“ 9	Rome	Georgia	“	| 62
“ 10	Atlanta	“	“	74
“ 11	Athens	“	S. A. L.	73
	Sunday
“ 13	Augusta	“	S. A. L.-C. & W. C.	119
“ 14	Anderson	S. C.	C. & W. C.	103
“ 15	Greenwood	“	C. & W. C.-S. A. L.	63
“ 16	Greenville	“	Southern	59
“ 17	Spartanburg	“	“	32
“ 18	Charlotte	N. C.	“	70
	Sunday
“ 20	Wilmington	“	S. A. L.	187
“ 21	Florence	“	A. C. L.	110
“ 22	Columbia	“	“	82
“ 23	Sumter	“	“	43
“ 24	Charleston	“	“	94
“ 25	Savannah	Georgia	“	115
	Sunday
“ 27	Jacksonville	Florida	A. C. L.	172
“ 28	Waycross	Georgia	“	75
“ 29	Valdosta	“	“	59
“ 30	Thomasville	“	“	45
“ 31	Albany	“	“	58
Nov. 1	Americus	“	C. of G.	36
	Sunday
“ 3	Macon	“	“	70
“ 4	Columbus	“	“	100
“ 5	Montgomery	Ala.	“	95
“ 6	Selma	“	W. of Ala.	50
“ 7	Meridian	Miss.	M. & O.	73
“ 8	West Point	“	Ill. Ct. Y. & M. V.	9
	Sunday
“ 10	Kosciusko	“	Y. & M. V.	70
“ 11	Greenwood	“	“	73
“ 12	Greenville	“	“	132
“ 13	Vicksburg	“	“	82
“ 14	Ft. Gibson	“	“	30
“ 15	Baton Rouge	La.	“	116
	Sunday
“ 17	New Orleans	“	“	89
“ 18	“	“	“
“ 19	“	“	“

Home Sweet Home 1,015 miles via I. C., B. & O., S. & W., and B. & O. R. R.

Summary: Number of miles travelled, 11,569. Number of States and Provinces visited, 26. Number of towns visited, 167.

TRANSFERRING FROM WATER TO RAIL.