Tuesday, August 19, 2014

BARNUM'S ENORMOUS NEW SHOW



Cortland Democrat advertisement for B. T. Barnum's show.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, August 5, 1887.
Barnum’s Enormous New Show.
The Barnum and London United Circus to Astonish Everyone.
   To be considered of importance in these days of modern inventions and appliances, one must keep abreast of the times in which we live. That is what has made B. T. Barnum famous the world over, and made his show the greatest on earth. He has everything in his exhibition that is new, and every act or novelty, animal, bird, or feature that has been invented, discovered, or unearthed in any part of the world is to be found under the big tents of his show— the Barnum and London United Ten shows.
   This season the show is larger in size and richer in novelties than ever before in its history, and has grown to such monstrous proportions that its 100 acts can be exhibited in nothing less than 4 rings, and its 300 expert performers are distributed all over the space allotted for the performances, in the air, the rings, hippodrome track, and every part of the ten acres covered by the big canvas. The show this year consists of a triple circus three companies—museum of living wonders, two menageries, aviary; elephant pavilion, with a herd of elephants ranging in size from a dwarf to a mammoth; Roman hippodrome races, elevated stage performances; the remarkably lifelike reproduction of Jumbo, and his enormous skeleton, mounted by Prof. H. A. Wood, of Rochester; Alice, the disconsolate widow of Jumbo, from the Royal Zoological Gardens, London; the wonderful hairy family from Burmah, King Theebaw's mascots; Captain Paul Boyton's aquatic performances in a specially constructed lake of clear water; the flying gymnasium; hosts of European novelties, herds of giant camels, 500 Norman draught horses, ponies, etc., 35 golden carved chariots, 79 railroad cars, 7 advertising cars, 800 people; all told, a daily expense of $7,000, and a capital of $4,000,000. The street parade, which can be compared to nothing of its kind ever seen before, represents $1,500,000 in solid cash, and will take place at 8 o'clock in the morning on Monday, August 15th, 1887, and two performances will be given, at 2 and 8 P. M.

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