by Jerry Apps
It became a Ringling tradition that at the end of the season, chef E. C. Hailey would serve up a special meal for all the employees. In 1893 the keeper of the route book described the bittersweet event: “The band plays, ‘Home, Sweet Home,’ and the hundreds who have lived together for six long months as one great family scatter to the four winds of the heavens.”64
Farewell Dinner Menu
Soups: Cream of chicken with rice. Tomato.
Fish: Baked white fish. Egg sauce. Boiled trout. Cream sauce.
Boiled Meats: Boiled leg of mutton. Caper sauce. Beef. Horse Radish Sauce.
Roast Meats: Roast beef. Brown gravy. Pork roast. Apple sauce. Roast Lamb. Green peas. Roast veal dressing.
Poultry: Boiled fowl. Oyster sauce. Roast duck dressing. Roast chicken dressing.
Entre: Kidney stew. Mutton stew. Maccaroni [sic] and cheese.
Vegetables: Green corn. Mashed potatoes. Baked sweet potatoes. Stewed tomatoes. Stewed onions with cream.
Dessert: Chocolate cake. Cream cake. Coconut Cake. Green apple pie. Lemon pie. Peaches. Oranges. Grapes. Nuts.
Refreshments: Coffee. Tea. Ice tea. Milk.65
The Ringling circus ended its season in Havana, Illinois. Despite the depression and competition from the World’s Fair, the Ringlings’ gross income for the 1893 season was $318,451 (138 stands) compared with $328,878 in 1892 (153 stands). The average income per stand in 1893 ($2,308) was higher than in 1892 ($2,149).66
Back in Baraboo the Brothers once again rented the old City Hotel on Water Street for the winter, put away their animals and equipment, and immediately began planning for the coming year. Could they top their 1893 season?
In 1894 the World’s Fair was over, but the depression continued. The Ringling Bros. World’s Greatest Shows, now with thirty-nine cars and three advance cars, opened in Baraboo on April 28 and then went on to the Midwest, East, Northeast, and South. Crowds were good, the weather tolerable. They competed with Sells Brothers Show in Iowa and won hands down. Alf T. later described the May 28 show in Des Moines: “In spite of the fact that the big top had been enlarged for the occasion by the addition of an extra center-pole and many extra seats, it was utterly impossible, both at the afternoon and night performances, to furnish seats for all of the thousands, and many occupied standing room.”67
While the circus was traveling in Iowa, one of the property wagons caught fire when the train was moving, most likely caused by sparks from the steam locomotive. “It was a novel sight to see our train speeding along at the rate of twenty miles an hour while the large wagon was in flames.” The fire was put out before it spread.68
Crowds continued to be good to excellent. It was the Ringlings’ first time in several eastern states and their first time in the South. Alf T. wrote: “Our first stand in Texas is a corker. People here are overcome with the merit of the World’s Greatest Shows, and welcome the change from the inferior concerns that have been playing this region so long.”69 Nothing like a little self-congratulation. But the boasting was well earned. It had been a stroke of genius to take the circus to Texas, where they played twenty-two dates and did extremely well. In Dallas in mid-October, even with extra seats, the Ringlings had to close the doors at 1:30 and give evening show tickets or refund money to nineteen hundred people. That evening’s show sold out as well.
They also did outstanding business in Louisiana and Mississippi. They expanded their 1894 season to 175 stands, the most yet, and were on the road for 205 days. They closed in Water Valley, Mississippi, on Saturday, November 17, and were back in Baraboo the following Tuesday.
Not only did the Ringlings have more stands in 1894, but the average gross receipts for each stand were higher than in the previous two years. They took in $5,858 in Dallas, their biggest day so far. They brought in $4,829 in Fort Worth on October 17, $5,143 in Waco on October 24, and $5,019 in San Antonio on October 30. Earlier in the year, their biggest day had been May 2 in Davenport, Iowa, where daily receipts were $4,596.70
Ringling Average Daily Gross Receipts
1891: $1,445
1892: $2,149
1893: $2,308
1894: $2,48471
Gross income for the 1894 season was $419,768—the largest amount ever for the Brothers. Of course, expenses were up, too, although the salary for most circus workers remained at fifty cents a day, with board and a bunk on the train included.
One Day’s Expenses: Fort Dodge, Iowa, June 5, 1894
Transferring cars: $75
Billboards: $100
License: $100
Oil: $3.75
Sledge hammer handles: $8.25
Hay: $7.00
Hotel: $178.25
Shears: $.85
Gasoline [for lights]: $14.34
Animal feed: $55.25
Lot permit: $25.00
Meat: $5.25
Cook house: $116.65
Livery: $44.50
Police fines [details unknown]: $25.00
Newspaper ads: $80.00
Total Expenses for Fort Dodge, Iowa: $839.09 [excluding salaries]
Receipts for Fort Dodge, Iowa: $2,677.95
Profit for Fort Dodge, Iowa, excluding salaries: $1,83872
Using the conservative 40 percent profit figure, the Ringlings netted approximately $168,000 (about $3.2 million in 2002 dollars) for the 1894 season.
Five years on the rails had placed the Ringling Brothers among the top circuses in the nation. Even during a severe depression they attracted thousands of people to their shows. They had demonstrated that they could compete in the eastern and northeastern states, as well in the South and as far west as Texas. And their solid midwestern support never wavered.
They had suffered blowdowns, a devastating train wreck, and a lightning storm that killed several people, yet they persevered, always with an eye toward becoming larger, entertaining more people, and making more money.
Now, as they faced the last five years of the century, it seemed nothing stood in their way. They had both reputation and monetary resources, and all seven brothers were involved, contributing their unique skills and honing their expertise. When the city of Baraboo welcomed the Brothers home in the fall of 1894, a local newspaper man wrote:
“The Ringlings are home again!” was the good news heralded about town Tuesday afternoon. The four large trains bringing their paraphernalia and many of the people connected with the show rolled into Baraboo between one and two o’clock Tuesday afternoon [November 20], and as usual many eager spectators were on hand to take a look at the outfit and to greet the proprietors and resident employees of whose faces Baraboo people never tire. Upon the arrival of the show one could not avoid thinking that the Ringlings were certainly born lucky, and we’re glad of it. All went well again during the entire season, which will go on the records of these successful show managers as the best of all.73
The circus was contributing considerably to the economy of the community, and the Ringling boys were local heroes. But big changes were about to take place that would affect Baraboo and would have a great impact on the future successes of the Ringling Brothers.
Noncompete Agreements
One way the Ringlings sought to lessen competition with other circuses was to sign noncompete agreements with other shows—a fairly common practice among circuses at the time. For instance, on June 8, 1893, the Ringlings signed a noncompete agreement with the Adam Forepaugh Show, which agreed to cancel appearances in all Wisconsin towns, the Red River Valley, and all towns north of Minneapolis except St. Cloud, Willmar, and Litchfield. The Forepaugh show also agreed not to advertise in Mankato, Minneapolis, or St. Cloud, Minnesota, until after the Ringlings had played the towns. The Ringlings agreed to not play in any towns west of the Mississippi River except Mankato, Minneapolis, and St. Cloud. The document also specified that it “be treated strictly confidential between the parties hereto.” The fine for violating the agreement was set at $20,000.1
In 1894 the Ringlings struck a similar agree
ment with Barnum & Bailey. The Ringlings agreed not to show in a specified list of towns in Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri. Barnum & Bailey agreed not to show in specified towns in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Kansas. The Ringlings also agreed not to “circulate or cause to be circulated any advertisements of any kind or description” in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island during the 1894 season.2
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NOTES
1. Noncompete Agreement, June 8, 1893, Adam Forepaugh Show and Ringling Brothers, CWM.
2. Noncompete Agreement, March 7, 1894, Barnum and Bailey and Ringling Brothers Shows, CWM.
A Giant Emerges: 1895–1899
“The unrivaled success of the World’s Greatest Shows in Chicago and on the road had aroused the expectations of the amusement-loving people of St. Louis to a fever heat.”1
The economic depression dragged on into 1895 and wouldn’t be over until 1897. But the Ringlings, fortified by their successful 1894 season, were already looking past the depression. How could they surpass what they had accomplished the previous year? How could they become an even greater presence in the circus world and take the undisputed lead?
As the Brothers looked ahead to the coming years, they saw the Barnum & Bailey circus as their major competitor. For several years Barnum & Bailey had opened their season indoors at their open-air building in New York City, the “Monster Hippodrome,” later renamed Madison Square Garden. The Ringlings considered opening indoors in the Midwest. They could start their season a month earlier and thus earn more money. Showing indoors for an extended time would also help performers perfect their acts before going on the road. Indoor shows wouldn’t require putting up and taking down tents each day; there would be no railroad expenses moving from town to town; and the show would require fewer employees than when on the road.
Early in February 1895 the Brothers announced that they had leased the Tattersall’s building, an exhibition hall for horse shows, in downtown Chicago. The show would play there April 6–28. It was the first time that a circus show, menagerie, and hippodrome track would be under one roof in Chicago. The Ringlings had never exhibited in Chicago and had never shown in one place for more than a few days, so the Brothers were taking a risk. Would city people attend a circus? For three weeks?
The Tattersall people quickly began remodeling the building for the Ringlings, adding opera chairs, reconstructing entrances, setting aside a section under the seating platforms for the menagerie, and hanging five thousand flags of many nations under the building’s dome.2 The show would include two rings (a third would be added in succeeding years) plus an elevated stage.
An 1895 Ringling Brothers’ poster announced the “Largest Living Hippopotamus in Captivity.” POSTER COLLECTION, CWM
In 1895 the Ringlings opened their show season indoors for the first time, appearing at the Tattersall’s building in Chicago. By opening indoors in April they could extend their season by several weeks. They would open at Tattersall’s for several years. COURIER COLLECTION, CWM
The Ringlings added several new features to their 1895 show. They formed a forty-eight-member band and hired world-famous musical director Signor Alessandra Liberati to present an hour-long band concert at 1:00 and 7:00 each day. They offered several new European circus acts in addition to their already-popular acts, such as Mike Rooney’s somersault riding act and their famous clowns. They also hired Speedy, a human high diver, for the last week in Chicago to keep attendance high. Speedy dove about eighty feet from the dome of the roof into a tank of water about three-and-a-half feet deep and miraculously survived each time.3 The Ringlings now had fifteen elephants, eight camels, their famous “gigantic giraffe,” a hippopotamus, and a yak—in all, twenty-four cages of wild animals. They had forty-four railcars and three advance cars.
Five Brothers in a Row
The “five brothers in a row” image was developed around 1898. It became one of the most recognizable icons in show business. COURIER COLLECTION, CWM
The Ringlings began using an image of the five partner brothers as their signature logo in 1888 on their employee contracts, when only Al and Otto wore mustaches, and John, Charles, and Alf T. were clean shaven.1 An 1890 ad displayed the five brothers in pinwheel fashion, with one brother in the center and one at each corner. Now each had a mustache.2 In 1891 the five mustachioed brothers were presented in a horizontal row.3
Their signature image, with Alf T. in the upper-left corner and Charles in the lower right, was developed about 1898. In this photo each had the same expression, each had a similar moustache, and each was wearing a standup white collar. There was a striking similarity among the five, which was surely the intent. When someone saw an ad, a poster, correspondence, or anything associated with the Ringling show, there were the likenesses of the five partners, all in a formidable row. The picture became their trademark.
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NOTES
1. Ringling Brothers contract, April 3, 1888, Pfening collection and CWM.
2. Reproduction in Bandwagon, March–April 1984.
3. New York Clipper, August 1, 1891, p. 362.
The first two sections of the huge show left Baraboo the evening of March 23, 1895, and arrived in Chicago the next day. The last two sections, which largely included the baggage horses and the menagerie, arrived in Chicago on March 27.4 On Thursday evening, April 4, the Ringlings mounted their first-ever night parade. It was reported that four hundred thousand people saw the extravaganza of horses, wagons, wild animals, elephants, and circus performers.5
The show opened at Tattersall’s Saturday evening, April 6. The usual posters, newspaper ads, and news stories announced the gala event throughout the city. A local writer had this to say about the show:
The present experiment for the Ringling Brothers might have been a most costly one had the circus been less meritorious. The preliminary expenses were large, more than the lay reader would perhaps believe if the figures were given. The opening night proved a happy (predicator) of all the nights and days which followed. The Ringlings doubtless figured on the possibility of dropping some money here. As a matter of fact they will leave here several thousand dollars to the good, with an enhanced reputation, and the knowledge that the success of the Chicago engagement is already heralded through the territory they make in the immediate future.6
As the Ringling Brothers Circus grew, so did their concert band. The 1895 Military Concert Band comprised forty-eight musicians and was led by Alessandra Liberati. Circus goers could take in the exotic menagerie, the spectacular circus show, and a preshow concert of classical music, all for one fifty-cent ticket. F. BEVERLY KELLEY COLLECTION, CWM
The Ringlings spent twenty-three days in Chicago and put on forty-five performances. Their gross receipts were $52,157; the average daily take was $2,267.7
The Ringlings now had confirmation that not just farm and small-town people were attracted to their show. No matter where they lived, people loved the Ringling Brothers Circus. After Chicago the Ringlings loaded their trains and went under canvas April 30 in Ottawa, Illinois. They showed in St. Louis May 6–11. Alf T. Ringling later wrote, “The unrivaled success of the World’s Greatest Shows in Chicago and on the road had aroused the expectations of the amusement-loving people of St. Louis to a fever heat, and the six days’ visit to the metropolis of Missouri was one continuous ovation.”8 The show took in $22,803 for the six-day run, with average daily receipts of $3,800.9
Ringling Organization, 1895
By 1895 the Ringlings employed 775 people. The various functions of the circus business were headed by managers, who each supervised up to several hundred employees. About seven hundred people traveled with the show; approximately one hundred of them were performers, and the rest were in labor and support roles. Another seventy-five worked in the advance and advertising department.
Departments
Music, William F. W
eldon (eighty-three performers, including a ten-person sideshow band, forty-nine-piece military concert band, and twenty-four-piece Grand Circus Band).
Transportation, Robert Taylor (thirty-one men responsible for railroad operations).
Canvas Department, John “Happy Jack” Snellen (205 men responsible for putting up and taking down sixteen tents, including erecting seats and constructing rings).
Horse Department, Spencer “Delavan” Alexander, Boss Hostler (114 men including teamsters, grooms, pony boys, stable men, blacksmiths, a harness maker, and a wagon repairer; Mr. Rhoda Royal was in charge of ring stock, the performing horses).
Menagerie, James Rafferty (twenty men who cared for twenty-four cages of exotic animals and birds, plus camels, sacred cattle, and elephants; Mr. Pearl Souder had specific responsibility for the fifteen elephants).
Properties, Charles Miller (twenty-two men responsible for show performance equipment).
Wardrobe, W. W. Rees (seven employees responsible for keeping all costumes in good repair).
Chandelier Department (lights), Charles W. Roy (seven men).
Dining Department, E. C. Haley (fifty-three men prepared and served three meals a day for all the employees).
Refreshment Department, A. E. Parsons (twelve men). Privately operated by Parsons, who paid a percentage to the Ringlings to sell pink lemonade, peanuts, cigars, and the like to the circus audiences.
Ticket Department, Otto Ringling (twenty-seven men); Henry Ringling was Big Show door tender.
Sleeping Car Department, Paul Cunningham (nine men).