Note Sheet 13, July 1944

Note Sheet, No. 13, July 15, 1944. Note: Only some articles are included in this online edition. Illustrations are not included.

Hargreaves Big Railroad Circus (20 cars) Season of 1904

Parade Line-up:

Mounted couriers with bugles
Band Chariot - 14 pieces, 8-horse hitch
Fourteen mounted riders - men and women
Tableau, two ponies
Tableau, two ponies
Tableau, two ponies
Tableau, six horses
Ten ponies - led
Cakewalking horse
Mexican rough riders - mounted
Clown Cart with donkey
Tableaus two horses
Tableau, two horses
Roman chariot - two horses
Roman chariot - two horses
Roman chariot - four horses
Tableau - two horses
Tableau - two horses
Tableau - four horses
Tableau - Oriental band and Oriental dancers - four horses.
Clown cart - drawn by pony
Clown cart - drawn by pony
Open den - tigers - four horses
Tableau - four horses
Clown cart - drawn by donkey
Open den - lions and trainer, four horses
Tableau - four horses
Tableau - four horses
Cakewalking horse - King Fire.
Band tableau 12 pieces - six horses
Clown cart - drawn by pony
Elephant - "Jumbo"
Camels.

Program - Robert Stickney Jr., Equestrian Director, Two rings, stage and track.

Grand opening spectacle
Prof. Barnes, with riding dog, Joe
Millie Barnes with riding monkey
Mabel Hall presenting the elephant "Jumbo"
Swinging Perch - Julia Orton
Double trapeze - Laxell Bros.
Nero - riding lion - Millie Barnes
Mary Lowande - female principal act
Prof, Barnes, dogs, ponies and goats
Lew Whittaker, performing donkeys
Barnard Orton - bounding rope
Will Hartwell,. bounding wire
Four Campbells, aerial return and casting act
Prof. Barnes - educated. ponies
Prof. Lockes, educated stallions
Johnnie Corella America's boy somersault principal rider
Single trapeze Nellie Leonard
Florence Troupe of 7 acrobats
Comic Mule Act - Prof. Barnes and William Felton
John Corella and son in "carrying act"
Hippodrome races - gents flat race, three horses; Clowns' sulkey race, three ponies; high jumping horses; ladies flat race, four; Roman standing race; horse against man, chariot race.
Educated Horse “King Fire” - Mabel Hall.

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Loss of the Steamer “Royal Tar” with a Menagerie Aboard - year 1836

The "Royal Tar," Captain Reed, inaugurated the first regular steam boat service between Maine and Nova Scotia (Canada) ports in 1836. She was a wooden side-wheeler, named for King William IV, and built at St. John, N.B., to run from that port to Portland, connecting there with the Boston steamers. She was 164 feet long, 24 feet beam, 400 tons, and cost $50,000. On her first trip in May 1836, she carried 200 passengers.

A few months later, on October 25th 1936, while enroute from St. John to Portland, the "Royal Tar" was destroyed by fire in Penobscot Bay near the Fox Islands. She had on board between 90 and 100 passengers, including her crew, and was transporting Burgess' collection of serpents, and birds and Dexter’s Museum and Band. (These combined shows had exhibited at, Belfast, Me., on June 6th 1836. See the Bandwagon for December 1943). On deck were an elephant and two camels, several horses, and a number of cages of animals belonging to the caravan. Thirty-two persons were lost of whom four were attached to the caravan.

S. A. Rowland, in his "Steamboat Disasters and Railroad Accidents in the United States" (1940) says, "The animals on board were an elephant, six horses, 2 dromedaries, 2 lionesses, 1 leopard, 1 Bengal tiger, 1 Gnu, a, pair of pelicans, and a number of other creatures belonging to the caravan besides Burgess’ collection of serpents and birds, Dexter's Locomotive (?) Museum, with its six horses and valuable contents, and all the musical instruments belonging to the band. The unfortunate caravan men were paid off at St. John and were bringing home the proceeds of their expedition in specie - all of which they lost, and were left penniless. Six horses belonging to the caravan, were backed overboard; three of them instinctively swam towards the nearest land; the other three swam around the boat until they sank, exhausted. A large elephant, belonging to the menagerie, having retreated to a part of the boat which the fire had not reached, mounted his fore-feet upon the rail, in which position he remained till about 4 o'clock - the fire having broken out at 2 p.m, - apparently calculating, with the characteristic sagacity of the animal, the prospects of escape, when it became too hot for him, and he leaped overboard, carrying with him, as he slid down the vessel's side - several of the passengers who were still clinging there. His immense weight probably carried him to the bottom ere he rose, as he re-appeared after some time, at a considerable distance. This animal also instinctively swam towards the nearest land; but as the boat was by this timer drifted four or five miles out to sea, he must have perished. The rest of the menagerie, consisting of the lions, tigers, etc., were allowed to become prey to the flames, as, on account of their ferocity, it was deemed dangerous to loose them."

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