Bandwagon, August 1956

Bandwagon, Vol. 5, August, 1956. Note: Only some articles are included in this online edition. Illustrations are not included. The Circus Historical Society does not guarantee the accuracy of information contained in the information in these online articles. Information should always be checked with additional sources.

With The Greatest Show On Earth

By John G. Quinius. Bandwagon, Vol. 5, August, 1956, pp. 6-7.

Written in 1900 by John G. Quinius, Furnished the Band Wagon by his son Herman M. Quinius, CFA of Bette Leonard Tent, Wichita, Kansas. please note these stories were written and published for childrens entertainment over 55 years ago.

At last we have reached Chicago, the windy city, and the largest city in the United States. The city, which is divided by the Chicago River into three great divisions, called the North Side, South Side, and West Side, was built around the original site of old Fort Dearborn. It has become a city of splendid buildings and business houses of mammoth proportions. A great portion of the city has been built upon artificial ground, the original levels being found much too low. More railroads run into Chicago than enter any other city in the world, and these transportation facilities, as well as its geographical location, make it the greatest market in the world for live stock and grain and lumber. The city also boasts of some beautiful parks, and of the great University of Chicago.

I want to write you about some of the cities in which we have been since I wrote you last. I will have to cut out all of the smaller places for want of time and space, and be content to describe only the larger cities. From Philadelphia we went direct to Pittsburg, the smoky city, and the most important city in the United States for the handling of iron and steel. The immense mills turn out vast quantities of steel rails and armor plate, and the glass works make and ship much plate and window glass. Pittsburg is also the home of the Western University of Pennsylvania.

While at Washington, D.C., the capitol of our nation, I saw our President and two of his children. In this, perhaps the most interesting city of the United States, there are so many things to see that I dare not begin to describe them. I'll just mention three of the best, not including the Government building. Here we find located the Catholic University of America, the Howard University for Colored People, the Columbia Institution for Deaf and Dumb. Each institution is doing a great work. In Cincinnati I noticed the great iron suspension bridges spanning the Ohio River, and heard also that here was the place where the celebrated Rookwood Pottery is made. I noticed also the city was surrounded on all but the river side by high hills. Our next stop was at St. Louis, the city from which much of the merchandise used by the people of the southern towns and cities is shipped. Two large bridges span the Mississippi River at this point. St. Louis and Washington Universities are also located here. From St. Louis we journeyed by stages to Columbus, spending one day there. Our parade passed the capitol square and the old capitol building, with its "cheese box" dome, so called because from a distance it looks just like a great round cheese. A little farther down the street we saw Starling Medical College, noted for its architectural beauty as well as for the many prominent physicians who have been sent out from here. Just two squares from the college is the Carnegie library building, in one room of which is shown one of the finest collections of stuffed and mounted birds to be seen in the country. Four stops between, and then our train rolled into Indianapolis. I hear that this city is one of the finest residence cities in the land. While there I saw the tall and handsome soldiers' and sailors' monument, standing in stately magnificence right in the center of the city. No one who sees it can help but be impressed with its beauty and grandeur. Our next stop was at Crawfordsville, then to LaFayette, the seat of the State Agricultural College and Purdue University. From here to Muncie, where natural gas is almost as free and plentiful as air, then to Peru and Logansport and to Fort Wayne, the city built upon the site of the old fort of Anthony Wayne, noted in border and Indian warfare.

At Richmond, the great Quaker town, we encountered a great rain and wind storm, which blew down one of our tents, spoiled an afternoon's performance, and drenched and wet to the skin all the people and horses traveling with us. In addition to this the rain softened up the ground to such an extent that the elephants had to be used to help push and pull the big wagons out of the mud, in order that all might be loaded onto the cars in time to make the run to South Bend for the next performance. Ill luck, however, seemed to pursue us, for just before the first section of our four section train reached the outskirts of the city, the engine and two cars left the tracks and tumbled down an embankment. Again the elephants came to the rescue and helped the men to clear the road and wreck, and although all the other sections of the train had to wait for the clearing of the road, we managed to get into the town in time to put up the great tents and give our promised performance. Fortunately, no one was hurt in this wreck.

Last year we were in a terrible railroad accident and wreck, in which many men and animals were killed or injured. Of this I will write you in another letter and try to describe to you the very exciting time we experienced and passed through.

And now I'll just write a few words about Michigan City, the last point we made before reaching Chicago. All the places I've described, beginning with Indianapolis, have been in the great State of Indiana, - the Hoosier State, - the State in which lives and writes the much-liked poet, James Whitcomb Riley, whose rhymes of childhood have been read and recited and enjoyed by tens of thousands of his fellow-men; but to get back to Michigan City, I'll just state that it is situated right on the lake, and about the largest building I saw there was the Indiana State prison. There must be much trade and traffic, for everybody seemed to be in a hurry and very busy. The whole town, however, must have taken "a day off," judging from the crowds that came to see us.

Well! I declare, I see it's getting late and I'll hardly have time to write you about the performing bears and about the wonderful things our drove of elephants have been taught to do. I'll surely do this in my next letter. I'm sorry I cannot do so in this. If. however, you will remember most of what I've written about the cities mentioned, I'll feel that my letter has not been sent you in vain.

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The Circus In Indiana

CIRCUS QUARTERS

AMBIA - Boughton

ANDERSON - Ketrow

BLOOMINGTON - Gentry

BRAZIL - Admire

CICERO - John A. Harris

CONNERSVILLE - Van Amburgh, Bartine

DENVER - Alderfer

EVANSVILLE - Norris & Rowe

FORT WAYNE - Stewart

FRANKFORT - Rippel Bros., Ruffner Bros.

INDIANAPOLIS - B. L. Wallace

INGALLS - Eakins

KOKOMO - Sipe, Dolman & Blake; Sipe's Educated Animal and Lilliputian Show

LA CROSSE - Barlow

MUNCIE - Hall & Long

NEY ALBANY - Spalding & Rogers' Floating Palace tied up here and burned, 1865.

PERU - Wallace & Co.; Great Wallace; Cook & Whitby; Hagenbeck-Wallace; Robinson Famous; John Robinson; Sells-Floto; Cole Bros.; Jacobs Bros.

ROCHESTER - Cole Bros.; Robbins Bros.

SOUTH MILFORD - Barlow

SULLIVAN - Bays Bros.

TERRE HAUTE - Wixom

WASHINGTON - Coup-Shelby

WEST BADEN - Hagenbeck-Wallace; Howe's Great London; John Robinson

SUPPLIERS

EVANSVILLE - George Kratz, steam calliope manufacturer.

PERU - Sullivan & Eagle, circus wagon builders. Paul Kelly, menagerie animals.

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