Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Sells-Floto Circus 1930 #7


Hippo den.
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Posted by Buckles at 2/13/2007 05:42:00 AM

5 comments:

Bob Cline said...

Is this the same cage that went to the Cole Show and found it's way up to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo?

13 February, 2007 06:05
Anonymous said...

Richard Reynolds says - -

No, this is not the same bay window hippo den that is (or was) at CWM. That one originated with Fred Buchanan's Robbins Bros. Went from there to Cole where it was used through 1938 [I saw it on Cole's 1938 subsidiary show - -also called Robbins BRos.] Thereafter it was replaced by a smaller wagon.

After the horrible Rochester winter quarters fire of early 1940, Cole got from Peru the John Robinson and Hagenbeck Wallace hippo den (built for JR in 1929 and last used by H-W in 1937). Cole used it until it went out of business. It even found its way to DeLand

After 1938 on Cole (Robbins), the CWM wagon was abandoned and wound up in a field on a pig farm. That likely explains how it was saved. Otherwise it could well have burned up in the Rochester fire. It was just a bucket of bones when it went to CWM.

The Sells Floto wagon shown here seems to have been junked at Peru in the 1930s. It last hauled the hip on SF in 1932. That hippo was a male named Tambon (or BonTam) after TAMmen and BONfils owners of SF and Denver Post (SF was a hobby). Tambon was the only hippo SF ever took on tour. I think he joined out as a calf in 1910.

This photo and the others in this series were taken by either Arthur Toeves or Joe Fleming. I bought the set from Joe in the 1950s. He had the negatives. Great set of photos.

13 February, 2007 13:22
Bob Cline said...

Thanks Mr Reynolds. As always a delightful insight into Circus history.

Kindest regards,
Bob

13 February, 2007 16:48
GaryHill said...

Did this one carry water so the hippo could stay wet??

13 February, 2007 19:36
Anonymous said...

Richard Reynolds says - -

Yes it had a shallow water tank as did all hippo wagons of which I'm aware. Only hippos I ever saw hauled around without a tank were the two Dick Garden brought here for a shrine date. They rode in the nose of an animal semi-trailer and had to be unloaded for a hose down - - a bad arrangement.

14 February, 2007 16:49

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