Saturday, October 17, 2009

Two Hemispheres #1


Scan12258, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Posted by Buckles at 10/17/2009 06:23:00 AM

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

There are several major mistakes in the text portion of this booklet. The Two Hemispheres wasn't built for P. T. Barnum; was not built in 1896; and didn't cost $40,000.

The construction of the wagon was approved by the board of Barnum & Bailey, Ltd. in January 1902, with construction completed for 1903. Bailey was then the head man of the operation, Barnum had been dead for a decade. The entire Barnum & Bailey parade wagon order was in the $40,000+ level. This wagon probably didn't cost much more than $4000 to $5000, on the order of the equally fine bandwagon made for Pawnee Bill the same season. Those desiring greater detail will know where to seek it.

Two Hemispheres also rolled no miles in Europe; it has strictly seen service in North America. Other errors in the text are forgotten, so consult it with great care.

It did fill half a 60-foot long flat car, about twice the typical wagon length. It did not weigh ten tons or whatever Palmer and others have claimed.

It served on Barnum & Bailey 1903-1904 and 1908-1918, then RBBB 1919-1920, with appearances in a few special events thereafter. Then it went into storage until bought by Fred Bucahanan, who used it a couple years. Abandoned at Granger, IA, it was preserved and served in a single Cole parade in 1936. From Palmer it went to the Circus Hall of Fame, the assets of which were purchased by John and Jan Zweifel, who remain the owners today. They have leased it to various institutions.

It was pulled by a forty horse team only in 1903-1904, thereafter by a 24 in 1908 and a few years thereafter, followed by smaller teams. The forty was later re-created for some of the Milwaukee parades.

Bob Good witnessed the first such re-enactment and was literally speechless when viewing the ensemble. For years he'd sold prints of a Frederick Glasier photo showing the great feature in a Barnum & Bailey march.

Forty horses were not needed to pull it; as few as four have moved it quite readily.

Those interested in the hitch should read Jake Posey's writings and an article by Fred Pfening III in "Bandwagon."

17 October, 2009 08:45
Anonymous said...

Not to get anyone's back out of joint, but the principal carving was done by a crew of craftsmen assembled by Samuel Robb in New York City. Spanjer, based upon the appearance of several of the national insignias in their catalogues, is credited with furnishing some of those creations. Robb's career and work is covered in Fred Fried's book "Artists in Wood."

The carving scheme features the Easrtern and Western Hemispheres, flanked by lions and bears, with eagles on the front and elephants at the back, the four different beasts perhaps representing the four major continents.

The wagon symbolized the world travels of James A. Bailey's circuses.

17 October, 2009 08:54
Roger Smith said...

Why do we get two detailed write-ups like this, both signed "anonymous"? With this expertise, why are you anonymous?

17 October, 2009 14:51
Jimmy Cole said...

I understand that there is a recently released miniature replica of the Two Hemispheres wagon that is being sold on the internet. I have not seen it, but I spoke to a Circus Model Builder who has one and he said it was very well done, and well worth the big $$ he had to pay for it.

17 October, 2009 15:08
Anonymous said...

Shucks, anyone with knowledge of circus history knows this stuff.

18 October, 2009 11:54

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