Jumbo entertains Little Falls

On Tuesday, Aug. 22, 1882, Little Falls played host to a 12-foot tall, 6½ ton entertainer, whose reach extended 26 feet from the ground.

Jumbo, the world-famous elephant, arrived by railroad as part of the “Barnum and London Moral Shows” along with 21 of his fellow pachyderms, plus animals of every shape and size for the menagerie; musicians, calliopes, circus wagons, and acrobats; and other performers and exhibits making up the traveling museum. The circus train itself was an attraction, as thousands made their way to the West Shore depot to watch the unloading of the lengthy (equivalent to 110 ordinary freight cars) circus train.

The reporter for the Journal and Courier wrote “While this (the unloading) had been going on, the clergyman, the lawyer, the farmer, and all other classes of people down to the Italian stone picker who works on the West Shore road, were jostling and crowding each other in their efforts to secure the most desirable positions along the line of march, from which to view the grand parade.”

After a “magnificent band” led off the parade, next came the golden-chariot cages, overflowing with animals. This was followed by “brass bands, bands of martial music, highland pipers, jubilee singers, calliopes and chimes of bells, all furnishing delightful music. The caparisoned riders, male and female, upon their beautiful horses, the teams of zebras, camels, llamas, dromedaries, and elephants, each added to the attractiveness and made the procession one not soon to be forgotten.”

The great show itself featured two menageries, three circuses in three rings in a enormous hippodrome, and a museum of living curiosities. The reporter noted that the 16,500 seat hippodrome was “well filled.” He wrote, “The program, as advertised, including the marvelous leap into the air by Lulu, his being thrown from a catapult, the firing of Zazel from a cannon, and her wonderful leap from the top of the tent, were all carried out. The riding, tumbling, juggling, and feats of strength and daring were all first-class. The racing (Roman style Hippodrome racing) was spirited and exciting.” The “Traveling Museum of Wonder Marvels” featured Brustad, the Norway Giant; a four-legged girl; Zulu men, mother, and babies; She-Mah, Chinese Rebel dwarf; and other attractions.

The chief attraction of the menagerie was Jumbo, whose name was by then a household word. While the people were gazing at his huge proportions, he stood quietly devouring the cookies, crackers, lemonade, tobacco, etc. being given him. His usual daily diet consisted of 200 pounds of hay, 15 loaves of bread, an assortment of oats, biscuits, onions, and fruits, as well as five pails of water and a quart of whiskey. “Jumbo,” wrote the reporter, “received the attention of thousands of people with the same quiet dignity which has characterized his daily receptions on his tour through the principal cities and villages.”

By the time Jumbo appeared in Little Falls, he had already earned P.T. Barnum many times the price he had paid for the elephant. After Jumbo had appeared for 17 years at the London Zoological Gardens, Barnum bought the popular pacaderm (a young Winston Churchill was one of thousands photographed with him) for $10,000 early in 1882.

The sale caused a national scandal in England as Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales, and other prominent people joined in legal action to keep the elephant on British soil. Barnum, of course, loved the publicity. When the legal action failed, Jumbo was shipped to New York City at a cost of $20,000, arriving on Easter Sunday. Within ten days, Barnum had recouped the $30,000, and in six weeks Jumbo had grossed over $300,000 in ticket sales. In his first 31 week season (including  the Mohawk Valley appearances) Jumbo earned over $1 million.

Jumbo’s American career was short-lived, however, for on September 15, 1885, he was struck by a train at St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada and killed. Barnum estimated that over nine million people had seen Jumbo and that one million children had ridden on his back. Jumbo’s bones and teeth indicated that, at the time of his death, he was still growing. His stomach gave up a large number of English coins.

The great showman gave the elephant’s skeleton to the Museum of Natural History in New York City and his hide, which weighed over 1,500 pounds, was stuffed and put on display. It can be seen today at the Barnum Museum at Tufts College in Medford, Mass.

On a private tour of the circus given by D.S. Thomas, the circus’ press agent, the Journal and Courier reporter was impressed with the care given Jumbo and all the animals, and the with the deportment of the workers. “We did not hear an improper or profane word from any of the 530 persons whose names are on the payroll of the company,” he wrote.

While Barnum’s show certainly carried a lot of money out of Little Falls, at least some merchants received a substantial benefit from the show. Casler Brothers had an order in advance for 1,200 pounds of beef, pork and veal; four tons of hay and two tons of straw; 140 bushels of oats; 140 quarts of milk; 25 pounds of fresh fish; 8 bushels of potatoes; 200 heads of cabbage; a ton of ice and numerous other articles.

The city’s hotels also benefited, being called upon to accommodate about 100 performers. There were also bills for advertising, livery, grounds rent, etc. that had to be paid by the circus. The newspaper estimated that “the daily expense of this show exclusive of all salaries is said to be about $2,500.”

After shows at 1 and 8 p.m., everything was packed up for similar performances in Utica the next day. Barnum’s show returned to Little Falls in July of 1889 as “Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth,” and again in June of 1910. In 1918, the name of the circus was changed to Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Combined Shows, Inc. Barnum’s first show in Little Falls, “P.T. Barnum’s Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome,” appeared in the city on August 30, 1871.