友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
热门书库 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

life of hon. phineas t. barnum-第49章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



55 Barnum paid her 1;000 for each of the 93 Concerts。。。。。93;000。00 Also one…half the receipts of the first two Concerts。。。16;033。54 

Amount paid to Jenny Lind。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。208;675。09 She refunded to Barnum as forfeiture; per contract; in case she withdrew after the 100th Concert。。。。。。。。。。25;000 She also paid him 1;000 each for the seven concerts relinquished。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。7;000 32;000。00

JENNY LIND'S net avails of 95 concerts。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。176;675。09 P。 T。 BARNUM'S gross receipts; after paying Miss Lind 。。。。535;486。25

TOTAL RECEIPTS of 95 Concerts 712;161。34 

The highest prices paid for tickets were at auction; as follows: John N。 Genin; in New York; 225; Ossian E。 Dodge; in Boston; 625; Col。 William C。 Ross; in Providence; 650; M。 A。 Root; in Philadelphia; 625; Mr。 D'Arcy; in New Orleans; 240; a keeper of a refreshment saloon in St。 Louis; 150; a Daguerrotypist; in Baltimore; 100。 After the sale of the first ticket the premium usually fell to 20; and so downward in the scale of figures。 The fixed price of tickets ranged from 7 to 3。 Promenade tickets were from 2 to 1 each。



CHAPTER XXII。 A FEW SIDE ISSUES。

THE EXPEDITION TO CEYLONHARNESSING AN ELEPHANT TO A PLOWBARNUM AND VANDERBILTTHE TALKING MACHINEA FIRE AT IRANISTANMOUNTAIN GROVE CEMETERY。 

The great showman did not allow even so great an enterprise as the Jenny Lind concerts to monopolize his attention。 In 1849 he planned the formation of a great travelling show; combining the features of a museum; a menagerie and a circus。 In this he associated with himself Mr。 Seth B。 Howes; who was already a noted and successful showman; and also Mr。 Stratton; the father of Tom Thumb。 In order to procure a supply of novelties for this show they chartered the ship 〃Regatta;〃 and sent it from New York in May; 1850; to Ceylon。 The object of this voyage; was to procure; either by purchase or by capture; a number of living elephants and other wild animals。 To make sure of a sufficient supply of fodder for them; nearly a thousand tons of hay were purchased in New York and taken out aboard the ship。 Five hundred tons of it were left at the Island of St。 Helena; to be taken up on the return trip; and a great supply of staves and hoops were also left there for the construction of water casks。

This extraordinary mission was successful。 In almost exactly a year from the day of sailing the ship returned to New York。 Its novel cargo was unloaded; the ten elephants which had been secured were harnessed in pairs to a gigantic chariot; and the whole show paraded up Broadway past the Irving House。 It was reviewed from the window of that hotel by Jenny Lind; who was stopping there on her second visit to New York。 An elaborate outfit of horses; wagons; tents; etc。; was added; the whole costing over 100;000; and then the show went on the road under the nominal leadership of Tom Thumb。 It was called; 〃Barnum's Great Asiatic Caravan; Museum and Menagerie;〃 it travelled about the country for four years; and yielded to its proprietors enormous profits。

At the end of this tour Barnum sold out the entire establishment; including animals; cages; chariots and everything else; excepting one elephant。 This huge brute he took to his farm at Bridgeport; for advertising purposes。 It occurred to him that if he should keep the animal there for a time and put him to some novel use; such as working on the farm; it would set people to talking and greatly add to public curiosity and interest in his American Museum。

He accordingly took the elephant to Bridgeport and put him in charge of a competent keeper; who was dressed in a striking Oriental costume。 A six acre field close by the New York and New Haven railroad track was set apart for their use。 Barnum gave the keeper a time…table of the road and directed him to make a point; whenever trains were passing; always to be busily engaged with the elephant at plowing or other agricultural work as close to the track as possible。 Of course the passengers noticed the strange spectacle; items concerning it appeared in the newspapers; extending even to the press of foreign lands; and thousands of people came from all parts of the country to witness the strange sight。 Every mail brought numerous letters inquiring about it。 Many of these were from the officers of agricultural societies in all parts of the United States; making serious and earnest inquiry as to the utility of the elephant as an agricultural animal。 These letters were greatly diversified in tone; but the substance of their inquires was about as follows:

1。 〃Is the elephant a profitable agricultural animal?〃

2。 〃How much can an elephant plow in a day?〃

3。 〃How much can he draw?〃

4。 〃How much does he eat?〃this question was invariably asked; and was a very important one。

5。 〃Will elephants make themselves generally useful on a farm?〃

6。 〃What is the price of an elephant?〃

7。 〃Where can elephants be purchased?〃 

Then would follow a score of other inquiries; such as; whether elephants were easily managed; if they would quarrel with cattle; if it was possible to breed them; how old calf elephants must be before they would earn their own living; and so on indefinitely。

Barnum presently began to be alarmed lest some one should buy an elephant and thus share the fate of the man who drew one in a lottery and did not know what to do with him。 〃Accordingly;〃 he says; 〃I had a general letter printed; which I mailed to all my anxious inquirers。 It was headed 'strictly confidential;' and I then stated; begging my correspondents 'not to mention it;' that to me the elephant was a valuable agricultural animal; because he was an excellent advertisement to my museum; but that to other farmers he would prove very unprofitable for many reasons。 In the first place; such an animal would cost from 3;000 to 10;000; in cold weather he could not work at all; in any weather he could not earn half his living; he would eat up the value of his own head; trunk and body every year; and I begged my correspondents not to do so foolish a thing as to undertake elephant farming。〃

The result of this experiment in advertising was highly successful。 Newspaper correspondents sent highly colored accounts of it all over the world; and numerous pictures of the elephant harnessed to a plow appeared in the illustrated papers and magazines。 After the field had been plowed over fifty or sixty times; Barnum concluded that the elephant had been 〃worked for all he was worth;〃 and sold him to Van Amburgh's menagerie。

In 1851 Mr。 Barnum became a part owner of the steamship 〃North America;〃 which he proposed to run between America and Ireland as a passenger and freight vessel。 This idea was presently abandoned; and the ship was sent around Cape Horn to San Francisco and put into service on the Pacific Mail Line; Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt having purchased a one…half interest in it and Mr。 Barnum retaining one…third interest in the remaining half。 After she had made several trips Barnum called upon Mr。 Vanderbilt at his office and introduced himself。 It was their first meeting; and this is Barnum's own account of the interview:

〃 'Is it possible you are Barnum?' excl
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!