Old John Robinson Circus #2
Posted By thecircusblog on April 14, 2012
Old John Robinson ticket wagon, 1899. There was very little carving on this wagon. It was built for strength with vertical tongue and groove exterior. The box frame of 2 and 4 by 4’s, along with heavier timbers on the lower frame and axle suspension. The weakest part of most wagons was the roof. Most were nothing more than curved ribs with thin slats, with canvas stretched tight and painted several times to water proof. This of course is where the show money was secured sothe wagon had to be solid… A couple of shot guns certainly helped.
All of the steel hardware was hand forged by the craftsman who built these wagons. Everything was hand made from start to finish. Not all of the circus wagons were built for strength. As a matter of fact, many were pretty flimsy–it all depended on their job use.
Back in the 1950’s at Louis Goebel’s Jungleland compound, he had in storage several old circus wagons. I took the opportunity to investigate all of them inside out. It was a trip back in time and I remember there was still an aroma of the circus lingering within the wagons. I was told many of the old circuses never paid the help or the performers from the ticket wagon. Envelopes with the employee’s name and the agreed upon cash amount was given to them personally on pay day, usually at the cook house.
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