I thought I would share two newspaper articles from a Nashville, TN newspaper on October 20 and 21, 1859 concerning a traveling circus and their calliope.
October 20, 1859.
“THAT CALLIOPE – We sympathize with the residents of North Market St., who had to endure the dreadful sounds that proceeded from that arrangement calliope introduced into the city yesterday by a circus company. If all the hand organs in Italy and every Thomas Cat in America were brought together, the music would be sweet in comparison to this harsh, jarring and discordant incentive to dog howling. The instrument, no doubt, might be made to sound very well on a clear moonlight night, provided it was located about ten miles down river, and the wind blowing that way.
P S- We have just learned that the show within the canvass is so poor that a heavy pressure of steam is necessary to draw attention.”
October 21, 1859.
“DISCORD BY STEAM – Yesterday the circus folks again carried around their ponderous steam calliope. In going past the Gazette Building, they made a strenuous but ineffectual effort to give us “Home Sweet Home,” The attempt was truly magnificent, but the failure was vastly more so. Ten thousand cats tied up in bags and beat with hickory withs could not be a greater nuisance than this terrible calliope. Hope it’ll “play out” soon."
From this description I doubt that Travis, Keith, or even Doc Hawley could have made this infernal machine sound good.
October 20, 1859.
“THAT CALLIOPE – We sympathize with the residents of North Market St., who had to endure the dreadful sounds that proceeded from that arrangement calliope introduced into the city yesterday by a circus company. If all the hand organs in Italy and every Thomas Cat in America were brought together, the music would be sweet in comparison to this harsh, jarring and discordant incentive to dog howling. The instrument, no doubt, might be made to sound very well on a clear moonlight night, provided it was located about ten miles down river, and the wind blowing that way.
P S- We have just learned that the show within the canvass is so poor that a heavy pressure of steam is necessary to draw attention.”
October 21, 1859.
“DISCORD BY STEAM – Yesterday the circus folks again carried around their ponderous steam calliope. In going past the Gazette Building, they made a strenuous but ineffectual effort to give us “Home Sweet Home,” The attempt was truly magnificent, but the failure was vastly more so. Ten thousand cats tied up in bags and beat with hickory withs could not be a greater nuisance than this terrible calliope. Hope it’ll “play out” soon."
From this description I doubt that Travis, Keith, or even Doc Hawley could have made this infernal machine sound good.
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