The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-07-06
The National Anniversary.
A QUIET DAY.

With the thermometer at IS and with driz-
zlng rain nearly all day, the spirit of rs did
| not lie round loose to any alarming extent, but
| other kinds of spirit did, as was evidenced by
forty-six arrests for Drunkenness before mid
| night. The rain drove men to the shops, and
once there fruit pinch and other tempting, but
sinfui, beverages finished them.
The morning opened cold and gray, with the
clouds squeezing out a few tears of regret
every ten minutes. People persisted, however,
| in the belief that it would clear off Some men
ventured out in white vests and straw hats but
soon saw the folly of their ways and sought
refuge in thicker garments The women, who
had doting faith in the calendar, and thought
it was sum ner because the almanac said so,
chung to their white dresses, and the white
dresses in turn chung to them. The effect was
startling, as the fair ones resembled statues
with wet sheets drawn over them Occasional
dabs of mud broke the monotony of the color
| less gowns, and strikingly suggested the rhe-
| torcal figure of the soiled judicial ermine.
| The boys began their usual internal noise
early the evening before, and kept it UP late in
| to Saturday night AT first they were chary
of crackers and powder and torpedoes, but
growing reckless as the day advanced, torpedoes
were exploded by the handful, and whole
punches of India crackers went cracking off
with an irregularity suggestive of the first vol
ley of an awkward squad. AN the old guns
and pistols in town were brought into use and
were discharged with a recklessness appalling
to timd man. Que young fellow, armed with
revolver, amused himself by walking up
behind people on the streets and discharging
his weapon at their heels. Strange to say, most
OF the men with heels were singularly obture
and didn't seem to see the point of the joke,
Children of larger growth did not escape the
folly which possessed their juniors, and ex-
ploded the irritating torpedo with great enjoy
ment. One staid citizen ON Exchange street
amused himself during the day by firing off
the diabolical cannon-cracker and watching
the shower of brown paper as it descended.
Frat punch and gunpowder divided the honors
of the day. Some gluttonous persons took
them mixed. 1t was a noble celebration of the
nations natal day.
Certain mer, who thought the anniversary
of our national independence should be worth
lily celebrated by all true Americans, employed
seven Italian organ grinders to discourse oper-
attic airs in the park during the day. Local
pride, quite as much as national, stirred within
their breasts; they held to the good old maxim
that one object of Fourth of July celebra-
ton it to bring money from the rural districts
into the yeafning pockets of our citizens; they
learned with regret that 500 people were going
to Boston on the boat, and they feared that the
money thus taken away would seriously impair
the capital of the city; they believed in sup
porting Portland industries, so they sent to
Boston for the organ grinders, the men
''Who pluck the eyes of sentiment
And dock the tail of rhyme.
Who crack the voice of melody.
And break the legs of time"
hoping that the stray coppers entced from the
pockets of our country visitors by the antics of
the ACCOMPANYING monkeys might balance the
sums expended by those unpatriotic men who
sought their pleasure in PARKWAY cities. But
alas though the Italians came, the monkeys
didn't, and the projectors of the entertainment
were forced to assume the roles of their grand
fathers and pass round the eleemosynary hat
themselves.
YACHT REGATTA.
The yacht regatta in the afternoon drew quite
a crowd to the wharves. Custom House wharf
was fairly ali7e with people anxious to see the
start. The boats started at just two o'clock
and ten seconds, and sailed the published
course. Only five yachts were entered, three
of the first class, one of the second and one of
the third. The prizes were silver cups, one of
which was taken by the sloop Ray, Com. A. M.
Smith, of the first class; one by the sloop
Oracle, Capt. E. 7. Merrill, of the second Glass;
and one by the sloop Frolic, Capt VIM. Senter,
Jr., of the third class. The distance for the
first and second class yachts was twelve miles,
and for the third class, ten miles.
The following are the yachts entered and the