Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-07-06
THE FOURTH.
How the Holiday was Observed in
Burlington.
Amusements at Howard Park-the
Fireworks.

Fireworks.
Large Crowd and n Generally sue.
cessfuli Occasion.
If not the grindest occasion OF the kind |
since John Adams told the boys how it |
ought TO be d,n', nevertheless the fcstivl- |
ties of the Fourth passed of very nicely, |
In spite of the opposition of the clerk of the |
weather. and the thing was on the whole
decided success. The amusemeu,s at How.
ard Park Were very largely attend
ed; the fireworks in the evening
were successfully displayed, in the pres
cnce of an immense concoursc of people
aud the thousands who thronged our streets
nearly all day appeared to pass the time very
pleasantly.
The Trouble Began
at aboat 10 o'clock the night before. The
streets seemed to be filled with rcvclers and
horn answered unto horn and cannon to can
non. The cheerful torpedo and the nsidious
firecracker apparent to be omnipresent, and
the still air of heaven was rent with such
dreadful noises that the Man in the Moon
clappcd his hands to his ears and mcontnently
fled. But well along in the night tremendous
thunderstorm burst over the city-a token
Of the wrath of the Goddess of Night at the
insult put upon her-and the cclebratonists
made better time on the home stretch than
the horses subsequently, made at Howard
Park. For while the poultice of silence
soothcd The wounds that sound had Inflicted
but when the storm cleared away the X ng
of Misrule resumed his sway aud there was
most cmphatically "no sleep till morn" or af-
terward
But the longest nights have an end, and so
did this and shortly after . o'clock in tie
morning the
Parade Of EOrribIes
took place. In the procession were troop
Of Indians half dozei clowns, a "four in
hand" and all sorts of grotesque riders and
pedestrians. The thing had been devised on
the shortest Of short notices, and, all the cir
cumstances being considered, was quite a
immense throngs of people, but alas its
triumphant career was cut short by driving
storm which compelled spectators and process
sionists to break for cover in short meter.
From this time rain fell during almost the en-
tire forenoon, and the effect was dampening,
in both literal and metaphorical sense.
At Howard Park-rhe Morning Pro.
gramne.
At 1890 O'clock, when the amuscmcnts at
Howard Park were advertised TO begin, the
scene at the grounds was anything but an en-
hung ominously in the west, and the gradual
da "kening of the landscape showed what
was 10 be expected. In few min
utes the storm came up, and u
right lively one it was. There were
about two hundred spectators on the grounds
and a hurried stampede for the cattle sheds
took place. For fifteen or twenty minutes
the rain fell in perfect sheets torrents of
muddy water coursed along the carriage
tracks, and settled in great puidlcs in the
depressions of the ground The bitches on
either side of the main track were filed to
streams like the roof of house. But in
brief time the fury of the storm was past
the sun came struggling out, along with the
crowd of dragslcd spectators from the cattle
sheds; the band began to play on the
grand stand, and the cheerful assurance
was passed around that ''the course would
be dry in twenty minutes and the races
would begin" 1t WAS then that the excel
lent drainage of this superior track, aided by
the supplementary dtches recently dug at
the Sides showed to good effect, for in very
few minutes after it hal ceased to rain, the
track was declared realy for the
IIaIrmiIe Dash Footracc.
The competitors in this race wera a, fol-
lows Martin Carney, Peter lIanley, Viii
liam Watkins, John Young, T. J. Melon
aid, William Bingham. They were stationed
and started by Mr.. John Shea. The course
was once around the track, aad the
signal for starting pistol shot.
The Judges of the race were Mcssrs. George
Hammond, f. +. Brownel and Hervey
Spencer. AT the start, the more hot-headed
and inexperienced of the runners spurted for
several rods, thus winding themselves I'M
necessarily. while the CoOcr-hcadei ones
TeStTVcu tnclT slIcnSln LOT inc npine slTelcll.
Noticeable among the latter was Mr.. William
Bingham of ST. Adams but before the run
ners were half way round the track, he be-
gan to creep up in fine style ON his compe-
titors, passed the foremost of them ON the
home stretch, and came in first Il. j. Nc
Donald-who ran very well indced-came
in second, aud Peer llanley third. Time
2:4G. The majority of the runners walked
the last third of the course, and the race was
far from being an exciting one; but it may
be said in Justification of the competitors,
that the track was still wet and slippery on
the surface, aud unfit for long half-mile
pull After the foot-racc came
The Potato Race.
Six rows OF thirty potatoes each were laid
on the track in front of the grand stand the
potatoes being about yard apart, and a half |
bushcl basket standing at the end of each
row. Each competitor was to start al a Civ
en- signal, from the basket at the end of his
row, pick up the first potato, run back and
put it in the basket, then the second, and |