St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-06-28
FOURTH OF July.

Our great national holiday, the Fourth
of July, is near at hand. There will be
the usual din of exploding firecra ckers
and bombs, and the usual number of
fires, which Is a great many st. Paul
has had some very narrow escapes
through the levelry Of celebrating
youths on this day, and every property
owner trembles when the holiday IS
near, and is glad when it is over. The
last four years on this day there have
been from twenty to thirty fires started
by fireworks. Only through the utmost
exertions of one of the best fire depart
ments in the country has the city been
saved from great confagrations through
pyrotechnics.
The losses by fire throughout the
United States last year amounted to
S151, SIG, 09S. and from 1873 up to this
year the losses have footed up to 81, 1861
S39, 4O4, or more than enough to liqul-
date the national debt. This IS an
enormous contribution to the fire fiend.
Yet almost every American revolts at
the thought of placing any hindrance to
the celebration of our national day
in the most DANGEROUS manner Indeed,
many would declare that the one to adj
vocate the abolition of this method OF
celebrating must be a traitor to his
country.
In this reckless and indiscriminate
use of fireworks. America stands almost
alone; hardly any other country ceie-
brates any event in this manner. On
Guy Fawkes day tie English populace
is allowed to discharge upon the streets
only very small frecrackers. All other
| fireworks are discharged at stated
| places by experienced persons. And SO
other European nations celebrate their
| holidays. Europeans are astonished
and alarmed when here on the Fourth
at the pandemonium of fireworks dis
charged by everybody and everywhere.
| But it is folly to urge any restrictions;
nobody would hear to them; and this
Fourth, and probably all others to come,
! will be celebrated on the old plan.
| Property owners must continue to have
their interests jeopardiZed, and people
will continue to have their hands and
feet blown off, if not their lives taken.
| 1t may be we'll, however, to suggest
! that on this particular Fourth an ex-
| tensive eonflagration might be dlsas-
trous to the welfare Of the To-
caIity, and it would seem that public
interest demands that some limitations
shall be made in the use of fireworks
upon the streets. 1t has been long the
practice here, as in most cities. for
| those who sell fireworks to rack their
goods out on the sidewalks i'll front of
| their places of business. This is most
| dangerous thing to do. Last year fire
works stand on jackson street caught
| from large cracker thrown among the
| goods, and for fifteen minutes the street
was filed with sky-rockets and every
conceivable pyrotechnlc, shooting Ill
every direction. endangerlng the lives
Of the many people about. The build
ing was fired. and the fire department
! had hard struggle to subdue the flames
before they could extend to other and
larger buildings. There were several
such accidents during the day; but this
caused the greatest loss OF property.
| The sale of the large and dangerous
bombs which shattered SO many limbs
last year should be prohibited. The
setting off Greek fire, and other high
blazing pieces. upon the principal bust
ness streets should also be prohibited.
And it would be we'll to limit the size of
the firecrackers which may be sold. But
probably nothing of the sort Will be
done, and we will have the same old
fashioned Fourth of July.