Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-07-05
The FIREWORKS.
The Programme Witnessed by About Ten
Thousand People.


The Programme witnessed by About Ten
Thousand People.
Were you at the fireworks last even
ing?
And II you were, could you see any
thing except the rockets aud the UP
tops OF the set pieces?
And did you notice how the Island Is
building up? And isn't the Garden
SPOT a couple of sizes larger than you
thought it was? Honest Injun, now!
And amt the scenery fine, after you
pass the old street car barns and steer
a straight course n. W. by W. for about
FIVE blocks?
And, by the way, before we forget
1t, what did you think OF the set piecesT
Pretty, waren't they? But then, the
size! That was mean sort OF swindle'
For instance, July 4th" was said to be
6x25 feet in size. 1t was about 6x6
feet. "1776" was said to be SKIS feet
Five feet square would be more like IT.
And that United States Shield" was
down as 15x15 feet on on the Commit
tees list. II IL was over six feet square
the drinks are on US. SO with all the
rest of the set pieces. They were
pretty enough, but there wasn't
ANYTHING OF them. They be-
longed to the same category with the
bombs and the rockets. There wasn't a
bomb over three inches In diameter
They make 'em up to thirty inches Tor
really big displays, and fire EN- a
dozen at time. The rockets were
strung out one at a time, and none were
OF more than moderate size. 1t wasn't
the display people had been led 10 ex-
pect-and yet IL was perhaps the best
ever seen In this city, was well managed,
and went right along, without Interrupt
ton, from start until finish. 1t took
Just fifty-fve minutes by the
watch TO set off the display,
and most people who saw 1t were salts
fed. There were good many peo-
ole present were not satisfied, but then
they didn't see the display. To be sure,
they walked from one TO three miles to
get there, and stood around in the damp
grass for an hour or more, and were
crowded, and trodden upon, and had
holes burned in their good clothes, but
they didn't see the fireworks, no more
than did the twenty thousand or more
citizens who didn't feel equal to going
over TO the locality at all. The reason
so few OF those present saw the display
was that where the ground wasn't a
dead level IL sloped down towards the
point where the display was located,
and with some thousands OF spectators
hacked tightly together, embarrassed
by wire fences, and their vision inter
fered with by full grown frame houses,
there was little satisfaction TO be
gained.
The paraphernalia for the fireworks
had been set up at the edge OF and I'M
der some trees, just north OF the north
end OF the old fair grounds, and about
midway between the new steel bridge
over "Back" river and Zane street.
South OF the space which had been
| fenced off for the fireworks was grand
stand with a seating capacity OF about
three hundred people, and TO this cards
| OF invitation were issued by the Com
mIttee In charge. This grand stand was
so placed as 10 cut of the view OF very
large proportion Of tho multitude which
was expected to assemble in the open
ground of the Bridge Park, and IL was
| loudly and earnestly execrated during
! the evening by number OF people. by
eight o'clock there were two or three
| thousand people in the neighoorhood OF
the ground prepared for the display,
and after that hour arrivals increased
rapIdly, until the crowd, at nine o'clock,
must have numbered something like
eight thousand, OF whom perhaps four
| thousand were Island people. and the
| Others from the city side OF the
river. There were enough Martin
Ferry aud Bridgeport people In sight
| 10 raise the total number OF spectators
to something like ten thousand. II was
TWENTY-FIVE minutes Of nine o'clock
| when the first discharge Uf fireworks
was made, and exactly half-past nine
when the piece ''Good Night" signalled
the end of the exhibition. The firing OF
| this latter piece was the signal for
mad rush OF about Eve bundled boys,
and the debris OF the exhibition disap'
peared as II by magic under their hauds.
The fire works were handled In very
satisfactory manner, and, as has been
/ stated, most of those who saw the dis
play were pleased with u.
When the display was over, street
cars could not be had, for some ineI
plicable reason, and the thousands who
wanted to ride over TO the city or back
TO Martins Ferry bad 70 walk, which
occasloued the biggest kick Of the even
ing. By about ten minutes OF ten the
whole vast crowd was strung across the
Island and the two bridges LEADING
70 the city, and the aged, aac
| infirm and halt were vieing with
the young and robust In trying to gel
10 their sevaral homes as expeditiouslJ
as possible. It was one OF the saddes'
sights OF We day to see tired mothers
carrying babies. and tiddling children
and old men and women toilinR along
towards the city along about quarter
after ten o'clock, the whole crowd men