Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-07-07

W - July III an mp
proprIntc way was indeed IL question
Of considerable magnitude. Most OF
the boys fathers were railroad men.
hnd railroad salaries are proverbially
small.
With plenty Of money the bows
could have celebrated in n WAY that
would have awakened the sleepy little
town SO etiectually that the older in
hhbltnnts might have imagined that
hostllitics between the North and
south had broken out anew.
10 obtain the necessary articles with
winch to celebrate was the all-im-
portant question before the bows
club, called the "Our BOYS two
weeks before the time designated rs
the "Glorious Fourth" One of the
boys, Bern Gilman, suggested chip
ping IN md buying II lot of SIX yrockets
and red fire but as his father was nm
engineer and made big money, the
proposition was nothing remarkable.
The words red fire" suggested nh
idea to another of the club, jim Slade,
and on his plan Of celebration there
was unanimous agreement. 1t was
I" the effect that au effort be inauyu-
rated NJ once looking to the collec-
ton Of rs much red fire as possible in
the two weeks vet remaining before
the Fourth of July, and on the night
Of that day letting it off in bunch
10 the members of the "Our Bows
there was no necessity to formulate
plans or advance ideas rs to how this
red fire WIS to be obtained They
were SONS OF railrondcrs, and knew red
fire hs heart
Every tingmnn on train leaving
Z last or West has among his collection
,ot lamps, torprdocs, poker and shovel
n couple pt sticks of this material,
which are ltscl on forgy or stormy
nights 10 warn the train following Of
their near rapproach to the train ahead
These sticks burn five minutes. and,
OF course, contain n large quantity OF
the red powder. All the railroad men
leaving from Columbia on the eastern
or western trips were known, and
very fcw Of the through mon, running
IRON one end of the division to the
other, were not known
The Our BOYS" Club originally
was n ball club, but had been in exist
ence for several seasons as n social or
GsnIzatlon, minus club house and
the Injuries OF such
jim Slade. being n member of n
State militia company as drummer
boy, knew something about organi--
ing for effective work. and be it was
that proposed and appointed commit
tees 10 corral every train that passed
through the town
Boys born and raised in a railroad
town soon become expert car jumpers,
and il must indeed be fast train tha,
they cannot successfully mount. 4
rendezvous was selected back of th,
railroad round house. IL the cellar o.
deserted house. in which was to be
stored all the material secured
The boys worked like beavers ant
as only boys can work when Fourth
OF July celebration is in the prospec
tive, and At the end of the first weel
twenty seven sticks had been secured
and some seventv-tive railroad torpe
does. The latter article is also an i'm
portaut part .; railroader's outfit
and, crossing the vision OF one o. tn
collectors. several were secured, anS
thereafter they were added a. sor
OF auxiliary.
As the day drew near the bows re
newed their efforts and the rcd fir
and torpedoes came In in such guam
titles >aat one or two OF the NOR
timid boys suggested halt. Bu,
like the trained bloodhound, the
smelt the sport from afar and decide