Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-07-04
TIE GLORIOUS FOURTH.
1t Arrived in Wheeling at Mid
night Last Night,
The Indications are for a Very
Tame Celebration, Aside from
the Base Ball Games and the
Attractions at the Parks and
Fair Grounds.

The one hundred and nineteenth an
niversary of the declaration of Amer!-
can independence arrived here at mid
night last night, and a modest and un-
assuming celebration OF the event will
be on the programme for the ensuing
twenty-four hours. The indications
are that there will be no unseemly ex-
element here in Wheeling. There
will be no dazzling pageants by oyer
Jealous patriots; no gathering Of the
multitude in a stupendous assemblage
to listen to bursts of fervid oratory; no
eye-captiyating display Of the pyro-
technic art will attract thousands OF
strangers from the surrounding terri
tory; the military will not turn out, gay
with brass buttons and gold lace. and
no citizens, actively engaged in wooing
the drowsy god, viii be startled from
the entcing arms Of Morpheus by the
deep-vOiced lannon's awful roar at
break Of day. None Of these things
will occur, and the day promises to be
chiefly notable through the closing OF
the banks, the absence from their offices
Of the public officials, and the rush OF
the populace to the Parks, the Fair
Grounds, and the scene OF strife on the
base ball field.
Wheeling is not overly given, in these
fin de steele days, to rampant demon
was a time when our citizens made
some pretense 30 an annual rekindling
Of the fires Of patriotism; when the ci.%
was say with bunting, when the sounds
OF music stirred the blood, when the
booming of common awoke the echoes
of the surrounding hills, and long and
picturesque professions filed through
the streets. but those days are past.
The picnic now takes the place Of the
procession, the country holds forth more
attractions than the cannon, and bunt-
ing isn't in it with base ball and beer.
This may or may not be the tangible
evidence of a decline Of patriotism and
of the advent Of a degenerated age, but
it pictures the situation as it exists.
There will be two bail games on the
Island Park. big picnic at the Fair
Grounds, a grand display Of attractions
at Wheeling Park, day Of recreation
at Mozart Park, innUmerable private
picnic parties, q moderate shooting of
6re-crackers by day, and still more
moderate display Of fireworks by edults
at night, a cessation of business, q nag
here and there, and-that Is all. A lit
tie enterprise would have made the day
very different one here. a popular
subscription OF a thousand dollars by
railroads, hotels, restaurants and
saloons, would have made possible q
fireworks display which would have at
tracted many hundreds OF strangers to
the city, and would have been paying
investment. a little more energy on
he part Of societies, with the co-opera-
ion OF the fire department and the
police, would have resulted in a parade
which would have been a credit to the
town; brass band concert on City Hall
square would have cost but a tritle, and
would have been a proper close to q
day which might have been opened with
a salute of one hundred guns from
Wheeling hill; but all these things are
reserved for more progressive towns, OF
but a portion Of our own size and
wealth, like Sistersville and Parkers-
burg. Wheeling IS TOO digniied and
slow to attempt anything Of this sort.
At least that is the inference 20 be
drawn from the facts.
The small boy will be on hand as
usual, with his fire-crackers, and he
will be about the only visible remnant
of the old-time Fourth. For several
days past the snap of the cracker has
been heard on the back streets, and to-
day there will be a good deal more Of
the same sort of thing, despite the I'M
certain attitude of the police Fire
crackers are cheap, and the supply IS
ample enough to meet all demands.
Ten days ago twelve big ships reached
the various ports OF this country from
China. laden with fire-crackers. They
carried 5000, 900 packages of small fire
crackers, each package containing Ga
crackers, or q total of $4,000, 600 crack
ers. There were probably as many
more in stock, in the hands of jobbers
and retailers. giving o grand total Of
one thousand millions available for use
to-day. to say nothing Of the vari-
size retails for from two packages for
nickle or thirteen for a quarter, M
TO a niokle a bunch, and the larger
ones are correspondingly cheap, while
package of sixty three-inch cannon
crackers can be had Tor O quarter.
From this price the cost rapidly ascends
as the crackers grow larger. and the
danger in burning them increases in
the same ratio. A giant cracker is
made now fourteen inches long. The
dealers are almost afraid 10 keep them
or sell them, and they will not sell them
TO boys unless they are accompanied By
their parents or some responsible per
son. or nave permit in writing. One
of these crackers contains powder
enough to break the glass front OF
store il set of at the curb, and it IS only
safe to explode them out in some open
space where the conclusion can do no
harm TO adjoining buildings.
In fireworks the variety is better than
in recent years, while there has been
sharp reduction in cost. For couple
OF dollars a neat little display can be
made. while if several neighbors club
together and put q dollar or two into Q
purse. a really fine private display will
be the result, if judicious purchases are
made.
MAKES TIE WOOD FIRE PROOF.
washington. D. c.. July S.-As the
! resul. of the experiments running
through three months at the Boston
navy yard. conducted By Naval Con
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