The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-06-23
FOUR4H'S FIREWORKS.
Superior in Quality, But Equal
in Price to Those Of
Last Year.


While the small boy is counting the
days that are diminishing with usual ex-
asperating slowness between now and the
glorious Fourth, the fireworks dealer is
up to his neck in the hurried and un-
seemly hustle that annually attends the
preliminary preparations for properly
celebrating the Nations natal day. In
some cases the smal. boy has not been
able to restrain his patriotic ardor, en-
thusiasm or love of noise, which counts
most in his desire to set off fireworks.
and has patronized tine dealer early to
day in his stock, with the result that the
neighbors have already come to dread
the advent of the glorious Fourth.
In this city a number of dealers have
made a partial display of the.r tempting
stores, but the numerous sidewalk stands.
with which our streets are generally lined,
are moi yet in evidence. They will come
in about a week, and will be followed, as
the interest grows more intense. b. the
exposing to sale on his fathers front step
or under a tree in the side yard the stock
in trade of the money-mak king small boy.
Fourth of July this year Will have few
novelties for Young America. 1t will
have one satisfying innovation for the
small boys parents, however. The
deadly toy pistol, that was continually
blowing off fingers and thumbs and
blackening faces of impudent young
nopefuls, is in a great measure a thing of
the past. No new ones, according to 4
dealer, ave been manufactured since
last Fourth of July, and the only ones
that win be offered for sale viii be those
that were left over from a year ago.
Notwithstanding all the talk about the
cutting of prices on fireworks and fire.
crackers, these concomftants of ELUSIVE
a year ago. But the quality, the dealers
claim, will be much improved. In other
words, the man who spends $25 for fire.
works will receive about bhe same num-
Der of pieces that he did las, year.
There is not a single new feature in
aerial displays this year The dealers
say that they do mot receive encourage
ment enough to invent new effects. The
the vArious familiar kinds, with the dis
appointing Roman candles, will be the
chief implements for whining away the
evening of the Fourth.
One noticeable improvement in rockets
is the general adoption by the fireworks
manufacturers Of short sticks in place Of
the long deadly rod that had a habit of
falling in the most unexpected places,
@ 1tS INV lll1lOCCIDL pC1GOlfS jill
nected in no way with the celebration.
The short sticks also fly up in the air,
but are said to be harmless, even if they
strike ONE
After all. it is the firecrackers that in
terest most of US, particularly the boys,
for whose special benefit the day seems
to have been created. The common crack
ers will be sold at retail at the rate of two
crackers for five cents. These ere the
cheapest kind, and they will be rs unsatis-
factory as ever. For boys who want more
noise and fewer crackers. the American
brands viii be worth trying.
American manufacturers cannot COM
pete with the Chinese yet on the smaller
sizes, but when it comes to the big fell
lows that make a report like a small cam
non. the American crackers are away
VIII make more noise than a seven-inch
Chinese cracker aid is considerably
cheaper. They cost. as usual, about five
| cents each, though if they are bought
twenty, forty or sixty they come much
cheaper. The largest American crackers
this year are fifteen inches long.
TorpedoeS, Niger chaSerS and caps for
small pistols will cost about as much as
last year and will not be any different in
n respect.
When It comes to decorating. the house
for the Fourth, there will be found sew
eral improvements over last year. The
most noticeable will be in the JaDanese
lanterns. They are cons derably cheaper
and much prettier and more artistic.
six dollars will buy twenty-five styles OF
various sizes.
Flags. too. are more numerous and
| cheaper. That is, 1T is possible now tic
get cotton bunting flags that look nearly
as well as wooden bunting, and cost less
! than one-half as much. These cotton
bunting euad e f ahgy are ere w war Waad no5 t. b,,d faas
flags are about 20 per cent. higher thar
they were a year ago.