The Monmouth inquirer., 1897-07-08
THE FOURTH IN GOTHAM.
a Deserted City-How Some Famous Men
Celebrate.

generally CeleDTdtbu Dy every OAlc GO4uS
out of town for the day. Not that the
Gothamite fails in his patriotism -he
is full of that feeling every day in the
year-but, the Fourth being legal
holiday, all hands take day in the
woods, in the green fields or at the sea-
shore. Consequently the streets of New
York are deserted, and the whole Of
Manhattan Island looks like an aban-
doned market. The firemen, the men
who drive the ambulances and hospital
attendants, however, usually have their
hands full on this particular holiday,
for, although the Fourth is a day fraught
with all things enjoyable for both
young and old, there is hardly any one
who does not remember New York
Fourth of July when things went wrong
at least once and very seriously. From
the aged veteran who goes out to see
the fireworks and gets a spark in his
eye to the small boy who holds his toy
pistol 'tto see if it will kick there are
sure to be casualties more or less seri-
Gus.
Ask any prominent man in Gotham
for his Fourth of July experiences, and
he will tell you good story. This is
especially true of Fl. G. Du Val, private
secretary Of Chauncey NJ. Depew, for
Mr., Du Val was born on July A. He tells
story about his most unlucky Fourth,
something like this: One Fourth Of Ju-
Iy, when / was about or s, arose
full Of patriotism and went out to have
a good time with my firecrackers. al
so had number of birthday presents,
which made me still happier. In fact,
the intense patriotism which have al
ways displayed for the Fourth has its
origin little, ] think, in the fact that
I get many presents on that day. Well,
on this particular day I went ont with
my presents, such as could be carried,
and my firecrackers and was having
the largest kind Of time when
boy near mel do not now think pur-
posely-threw firecracker down the
back Of my neck. wore little shirt
waist and kilt, and it seemed as if the
whole outfit had caught fire in half a
minute. OF course was burned, al
though not seriously so, but enough to
make me very cautious how / moved
about and very careful not to get near
the fire again, for that day at least =
Another famous New Yorker met with
bad luck once on July 4, when a mere
baby. That was Oliver Sumner Teall,
and he was but 8 years old at the time.
It is said that people who have passed
through great dangers can never accu-
rately describe the events as they occur
red, and that is why Mr.. Teall cannot
tell exactly about that explosion. 4
was playing with pinwheel, said he,
when it went off in some mysteri-
GUS way, and, still more mysterious, it
seemed to carry me off with it. / flew
up into the air, heavy though ! was
with five years Of chubbiness, and when
came down there was less Of Ollie and
great deal more of howl than there
had been. My eyes seemed gone, my
curls surely were gone and my little
dress was missing in some Of its impor-
tant links. lived. But, oh, remem-
bered that Fourth for a many long
day.
The veteran caterer Delmonico says
he is extremely fond of the Fourth and
always celebrated with the small boys
Banker d. o. Mills says the Fourth is
the most glorious day in the year, not
even excepting Christmas. General Ben
jamin F. Tracy says he does not care for
fireworks now, and when he was boy
and hankered after such things he was
too poor to buy them. Lawyer Abe
Hummel invariably celebrates the day
by taking a wagon load Of pretty girls
for drive through Central park.
Richard Croker will celebrate his
Fourth Of July in dear old Lunnon,
and there will be more Americans in
England's s metropolis to remember the
day than in any previous year. The
wealthier Americans who happen to be
in London will visit that famed seat OF
Waldorf Astor, where the great land
owner has prepared quite celebration.
Mr.. Astor's we'll known antipathy to
fireworks is likely to limit the days OBJ
servance to quiet festivity, but three
years ago he set dinner of 800 covers
on the Thames bank, and IA members Of
parliament sat down to it and drank the
health of the president Of the United
States. At Cliveden preparations have
been making for nearly two months,
and the number of Mr.. Astor's guests
will run into the hundreds. The official
celebration of the day in England will
of course, be that held in the American
embassy in London. So fully recognized
in England are the customs incident to
this day that it is an understood thing
| that no one connected with the embassy
shall be asked to any affair that is timed
to cover the Fourth of July. For 80
years the queen of England and the
Prince of Wales have been represented
at the banquet given by the American
minister on that day.
HARRISON AyREs.