Kansas City daily journal., 1897-02-08
EXPLODED 800, 900 CRACKERS.
KANSAS CITY CHINAMEN CELE-
BRATE THEIR NEW YEAR.
Terrific Bombardment in the Open Air
Yesterday Afternoon, Followed
by Receptions and Banquets
in Royal Style.

The Oldest resident in the district bound-
ed by Delaware and Wyandotte and Fifth
and Sixth streets doesn't remember Just
when there was so much noise and hubbub
in that locality as there was at O'Clock
yesterday afternoon when the San Neen"
of the Chinese was celebrated in true
Mongolian style. San Neen" among the
Chinese stands for new year. The well
coming of the year was just one week
late as it really began at midnight one
week ago last night. but the delay was
more than compensated for in the noise
of exploding firecrackers and the choppy
eXclamations of good cheer of the happy
ceiestials.
First of all. permit had been secured
from Fire Chief Hale, and it was counter
sigEed by Chief of Police Julian and May
or Jones, allowing the year to be duly
welcomed in true Celestial style. Along
about 1 o'clock the Chinese began to con-
gregate at Charley Yem's store at 125
West Sixth street. and by o'clock, the
hour at which the celebration was 10 be-
gin, there were about 200 of them stand
ing around in the scattering snow storm.
Then six strapping big fellows carried a
scaffoding into the street and placed it
across the Metropolitan mule car tracks.
The scaffold comprised six uprights which
sustained a crosspiece at the top about
fifteen feet above the street. There were
pulleys on the crosspiece through which
ropes had been run and the Celestials be-
gan to draw long ropes of firecrackers up
to the crosspiece. There were $4,000 COM
mon firecrackers in each rope, which was
thirty feet long. The rope of firecrackers
was stretched around the lower part of
the scaffold and both ends were lighted at
once.
The Chinaman invented the firecracller
and his equal at producing earpiercing
noises with it does not exist. Probably
1000 people had assembled to 'see the
Chinaman'S new year" and when those
crackers began to go off there was such
popping and whiZzing and crashing of
sounds that involuntarily everybody except
the Mongolians moved back from the scaf-
field. At the upper end of each rope of
firecrackerS there was a fan shaped figure
and when the spark ate its way to it
there was momentary lul in the frightfuI
noise. Then, like the explosion of powder
magazine, 1,000 crackers burst at once and
went Sizing through the air. Everybody
dodged when the set piece burst and one
old man in trying to escape something, the
nature of which he did not know, slipped
yelled with a vengeance. More ropes of
firecrackers replaced those that burned
away until 100000 crackers had been ex-
ploded. While the crackers in the ropes
were going off, other crackers in par
GELS We're thrown into the street to add
to the din.
blocks away and by the time the last
cracker had exploded 5000 people were on
the ground.
Downstairs in the store of Yem there
was native Chinese wine that tasted n
great deal like Rhine wine, but which Yem
solcmnly assured the reporter for the
Journal was from the Flowery kingdom.
Here's to Sun Yeen," said Yem, as he
and the reporter clinked glasses.
There were open boxes of cigars down
in the quaint little store also and they
were passed around and around Every
body smoked. All the Chinese had some
thing to say and they seemed to feel the
yule tide cheer of their own new year.
Last night a banquet was spread at 125
West Sixth street. The thick vapor of in
cense foated over the room, lighted candles
kept the sacred watch beside the joss,
wine flowed literally and the customs of the
natives of China prevailed in the fullest
sense At 500 West Fifth street another
banquet was given. Probably the Celestial
pipe of peace was afterwards smoked. The
new year which was celebrated yesterday
was the twenty-third in the reign of good
Kuang Hsu." In China the calendar al
ways starts with the beginning of the
reign of new ruler. The celebration will
be kept up for two weeks more. but there
will be no more shooting of firecrackers.
There will be feasting, kneeling at the
joss, music and Jolly glood tlime," as
Sam Ying said last night.