The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-23
FIRED WITH THE POKER.
A Middle-Aged Mans Recollcctions of
Fourth of July Celebrations.


AT one time in my life," said the middle.
aged man. Il had considerable to do with can.
non. That was when was in the army. in the
civil war. Long ago rs that time was. the
memory OF the guns served on is still inde-
bly, imprinted on my mind. but there is one
other gun within my recollection. OF an earlier
date still and fred not In wartime. hut in Joy
full peace. that | remember as plainly. That
Is the cannon with which the.salute was frsd
by the liberty POLE on the green on Fourth OF
July mornings.
That was an old brass field. gun. mounted
in the usual manner. that was hauled to the
friug place before sunrise in the morning. tied
to the toll OF a wagon or truck. left there
through the day. and hauled away again after
the arinG OF the shutdown salute at night. 1t
was kept in the Runner's barn. The same man
was gunner for many years. Whenever there
any other occasion. he fired 1t; The old brass
cannon may have heea used in the war Of
or any nSe rate %ns Qr
thing in our ewes, and low it could speak
In our town In those days On Fourth OF July
salute was fred. and keep them rinRin as
long ms the firing continued. You'd hear tho
E Sfins n Sim "PH aaF B xR Bns BiinT
There goes the. >..nnon. and If we, boys
were.not up already We d get up and hurry
down to the Green to see them fire it. They
cartridges 10 mako tho old gun speak louder
and. when they, fired t. sometimes you'd see in
ss hs Unit hs
and whirliDg over and over in the air. to fall q
little further on; to the ground. Then they'd
load her ur again, swabbing the Gun, out first
to make sure that there were no sparks lett in
it to set the next cartridge, ahre. and then
ramnlng n the cartridEe and tne onkum WAC
m fnn nj m n
Ut ute nm Until tRev'd dTed one for each state " "
With friction primers. While. the men at the
muzzle were ramminc 10 the cartridge and
6Hcx bns d",y Wa % S Ia
at the breech of the gun with his thumb over
the vent. When the shell mot an nakum wac
in those times had been rammed in and set
tied snugy up against the cartridge, the mar
at the breech would thrust primImg Mi an
doT9 then Se Would tee tnf
being a short and slender little brass tube con
tanning illuminate and having attached al Is
into that wire loop a hook that was Mt the enc
in the case OF big siege gun. for instance. he'c
t ground. and the man WHO, he'd the lanyar;
and and that "" would set on the primer and sent
in a very different way. When the man thai
rammed In the cartridge was loading the gun
the gunner would stand in the usual manne
with his thumb over the vent. and when thu
loading was finished no would pierce the car
fridge by thrusting a printing wire oowr
through In the usual way. and then,
We'll. air the gunner carried, s!ung by
! powderhorn. such rs the Continentals used tt
| carry. / guess this nowderhorn must have
| been an heirloom handed down. The big ent
| OF 1t was closed in the usual way with disk .
| wood. and It had wooden plug 'lttihg snug !
| into the small end. from which YOU poured TIN
powder. And when the gun was all ready thu
| gunner would reach around to his back. wher'
| from OF him and puIl our that lug from the
| small 'end and tilt the powlerhorn up Owe
the breech OF tho gun and pour powder from
| In a little stream down into the vent until tina
| vas nlSd and he ID pour enough more to maxi
| a tiny little biz OF a mound OF powder aroun'
| the top o. the vent on the gun, Then he'd pu
| the plug in the horn again and swing II arounC
| behind him and steU to small portable iur
mace that he had near by and take from II
red hot. Advancing to the gun with tina
poker he would reach over and touch the red
hot end OF It TO that little mound OF Iowde
'BoomH she'd GO: and Bling, Bling
| bling! Bling. bling! Bling, Blng-h!ng
would 90 the bells ma the grent white smoE
nun shot out In front filling the air with tn
| sulphurous Odor OF battl@. Sometimes boy
would run through the smoke and we'd stan
and deep and see EN- load her ~. again
| Later to be sure. | came to have SGmethinG l.
| do with cannon myself but J. could never for
| getthe old brass cannon on the Green.