New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-07-05
GUNPOWDER AND JOY.
FINE FOURTH OF JULY HEARTILY
CELEBRATED WITH FIRE AND NOISE (.
ALL THE CITY MAKES HoLIDAY-PERFEcr
WEATHER. YOUTHFUL PATRIOTISM AND
RoUsING sPoRTs-MANY STRANGERS
IN TOWN soNtx- SnfATT ACcTDFNTS

RoUsING sPoRTs-MANY STRANGERS
IN TowN-soME SMALL ACCIDENTS.
Altogether yesterday was a Fourth OF July
10 be proud OF. More things went right and no
more things went wrong than usual Not In
many years have so many people felt like cele-
brating and everything favored the general de-
sire. First OF all in importance Of course on
a Fourth OF July. is the weather II is pretty
safe to predict the weather for any length Of
time In advance: hot morning. a thunder
shower in the afternoon designated by the old
fashioned orator as a salute Of Heavens artil-
lery). usually evening without rain and suit
able for fireworks but sometimes threatening
Yesterday the weather better than this.
II pretty good average warm day. though
II was cool at the shore resorts. but the usual
shower held off and the evening was fine and
clear. The Fourth Of July is supposed 10 be
hot II would seem unpatrotc for It not 10 be.
So yesterday was pretty nearly an ideal day.
as far as weather was concerned This was,
Of course, favorable not only 10 the amusement
OF the smaller male population. to whom the
day chiefly belongs through its neglect by the
rest Of the community but it also aided the sue
cess OF the more elaborate sports OF many sorts
prepared and carried out by the elders OF the
city
There was even more noise in the streets than
usual as il had heen predicted that there
would be. and so more fervor in the observance.
If noise is a sign OF fervor. The children OF the
poor were happy in the streets. but the chill
dren Of the rich found new sorrow or at least
one OF them did The rich lead hard lives from
the children Up. There a poor rich little
boy who lived on the twelfth floor OF hig
apartment house or course he could not go
down into the street TO play so he threw tor
pedoes out Of the window to the ground. and
then cried because he could not hear them 20
of. So another loss through modern improve
ment is discovered.
II is a strange thing that on a holiday every
body feels that he is in the wrong place AL
the city people who can get out Of town on the
Fourth Of July hasten 10 do so. and all tho
country people who can get to New-York are
10 come. SO the streets looked yesterday
as they always do on the Fourth OF July-as IL
the city had swapped populations with some
enormous country district Indeed. the streets
have looked a little unnatural for some time
now Saturday was half holiday. and every
thine was as dull as everything always is a
Saturday afternoon in the summer. Sunday did
not enliven matters Nobody quite knew
whether Monday was holiday or not, but there
were small signs Of business And yesterday
there was no doubt about II. The city has had
practically a four-day vacation. II the work
OF the town starts UP in earnest this morning
IL Will really look like old times.
Readers nave already been told that the sale
Of fireworks was never before so brisk as II hsz
been this year. II will, therefore. be supposed
that with the clear weather 81 last night the
air was punctured with more than the usual
rockets and Roman candies From any high
point the illumination could be seen In all direc-
tons But. again, the rebuilding OF the city
interfered a little with the celebration. IL taxes
a big and powerful rocket 10 go as high as the
average new building. and the kind generally
used in private celebrations cannot do II. And
so a good deal OF the evening celebration was
lost 70 many observers. and something akin TO
the old difficulty OF seeing the town on account
OF the houses was again experienced
Up 10 a late hour last night no serious casual
ties had been reported. OF course II people are
so interested in the mechanism OF pistols that
they will look down the barrels while they FIRE
them they must not be surprised II something
happens 70 their eyes and II they Will use their
fingers for wadding. they must expect accidents
70 them But nobody killed and there
were no disastrous fires. Altogether u was
good. old fashioned. noisy. joyous. satisfactory
Fourth and this part Of the country al least
can congratulate itself on being one hundred
and twenty-three years old and on having paid
due observance 70 the fact