Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-07-11
THE FOURTH OF july.

THE FOURTH OF JULY.
Some people thought when tn
slave holders rebellion was over,
new era would be dated from tn
surrender of Lee on the 9th o
April, 1865. but they did not reat
the signs of the times correctly
They thought the new era dat,
would take the place of the 4th O
July, the birth day of the Amer
ican nation. The death of the slav,
holders rebellion meant the eman
cipatiOn of race. The 18th of July
meant the declaration of emanci
patton for all nations. That al
men are free and equal before the
law, and while it is not every one
that can 60 into a minute explana
tiOn of its full meaning all Amer
leans instinctively feel it, hence il
is the big day in the United States
and cannot be replaced by any
other day, or event. The day was
celebrated pretty much as every
individual felt, either to join with
others in an organized celebration,
or individually, or by family cele-
bration, or by attending quietly to
ones own work. The organized
demonstration here in MifflintOwn
was under the auspices of the Hose
company. 1t was not great long
procession that tired one to look at,
but it was gem of procession,
from beginning to end, with two
bands that filed the air with music;
just the kind of a procession that
caused people to view it at one
square, and then take the near way
to intercept it on another square
for second sight. Every thing
about it was fine, but the crowning
feature was the company of girl
cadets from Newport. The girls
were as pretty as rose buds. They
marched with the procession like
soldiers. The procession was formed
at 1.45 p M, on Bridge street.
DR.. W. H. Rodgers was marshal.
The line of march was out Wash
ingtOn, to East End, there counter
march to Cherry, down Cherry to
Main. When marching ON Cherry
street a brisk shower of rain began
to fall, and by the time Main street
was reached it was raining hard.
Marshal Rodgers turned to see
how his handsome column of para
ders were standing the rain. He
looked upon an empty street, ex-
cepting the McAlisterville band
who: stood by the marshal and fin
ished playing its piece. The para
ders had vanished, had run for
shelter from the rain into houses
and stores along the line of march.
After the rain the line was reform
ed and started for beyond the river,
and had traversed the programmed
route and the head of the possession
was on the river bridge on the re-
turn march, when
A CALAMITY
took place at the bridge that crosses
the defunct canal. The canal bridge
is a structure that was hastily put
up to fill the place of the bridge
that was washed away by the great
food in the summer of 1889. 1t is
eleven years since it was built by
the canal company or the railroad
or whoever claimed jurisdiction of
the premises. The bridge that
crosses the canal was the only
way to approach the river bridge
from MifflintOwn. 1t is span of
about so feet in length. When re-
built in 1889, two trestles were set
in the canal bed and sills were
placed from the shore to the trest-
ties and planks laid on the rails, a
railing was placed on the north and
south sides of the bridge, outside
of the railing on the north side
there was constructed a side walk.
The walk was supported on the
bridge on the trestle sill that pro-
,jected from under the floor of the
road way. The sill nearest the
Miff1intOwn side broke Off close to
the road way bridge and a portion
of the walk between the Mifflintown
shore and the trestle support near
est the river bridge fell into the bed !,
Of the canal, a distance II feet. The
entrance to the walk from the pave
ment was wide, something after the
vide end of a funnel. The walk was
,rowded with people, men, women