The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-12-30
Bis FIREWORKS
UNDER THE
BAN
Mobile Citizens Sign Petitions
Asking that Ordinance Be
Passed Prohibiting Use
Of Explosives.

The Mobile Register says. In
point of noise this Christmas was the
LONGEST the city Of Mobile has ever
known. Soon after midnight on Sun
dsy 90 the early hours of Tuesday
earpiercing sounds were heard at
more on less frequent intervals. the
greater frequency being in the princi-
PAL business streets. but the fire
work hend who thinks the enjoyment
comes with the constant explosion of
lOud-sOunding crackers and that his
celebration of the birth of the Savior
should be known far and wide. did
not ccnfnc his JOYOUS demonstration
10 the th0roughfares where his kind
congregated and Ia many places in
the best residence districts and in the
suburbs the sound of the cannon
crackers made day miserable ans
night hideOus for citizens who cOnsid-
e. that the conversion OF Christmas
day into a fourth of July is not in ac-
cord with the great festival
Some years ago the city council
passed a law prohibiting the sale or
use Of fireworks. then known as can
non. crackers and not belying their
name. either. en- the noise they made
or their destructive effect. These
cannon crackers were about an inch
in diamater and anywhere from
twelve 90 sixteen inches long The
new law prohibited such class Of FIRE
works over four inches I'm length. The
law was strictly complied with as 10
length the following year, but what
the instruments of aural torture lost
in length they gained in width ana
some of them were six inches in d.
ameter. Since that time the evasion
of the law has grown 10 absolute con-
tempt and this Christmas the old
time. ear-spitting explosive with
which the celebrating inebriate was
wont 90 waken the echoes of the night
in the nineues was here In all its
former proportions. Other Internal
machines took the form of traps for
The unwary pedestrians. whose
shoes gave the necessary force on
percussion caps 10 start whole bun
dies of explosive material which
" ent rlcoche-ting along the sidewalks
10 the terror of wtmen and children,
while the purchasers of such stun
looked on and grinBed. Then there
were parties who found amusement
l perambulating with iron ferruled
sticks 90 winch dynamite caps were
attached said caps beng warranted
90 make anyone within a radius Of
ten Yards jump every time the stick
struck the sidewalks These are only
TWO of the specialties in n0ise-the
common variety 81 crackers showed
by the bushels swept up by the street
cleaning department that they are
san In The market A few accidents
we're reported. bus these are only
minor results In the general effects
of The annual nuisance.
The intensity of the noise and its
growth year by year has at at last
aroused many citizens to action. and.
headed by merchants on Royal and
Dauphin streets. who fear that If the
cannon crackers continue to grow in
proportions and destructive force and
are usea with the same wantOn dis
regard of property and personal
rights next year their show windows
wiz not survive the siege, they have
appealed To- Mayor Lyons for relief.
The are experimenting their appeal
by circulating petitions which are OBJ
tanning hundreds of signatures ask
ing thar an ordinance be passed by
the council prohibiting the use of any
kind of fireworks which create eXpio-
SONS
Yesterday the mayor was engaged
in looking up the laws of other cities
regarding the sale of fireworks ana
iu the absence of specific. data in the
municipal building he wrote to Bir-
minEham and other southern cities
asking for copies of their laws on
this subject Mayor Lyons agrees
with those who approached him on
the subject yesterday that the time
has come for some action which VIII
limit the carnival Of noise and pOssI-
hility of accident and there is every
reason 20 believe that some law Gov
erins the sale of explosive fireworks
wiz be offered for the approval of the
e--a