The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-06-24
PATRIOTS SPEND
QUARTER MILLION
MINNEsoTA's FOURTH OF JULY
WILL BE GLORIOUS
Dealers Are Taking More Care Than
Ever This Year to Protect Their
Small Patrons from Damage Dan
gerous Pieces Have Full Directions
for Safety Printed on Them.

More money will go up in smoke the
coming July 1, than ever before on this
patriotic anniversary in the history of
the northwest.
This is what the wholesale dealers in
pyrotechnics say, basing their state
ments ON the fact that their sales so
far have been the t'largest ever
Their estimates are that in Mime
sofa and the two Uoo pake eda 6od fireworks
exploded; in Minneapolis, from $4,000
to 100000 worth; in st. Paul, $4,000
to $4,000. Some individual retail
stocks Of fireworks in the twin cities
represent single investments of $4,000
to $4,000. The American eagle s
screams come high. but the dealers are
figuring that the small boy must have
them this year in greater quantity
than ever.
There is one innovation in fireworks
this year which the manufacturers be-
lieve, will to some extent, do away with
many accidents. On all novelty goods,
large crackers and heavy explosives,
plain instructions and warnings are
printed in large plain bold-face type.
The manufacturers believe that many
accidents have heretofore occurred
thru Ignorance Of how to fire off the
piece with safety.
There are some attractive novelty
goods this year. And because the
greatest profit is in this class of goods,
these new creations are being pushed
S 1f sssz Am Amons sss
are, If you want to see the hornets,
light the fuse!' There is also the
"jack- n-the-b box This is display
of ,prismatic colors and golden drops
ending with fiery serpents; a pretty
lawnpiece. Another new thing is
"Mount Pelee.' The lighting Of the
fuse results in brilliant eruption of
lava, accompanied with clouds Of smoke
There are the usual unlimited supplies
of rockets Roman candles, pinwheels
tion to the endless stock of firecrackers
large and small.
There is a new boykiller out this
year in the form of a blank cartridge
pistol. It ism It the familiar 5O-cent
revolver which has been in destructive
evidence for number of years. It il
cheaper-and worse. It is made of the
cheapest kind Of cast iron, like thu
common paper-cap pistol, but instead o.
having a place for a cap, there is {
place to fit blank cartridge into tn,
barrel. 49,.
"We are none of us pushing the sal,
of this article, said Benjamin j. Ward
one of the leading statesmen of fire
works in the twin cites. cit is dan
gerous. The small boy who may use it
never thinks of cleaning his toy pistol
After firing twenty-five or fifty cart
ridges, the barrel is sure to get clogge,
with powder dirt, and when fired il
such a condition there is no telling blu
what the next shot is going to cause i
to explode. All statesmen Of frework
and Fourth Of July supplies have sam
Piles Of these pistols, but are only sellin
them where a customer insists on bein
supplied. TX r.
Already the Fourth of July trade ha
started in on a heavy scale, in spite o
the warning Of the mayor against an
setting off of explosives before tn
great day of gunpowder accidents. Re-
tailers report an extensive sale of spe
cial sets Of lawn displays, and it j
probable that the evening Of July 4 i
Minneapolis will see thousands Of lawn
made beautiful by the setting off o
elaborate pyrotechnical displays. ~