The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-17
FOR SANE FOURTH
Still There Will Be Plenty of
Noise.
Only the Dangerous Explosives
Barred by Ordinance.
WHAT is RULED OUT.
No More Blank Cartridges or
Big Crackers.
Shooting Of Guns, Revolvers and
CannOns at an End.

The new Fourth of July ordinance has
not stopped the sale of noise producing
explosives.
Mr.. c. J. Coughlin, a Topeka whole
saler, has received orders for ten thou
sand dollars worth of fireworks already
this year. All grocers and druggists
have placed orders and the prospect is
that there will be but a very little more
sanity in the celebration this year than
usual. This, too in spite of the fact
that the public has been somewhat de-
ceived in regard to the meaning of the
city ordinance.
1t has been stated that all canes as
well as a number of other kinds of fire
works were barred by the city council.
The statement was too sweeping and
led many to get false view of the ordi-
nance. AS a result of this misunder-
standing all orders for canes of all kinds,
both at THE Fair and at Coughlin's
hardware store, were Cancelled. The
statement referred to above was true
only in part. The ordinance rules out
only the following articles:
Cannon crackers over six inches In
length, toy cannonS, revolVers, blank
cartridge pistols. and the blank cartridge
shooting cane. The ordinary cane is not
barred out. The ammunition that is
used in the ordinary cane is compost
ton of explosives in the form of tablet
This is put into the lower end of the
cane and exploded by means of a sud-
den impact. The blank cartridge cane
is similar to the other except that it Is
so arranged that it shoots regular blank
cartridges, such as are used in an or
binary revolver.
The reason that the blank cartridge
canes. revolvers and blank cartridge
pistols are ruled out is because there
are so many loaded cartridges in the
boxes of blanks that much injury. trivial
and otherwise, carelessly results there
from. Mr.. Coughlin said: Last year,
a crowd of boys went by my home
shooting pistols and one discharge sent
a bullet through a window in my
house." He also called attention to the
fact that during the Fourth of july
many larger boys who had visited the
joints in the course of their celebration.
had been known to congregate in the
streets and pull off a sham battle. Some
damage has been done, from time to
time, as a result of such irresponsible
FRANKS For this and similar reasons
all cartridge shooting contrivances have
been barred. tit
The big sale of fireworks to retailers
covers the days July 1. 2, 3, 4. The larg-
est trade being on the last mentioned
date. There had been no sale at all this
year until after the recent rains No
reason is given for this except that peo-
pie did not think about such things I'M
til the crops were out Of danger of
drought. EVEN HOWy very lew SdISS nave
been made to Topeka dealers. The coun-
try people do their buying much in adj
vance of the people in larger places.
Some have laid in a good sized stock
already. The reason given for this de-
layed trade is that dealers wish to know
about the prospects for a celebration
before making purchases of any size.
Mr.. z. c. Glenn of THE Fair who
handles a great amount of fireworks
does not worry about the matter at all
He has his fireworks insurance permit,
and the permit of the fire marshal of
the city, and will sell allowed articles
and will not worry in the least. He has
noticed lag in his trade, however. this
year, but does not have anything to say
about the cause.
With the most dangerous articles of
fireworks barred from use this year,
there should be fewer accidents than
usual. However. there will be a good
many cases of the boy who went back
to see why the cracker did not go off,
as well as the one who did not know it
was loaded. There |ill also be. in all
probability, the one who wanted to see
how the cracker exploded, and the usual
number of accidents will result.