Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-06-20
ALL READY FOR SANE FOURTH
Merchants Lay In Supply to Comply
with the Law.
HIGH EXPLOSIVES ARE TABooED
All Sorts of New Devices 60 Amuse
the Children Take the Place of
the More Dangerous Kinds
of Fireworks.

Sane Fourths cost JUST AZ much as the
old kind in which death and injury featured
the next days papers But how much does
II cost the average family in Omaha and
vicinity TO celebrate Independence day?
Just 10 cents.
Dealers already are laying in their stocks
Of celebrant materials. The Toy cannon
and the murderous cracker Of large dimen-
sions have been tabooed. But the younger
generation and the youngsters Of the elder
generation spend just much money for
pinwheels and Roman candles as they did
In the days before statute and ordinance
tabooed the heavy explosives.
One hears much every year about the
great fortunes that are spent in every city
to be burned up in glorious acclaim Of
the country's natal day. But, dealers who
have their fingers on the fireworks pulse
assert this Is more or less of a myth. APP
proximately there are 10000 persons in
Omaha. Council Bluffs, South Omaha, sub
urbs and vicinity. A liberal estimate Of
the amount of money spent by all these
people for Fourth of July noise parties
would not be more than 5000. Taking four
persons 10 the family as a general average
there would be $1,000 Of them. Tis simple
calculation. Ten cents a family proclaims
the patriotic spirit.
Invention has not produced many new ef-
fects in the fireworks line. Pyrotechnics
basically, are about the same as they were
several years ago. The difference is that
the growing cry for a sane Fourth in all
parts Of the country has resulted in the
production OF more Of the simpler and less
dangerous pleces. while the ear-splitting
symbols Of anarchy take less and less OF
~ a.
mo hospital days for my kids" muses.
Mr.. Benedict as, the noise day approaches.
I'm just look around and get something
quiet and peaceful for the youngsters"
I'VE have here the Bengal stick" said
the dealer, as Benedict declared his inten-
ton This burns with an intense color,
throwing Off brilliant scint llations." as he
looked at the catalogue "Sparkers are
much the same. and guaranteed to be
harmless
Then there was a display of various
shower sticks mot umbrelas), eruptlng
volcanoes japanese acrobats and carous-
els, a sort OF spinning wheel which pirou-
cites along the sidewalk and makes Tige
beat IT. for the basement window.
Son of-a-gun' is the euphonious title
applied to a small, round, innocent looking
art Gle. But rub 1t on a hard surface for
a minute and q series OF explosions lasting
over five minutes starts.
But the Benedict losked around. He was
bewildered by the collection of chances to
observe in fire the signing of the declara-
ton.
What is that2''l he asked. pointing to a
small box with various kinds of p Gees set
within It. The box contained the follow
ing: Flying bombs, Japanese acrobats,
magic fountains, maltese cross. skyscrap-
ers, Japanese sunwheels, searchlights.
Mount Vesuvius and surprise boxes. 1t
was a combination ret worth quarter.
That settles the question" said Bene-
dict.
And he took the box home and hid 1t
lack Of the gas stove.