River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-06-29

brate, 1t must be admitted that the practice
has undergone some changes with the passing
of the years. In the days of our grandfathers
the booming of the big guns kept up pretty
much all day-indeed in these days the
patriotic citizens of the new republic liked
such din so well that they fired off cannon not
merely on the Fourth, but Thanksgiving
and Christmas and New Years as well. And
on Independence Day if the booming did not
literally keep up all day at least there was
prolonged salute at sunrise, another at noon,
a third at sunset and a. final laundering along
with The skyrockets and Roman candles in the
evening.
In this more decorous generation we have
to be content, most of us, with one salute of
this sort on the Fourth. At u. S. navy yards
and military posts and other governmental
reservations the salute is fired at noon, but in
the average town or city where the civilians
must do the firing-especially II these self
same civilians are to participate In a picnic
or a parade-the regulation salute is sent echo
ing over the countryside soon after the break
of day. OF course if there is to be a cere-
monial flag raising during the day, or monu
ment is to be unveiled some hgh-up public
official is to be given a reception, there may be
a salute as a sort of accompaniment for the
function but for the most part nowadays the
average American community has to get along
on the Fourth with one formal salute.
Another change that has come with the
passing of the years is in the matter of the ar
engagements for the firing of the salutes. The
average individual who listens to the reverber-
alton of the distant guns never gives thought
to this part of it, but obviously somebody has
to attend to this part of the celebration. In
the old days almost anybody who volunteered
for the task-and who, mayhap, was willing
to contribute for the powder-was considered
competent to act as artilleryman for the occa-
sion Similarly almost anything that would
answer the purpose of a cannon was accepted
as a vehicle of noise making How often
der such circumstances was worn old field
piece dragged forth to do such duty and load
ed nigh to the muzZle by enthusiasts who
thought far more of the din than of the dan
ger that lay in overcharge of ammunition.
Sometimes hollow log or even a length of
pipe was made to serve as substitute.
The natural sequel of such happy go-lucky
k,heme of firing Fourth of July salutes came
IN a constantly increasing record of accidents
Ahich finally bestirred public sentiment on
the subject. Manifestly large share of the
mishaps of this kind, the chronicle of which
filled the newspapers on the day following
the Fourth, were due either to inexperience in
handling the guns or to the kindred cause
of lack of knowledge in measuring powder
charges Well. the upshot of the agitation
was that there found favor scheme for hav-
ing all Fourth of July salutes fired by pro
fessonals," as it were-that is by men who
make business of setting off large caliber
guns and who do it every day of their lives,
or at least quite frequently, instead of mere
ly once year.
Thus it has come about that in most COM
munities where their services are available
the official Fourth of July salutes are now
fired by enlisted men of the United States
army, navy or marine corps or members OF
the National Guard Naval Militia OF the
several states. Accidents have not been elm
mated but they have been greatly reduced
and the salutes are more accurate-that is,
salute fired by such gun crew will consist
of just the proper number of discharges OF
uniform volume and with the proper intervals
between instead of the hodgepodge that was
formerly delivered in many instances when
salute was likely to be prolonged until the