The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-06
CITY HONORS 18TH
BIRTHDAY OF US.
Mayor Kept Away From City
Hall Official Celebration
by Headache.
WICkERSHAM A SPEAKER

r rom Su1TlSes Wnen the Impressive
ceremony OF flag raising took place at
the Block House in Central Park. until
midnight the city yesterday celebrated
the 139th year OF the nations life. In
all the boroughs there were orations.
athletic ce~rnivals. band concerts and H.
luminations In dozens 81 centres. Mo-
ton pictures and street dancing were
among the features of nan celebrations
In Manhattan.
But although the exercises were i'm.
pressive and in some cases even solemn.
the day as a whole was celebrated as
only the Fourth can be celebrated.
There was something to please every
body, and everybody at the varied cele-
brations seemed pleased.
The open air movies. the holly con-
tested athletic events in the parks and
Fairgrounds. the baseball games-from
the two scrimmages between the Yankees
n Athletics at the Polo Grounds to
the game in the smallest back lot-these
diversions formed a substitute for the
fire crackers and blank cartridge gun of
other days.
To be sure there were some young and
rebellious spirits who by dark articles
managed to smuggle combustibles into
the city and produce a self-satisfying
lot of noise. Fire crackers were few and
far between. however. and he who pos
sessed them was lord of the block. Cap
pistols and cap sticks were more COM
mon, and as they are not supposed to be
dangerous the bluecoats ignored them.
A few blank cartridges persisted with a
bang beneath car wheels and occa-
%sionally a frenzied patriot vented his
feeling by firing a pistol loaded with
blanks out OF a window.
Altogether the day was remarkably
free from serious accidents and fires.
Most Of the hospitals were kept busy
caring for slight flesh Wounds. few of
them serious, but two hospitals. Ford
ham and New York. reported that they
had not had a Fourth of July case all
day. Gouverneur Hospital. on the other
hand has mad a record i'm the last two
days. having treated thirty-fve cases on
Sunday and thirty yesterday. Roosevelt
comes next with twenty-five cases yes
terday. Bellevue Hospital had only five
cases.
No one appreciated the safe and sane
Fourth more than the firemen. There
were only about forty alarms in Man
haitian yesterday. "A number very little
al atSSs VI III "ttu hAtS
10 no occasion to celebrate. Most re-
markable. there was not a single second
alarm fire, which Is probably a record
for Independence Day.
In the old days. when no restrictions
were placed on the use of firecrackers
and other explosives. the number OF
alarms was often almost double that OF
yesterday.
Headache Keeps Mayor Away.
In Manhattan the principal celebra-
tions were at the City Hall in the morn
ing and at the new stadium in the City
College in the evening. Promptly at
noon a salute of forty-eight guns roared
out from Governors Island. Mayor
Mitchell was not able TO be present at the
exercises at the City Hall at IL A. NJ,
owing to a headache. SO george Gordon
Battle. chairman Of the Mayors Inde-
pendence Day committee. presided In his
stead.
Above the City Hall there fioated, be-
sides the stars and Stripes. the orange.
white and blue of the city's new banner
for the first time over a Fourth OF July
celebration.
Despite the drizzle. which lasted until
nearly noon, thousands of persons gath.
cred In the plaza to hear the speeches
which were made from the steps Of the
Wy nan, AIT scicttloiS W liz oiis
Department band. Battle heard cheers
when he praised President Wilson for
preserving the national peace with
honor. Comptroller Prendergast EN-
bodied in his address a strong plea fol-
preparedness
George W. Wickersham. formerly AT.
torney-General of the United States
evoked a storm Of applause when he
said:
1T is for US to-day to preserve che
principles Of liberty which Washington
fought for with "A devotion which knows
no limit of ease or comfort and which
stands ready to sacrifice anything tina,
we possess in order. as Mr.. Lincoln said
In that great Gettysburg speech. tina,
government of the people, by the people
and for the people may not perish from
the earth"