Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-07-05
Municipal Celebration in
Owen Park Is Brilliant
Finale for Day.
GIFT OF PARK BOARD
All Tulsans Take Part in In
dependence Activities
of Some Kind.

|THE Fourth OF July 1915. has
L come and gone. but there will
long live in the momory of the
twenty-five thousand men. women and
children who gathered at the muni-
| cipal celebration at owen park yes
terday the gorgeous display of fire.
works which was presented by the
| park board of the city as the crown
| ing and final feature of safe and
| sane celebration of the nations In
dependence day.
| Beautiful set pieces, sparkling sky
rockets. fountain combs, flaming re-
| productions OF Niagara Falls, the Amer
| lean flag and flame crackers were
displayed from a safety zone set to
! the west side of the lake and 1t was
| along the east shore of this still eX-
| panse of water refccting every tint of
| the millions OF flames, that almost the
entire population of Tulsa gathered
for the firing OF the fireworks.
| But the fireworks in the evening
were not the only features OF the days
celebration. The Fourth of July, to
the small boy at least, began early on
| the evening OF the third, and Monday
| evening struggling skyrocket or
roman candle announced the ap-
proach of Independence day. or "A
giant firecracker informed some
nervous person what was to be eX-
pected with the ushcring in Of the
Fourth
And yesterday the city awoke to
face a day of celebration, n day of
recreation, of picnics, Fairgrounds and
| outing parties.
Early the cars of the several lines
were sWamped with those who took
advantage of the early hours to
journey to the cty's parks with their
well filled lunch baskets and through
out the morning the cars were laden
with men and women with their fam
lilies, carrying huge picnic baskets. by
noon all of the parks were dotted with
parties who had come to spend the
day in the shade of the well pruned
trees and on the well cared for carpet
| of grass.
But what had been busy hour for
the car employees in the morning was
turned to a seething, Laughing, merry
horde of thousands in the afternoon.
| and even these carried the well-filled
| lunch and picnic baskets.
Find Rest in Owen Park
At owen park the greater part o.
the crowd Eathered, the stores Of the
city, together with the banks and
commercial houses. having closed
and turned their employees to- this
! crowd although thousands sought the
more quiet nook at Central park ano
other recreation grounds.
| And after the evening llrch hour
the band Tassed from the stand in
the heart Ct the park to one which
had been erected near the lake and
| adjaccnt to the safety zone where
those engaged in firing the display
| of fireworks were held from the
thousands gathered about by tenn
| porary wire fence, and here during
! the evening gave program Of pop
ular and patriotic airs which called
! forth the applause of the great crowd
| time and time again.
1t was JUst 8 o'clock when tho
thousands Lining the lake and drive
| ways were attracted to the scene of
the days grand finale by great
flash Of brilliant lights, the bursting
of thousands Of flaming bubbles and
| the report Of a cannon. The fire
works dispi2y had begun.
For an hour and half the crowd
cheered, laughed and applauded as
each new moment saw 4 giant sky
rocket shoot heavenwaru, to burst
thousands OF feet in the air and re-
lease ropes Of pearls. diam Jnds ana
flames that seemed to even rival the
moon which had peeEed from behind
the single cloud Of the heavens as II
to take in the sight.
Thousands Fired
Thousands of bombs, roman can
dies and skyrockets were fred after
the first blaze was touched to set
piece This was a giant American
flag which was sent high INTO the sky
in mammoth skyrocket, to be ru-
leased hundreds Of feet in the air,
where 1t hung suspended over the
heads OF the cheering CrGNd.
Later came the Niagara Falls, a sheet
of flames apparently dasned over
mighty bOuiders for u height of 25
feet. This brought the crowd again
to cheers. but what had been awe
and admiration here was changed to
patriotism when the American flag
set, more than twenty feet square.
famed from the rack at the waters
edge, while the band, by playing My
Country, 'Tis of Thee, brought the
loyal Tulsans to Attention.
And then, with 25,000 men, wom-
en- and children standing as the last
refrain of this mighty piece of mar
tial music drifted across the lake,
Mayor j. II. Simmons touched the
match to the fuse Of the expensive
piece at the extreme south end OF
the lake and high above the heads
of the crowd famed the words
Good Night" And thus the munic-
ipal celebration of the nations In
dependence day came to "a close, but
was not ended for as long as there
is memory left with those who at
tended, the sight Of Tulsas most sue
cessful out-of-doo fete will remain