The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-06-29

pleasing, SOmcIuluS CHdI hOFoi
had seen further south and west.
Pavilions, summer gardens,
parks and rural resorts were, pop
ular places for family and neigh
borhood celebrations. Speaking,
music, dancing, games, eating and
drinking were freely INDUCED in.
Pike Lake, Fond du Lac, Mime
sofa Point, Lester Park and the
Incline pavilion were favorite and
easily accessible resorts.
Explosives Were Not Banned.
In those good old days cannon
firecrackers were not banned. The
evening was made brilliant with
fireworks all over the city. Spe-
cial displays were given by prom
inent people or organizations. 1t
was not illegal in those good old
days to try to initiate the skirm-
ishes of Lexington and Concord,
the battle Of Bunker Hill and
other Revolutionary actions.
July 4, 1893, my first Fourth
! of July in Duluth, was a cold,
cloudy, foggy, even misty day. A
chill came in from the lake that
made hardy men don their win
ter overcoats. The streets We're
lined with men and boys who be-
lieved in making plenty Of noise
and remembering that it was the
nations birthday. Wassail, good
cheer and plenty Of explosives
kept the most sleepy citizen
awake.
That was the first year that the
boys put that explosive potash
)powder on the street car rails. A
dozen of them would dash out and,
about every three feet, along an
entire block deposit piles Of the
Explosive. That powder had slight
lifting power but detonated sharp
ly and loudly.
Big Barrage of Noise.
A car from Woodland or Lester
Park would come bowling along
westward, filled with men, women
and children who had not previ-
ously been down town, therefore
were ignorant Of the explosive
powder on the rails. The car
would pass an avenue and enter
mined zone at a sharp rate Of
speed. Bang! bang! bang! bang!
For the entire block those sharp,
deafening explosions would split
the ears Of the passengers. The
car would rock and roll but easily
keep the rails. The passengers
would jump to their feet and
women would even scream.
Thanks to the danny, heavy at
mosphere, the smoke would lift
slowly and fully fill the canyon
made by the buildings on both
sides of the streets. The favor
lite blocks were between Third and
Fifth avenues West.
| In another season or two the
City Fathers forbade that form of
celebrating the battles of Licking
ton and Concord, Bunker Hill and
the many other Revolutionary &C
lions.
Unless there comes a change
next Thursday, recent years have
been marked by a shutdown of
business on July 4, but no serious,
systematic celebration of our Ma
tional Birthday. Most Of the Ca
Inadian and European anniversa-
ries are celebrated with spirit, but
the poor old Fourth of July has
been entirely too much neglected,
speaking from the standpoint of
one whose ancestars came over
anywhere from 3OO, 200 to 1OO
years ago.
Silberstein Celebrated in 1870.
Bernard Silberstein, commits
sioner of public safety, spent the
Fourth of July in Duluth for the
first time in 1870, just 4S years
ago.
"There were not many people
here then and | do not remem-
Der that there was any general
Celebration of the day." says Mr.,
tSilberstein. "My wife and I de,
cided to spend the day at the
Hulett farm, out where the Villa
Scholastica now stands. There
were no sidewalks, graded streets
Or other improvements out that
way in those days. 1 trundled
my little girl up there in her
|perambulator and that was some
thing Of a task. The road was a
very good one but the hillsides
were covered with trees instead
of homes.
/ "About 2 p. m. 1t turned SO
cold that we went home and