Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, June 30, 1895, Page 13

T » THE OMAHA DAL LY BEE: SUNDAY, JUN PAPAPARRNPRN The Bee Balloon Ascension. A Memorable Fourth Twenty Years Ago. T RRRGNRIG RARRLIANINNNRS ARAS A FAR-FAMED FOURTH OF JULY, Mow Omaha Celebrated Independence Day n 1875, ® The celebration of the national anniversary of 1875 will ever be memorablo in the annals ot Omaba. Comparatively few of our pres- ent population were eyewitnesses to the inci- dents related by the participants in the his- toric alr-line voyage of The Bee balloon and AAAARAAA AALLALDLLRNARNA: RASRROLAPORA! merely a brilliant, but who knew but little about undertaken, and I knew less, for in all my ascensions 1 had Kept away from the foul odors of the gas tanke. Our gasometer proved to be too small; it jumped like a grasshopper. The pipes soon clogged with diluted acid, the ice for cooling the gas gav out and the whole apparatus became too hot to handle. An explosion was threatened, o we tried to get the people away, which pro overeonfident youth, the task he had | | still fewer are familiar with the adventures ]\ukwi n.‘«- crowd ._," nlru"k"" i of the aeronaut, Colonel John H. Plorce, who | PoYS: and - they = sslied Jb L0 & K | was then employed as a traveling agent of | famous as scout of many an expedition | Tho Bee | against the Indians, came to our help with In 1875 Omaha had a population of less [ two revolvers and a yard of hair streaming | than 25,000, and while her citizens were | In the wind, the police rallied, and when the Botéd for emterprise, public spirit and | Dattle was over we were alone with 4 gas bag | patriotism, everybody was disposed to defer Al demonatrations to celebrate the Fourth to the following year, which was the centennial anniversary of ~ American Independence. About the middle of June The Bee ventured to get up a celebration of the Fourth on its own account that would attract people from all the neighboring country. To this end a balloon excursion to the Black Hills was projected and advertised 1o take place on the afternoon of Satu July 3, at the fair grounds adjacent to Sher- man avenue. A balloon in which Prof. Stel- ner had made an ascension several years pre- vious was laylng in soak in the of Shoaf's great hilllard hall, corner Eleventh and Farnam. The ballocn was purchased for $250 and sent for repairs to the fair grounds. lay, After it had been aired and patched by the vford, its famous poet scout, Captain Jack Ci and the ascensionist, John H. Pierce, netting was found to be too rotten and wicker car too frall for so perilous a jour- ney. So Colonel Plerce was dispatched to Chicago to purchase the necessary supplies which in due time were spliced and attached to the gas holder. The balloon excursion to the Black Hills-was announced far and wide with the following 1776. 1875. THE NATIONAL BIRTHDAY. THE BEE LINE. OMAHA TO BLACK HILT. JULY 8, 1875. ! Grand Celebration at Omaha, Saturday, July 3, under the Auspices of the Daily “BEE.” The advertisement went on to say that a balloon ascension would be made at the state fair grounds in a balloon seventy feet high, carrying taree persons, John H. Pierce, aero- naut, his wife, and a gentleman connagted with The Bee; that there would also be a free-for-all trotting race, mule race, hurdle race, foot race, sack race and other races that a platform for dancing, accommodating 125 couples had been built; that the music would be furnished by the 23d Infantry band and a military parade by the troop from the Fort Omaha barracks would be held by the Kindness of the department commander, Gen- eral Crook; that numerous small balloons containing live cats, dogs and pigs would be sent up; that the railroads had agreed to run excursion trains from all points at greatly re- duoced rates; that admission to the fair grounds was only 50 cents, children half price, and that one and all should come and enjoy the good time guarapteed in advan Tho day was a general holid: Private and public business was suspended to en- able all to partich following order was even postofiice department TO ALL CLERKS AND AGENTS —On account of many of our agonts wishing to take transportation for the Bldck Hills in The Bee balloon, this of- fice will be closed on Saturday, July 3, 1875, E Pluribus Unum. Very Respectfully, PAUL VANDERVOORT, Ont. HA. Clerk, R. M. S. So far as relates to the entertainment of the public the celebration of the glorious Fourth of 1876 was a grand success. So far s the financial results were concerned it was a dismal failure, entailing upon The Bee and its proprietor a loss of some $500. THE AERONAUT T e in the celebration. The from issued the S H1S OWN STORY _ Experlonce of the Man Who Went Up with the Ealloon. MINNEAPOLIS, June 26.—During the year 1875 the west was greatly excited over the discovery of gold in the Black Hills and my name was linked with it as the one who, through The Omaha Bee, had given the news to the world. But the Indian title to the auriferous region was protected by General Sheridan with all the troops avall- able, while Crazy Horse and his band of savages were eager for the scalps of the few who ran the military blockade. The Black Hills park, the new miner's Mecca, was, however, a sacred hunting ground for the souls of departed Sioux, and no Indian was ever known to enter its hallowed precincts With pure hydrogen gas a well equipped balloon of large size could make the voyage to this park and the summer trade winds of the prairie sea blew from my home to the land of gold. 1 was then an Omaha paper that got the news in spie of the _Associated press, which was serving at that time the rivals of The Bee This dally, with two editions, and the Beobch- ter, in German, and the Bohemian Pokrok Zapadu were all published by the now famous editor, Biward Rosewater, anti-monopo- list, anti-prohibitionist and anti more thing ~and men than 1 can mention, but neverthe- less, next to his enemy, Jay Gould, Mr. Rosewater was then, as he Is today, the strongest power In Nebraska, and this was the man who approved ani financlally gave life to my plans for a Fourth of July celebra- tion, and a balloon ascension with the Black Hills as the objective point MThe dead walls and our columns were . pot alone in heralding this new way of seek- employed on The Bee, Ing for news. The great dallies of the world told the story, with editorial com- ments, and it was & question, much dis cussed, whether we had the right to thus avold the government forces, and whether the oldiers at Fort Omaha would allow this ex- pedition to start from under their noses. The comic papers had thelr jokes about the ew Beo line to the Black Hills. I bought & balloon, revarnished and almost remade it while a brother of the editor devoted himself 1o the preparations for manufacturing a vast quantity of hydrogen The glorious Fourth proved to be a bright and beautiful day. The wind was exactly . true to our destination. The cannons boomed. The bands played. The excursion trains came * crowded, and thousands of dollars were take At the fair grounds gate from the eags throng that rushed to surround the balloon. All was ready but the gas with which to nd, and its manufacture began, and with depression instead of elevation. Andrew water, our gas maker, is now a well not quarter filled ing We towed th stationed a g rm came o and evening was approach- balloon to Jefferson square, rd and went home. A terrific and the next morning a mass of mud-covered cloth and cordage was fished out of the puddles, taken to Capitol Hill, washed, repaired and hung out to dry. It is unnecessary to state that the ascen- sion announced for that day did not occur The next morning's papers gave positive as- surance that the balloon would go up that evening, but Incessant rain _made a third postponement fecessary. Earnest assur- | ances were given that this was final, and on the morrow the air should not hold us down. We had abandoned the making of pure hydrogen and resorted to the carburetted article of the gas works. At 6 in the morn- ing we attached our hose and turned on the gas, but when night came the balloon still lacked buoyancy, for water was in the mains and the gas flowed like molasses in winter. Thousands were present. Such a vast crowd had never before assembled in Omaha, and as it was growing dark I climbed into the cordage and told the assistants to give me a boost. Up went the balloon, about ten feet then back to earth 'mid deafening shouts of derision and disappointment. Excursionists from far and near had remained in the city vowing to see the balloon ascension if it took all_summer, and these, beng of the wild and woolly sort, had gone from grocery to grocery until they were full if the balloon wasn't. 1f bad language could hurt, I should have died there and then. The crowd was too dense for bullets, hence my funeral did not occur that week. Weapons were drawn, however, and if one shot had been fired the funerals’ would have included some who have since then earned an honorable niche in the temple of fame. The next day the balloon was fill:d, but the gas had so little buoyancy that I could not take the car, the anchor, ballast, pro- tective appliances nor instruments of any kind. T jumped-into the ropes, shouted good- bye, and sprang heavenward More than a mile abové the city 1 heard the shouts and wild hurrahs of the excited populace, while a_grand old eagle screamed with indignation at the invasion of the sacred air of his realm. The feast of vision was worth all the trouble it had cost. The rari- fled and free air of the helghts above us travels with great speed, and I made fully a mile a minute until I neared Florence lake and found my balloon descending. I pulled wide the valye, increasing my downward speed, and called to some laborers for as- sistance. They laughed and asked for ladder, and sald: Ve gant coom oop dare do_you—vot vor you make fun mit us?’ Now was the time to use the rip cord and open the balloon from top to bottom, letting out the gas and making a huge parachute of the cloth above me, thus insuring imme- diate descent. One ferk, and the rip cord fell broken at my feet. 1 grasped the valve cord, but I drifted out:over the lake; then I closed the valve and overboard went re- volvers, boots and coat in a vain effort to send the balloon up again, In a few seconds I was buried beneath the waters, Then the balloon formed into a huge sail and dragged me through the lake with the speed of the wind. ~As I neared the shore I noted a thicket of willows ahead. My mother preferred willows to the time honored slipper, but 1 have always avolded them. I noticed an opening, and using my legs for a rudder I steered my light draft clipper quite easily into what proved to be a winter wood road, now covered with water. I managed to follow this track without other injury than a few scratches and bruises until an open prairie was reached, when I made a desperate struggle to stop the swiftly ricocheting bal loon, but all to no purpose. I held the valve pen, but the gas escaped slowly. Not far away two excited men were aim- ing at me with guns. I shouted and they ran. 1 beckoned and called for their asslst- ance, and they returned, dodging the jumping balloon, evidently deeming it a thing of life. At last they bravely rushed in and seized the huge, unmanageable bulk and drew it to the ground, while I tied it to a stray sapling When empty they helped me roll it up and were so delighted with their achlevement that they danced and shouted with glee. They were two young Winnebago Indians, with the wildest notions about the wonderful bird they had helped to capture, and they almost wor- shiped me as one far greater than ordinary mortals. They thought I was Walla-Wa- Kon, the spirit of the air. A ‘catfish, caught by his thorns in the huge revolver poc of my buckskin vest, was a souvenir of my unwilling bath in Florence lake and served to make me a hearty meal My Indian_friends accompanied me on my return to Omaha and were my guests until with brass, feathers, beads and paint they became rich and proud and returned with tales that made them heroes in their tribe. Financially the affair was a success (for the gate kecpers), and the press forgave for failing to reach the Hills, seeing that we tried hard to satisfy the people. Neverthe- less T keenly felt that I had not made a complete success of the venture. JOHN H. PIERCE. GAS GENERATOR FAILED Troubles Experienced In Gettiog the Bal- loon Inflated and Ready to Start. The original design of the balloon ascen- sion was to make a trip of a few miles. This idea was soon enlarged upon so as to make as long an aerial voyage to the north- west as possible, with a view of reaching the Black Hills. For this purpose hydrogen gas, which has about double the carrylng power of ordinary illuminating gas, was to be used, and provisions for a number of days supply, together with arms and ammu- nition, were to be taken. There seemed to be no doubt from previous observations of bein able to strike a favorable upper air current to carry the airship to the northwest, as that seemed to be the general direction of the air currents, Three persons were to embark on this voyage, Mr. Plerce, his plucky little wife, and the writer. Illustrated placards announcing this program were hastily improvised, printed and sent to stations on the lines of all con- necting railways, and newspaper advertise- ments with appropriate cuts sent to various journals under advertising contracts. This was all done within a week. The balloon was then taken out of the storehouse and by means of a “blower” filled with air to be tested for leakages, the valves and other at- tachments to be carefully adjusted and placed in thorough repair. The balloon sack was itself ina fair condi tion, needing a few patches here and there, which were made by an old expert sailor whose services had been engaged. When this was done tie entire sack needed a thorough coat of varnish. This was a laborious as well as dificult piece of work, but was ac- WHY THE complished in & few days. In the mean- while a sudden discovery was made. The netting, which had not been closely scruti- nized, was found to be in a state of partial decay and absolutely worthless. This was an alarming surprise. Nothing of that na- ture could be obtained in the city and with- out it all would ba a failure. With only six days margin nothing remained to be done but to send Mr. Plerce at once to Chicago with authority to contract under any con ditions for the netting so as to insure its re- ceipt on time. Under spe ment pér lated period | inducements and extra pay- y for delivery before the stipu- the netting arrived at Omah July 2. The ascension was to take place Saturday, the 4d, the Fourth coming on Sunday. It was expected that an expert would bo secured at Chicago to devise and super- vise the gas machinery, which was reported as a simple and easy affair. In this we were unsuccessful, and the matter was left en- And able eogineer, but then he w. A AAAALAAL, MARLARR, AR AAANAAARAS R literature oratory experiments. cure the co-operaticn of a chem tew days before the time 1 succeeded in get- R RARARLNRNNDPANRRNARNRY, g@ z RARIAANRG PARG RGN was available. The city had no public library and all that I found upon the subject related to small chemical lab- 1 tried in vain to se- No one a scale. A would venture on so extensive ting a copy of Wise's work on aerial navi gation and from It I gathered some data which furnished the basis of a hastily de vised plan of machinery for making the gas No one who has given the subject a sur- face consideration can form a conception of what it requires and the expedients neces- sary to make a plant capable of evolving 20,000 cuble feet of hydrogen gas in two or three hours, as was then contemplated. In computing the material necessary it was found that to supply 20,000 cubic feet of gas which was about two-thirds the capacity of the balioon, required nine tons of wat two and one-half tons of sulphuric acid an two and one-half tons of iron scrapings These required the construction of a battery of air-tight vats or barrels with a system of pipes to receive the acid and water supply and gas outdet pipes, which in turn all focalized into a sort of gasometer with a base of about ten-inch depth of cold water mixed with lime, through which the gas must pass to be purified and cooled. From this gas retort a large main led to the balloon. To get all this mechanism in a short time and place it properly on a few days' notice was no smakl labor By extraordinary effort, with stormy weather at intervals, the gas works, so to speak, recefved their last finishing touches about 1 o'clock on July 3, or one hour before the ascension was to take place. The grounds were already crowded and despite special hired police it was almost impossible to keep the crowds from coming against the vats and derricks where the carboys of acld were being raised on pulleys to be poured into the barrels. Captain Jack Crawford with a num- ber of men supervised this work and only at the point of a revolver did he keep people from crowding and climbing on the support- ing platforms. That an accident did not oc- cur was simply miraculous, About a half hour after starting the works the enlargement of the balloon sack became observable and its steady growth gradually quieted the impatient ciowd. At 3 o'cloc about 5,000 feet of gas had been made and with it the hope of a successful ascent that day seemed justified. In the meanwhile the races had fully set in and the surging of the crowd temporarily ceased. The generation of gas, however, became slower and with it the plpes became intensely hot. An hour's wait ing did not seem to develop much gain. It seemed quite evident that the area of ex- posed surface in the batteries was insuffi- ent to generate gas fast enough. fter 4 o'clock a mob cf half drunken, disorderly men surrounded the works, threat- ening to blow them up. Some began climb- ing upon the batterles and supporting plat- forms but were roughly handled with clubs and at the point of revolvers were finally forced to move on. In the meanwhile storm clouds made the sky black as n'ght, and by § a heavy rain poured down, ard continued for two days. On Tuesday, the 6th, it cleared up, the balloon was taken up and carried to Jefferson square, where it was decided to make the ascension on the following day. All efforts to get the balloon in condition for a day ascension proved futile and a final effort was decided on for that evening. A special contract was made with the gas com pany to inflate the sack by direct connection with the gas main, and by 10 o'clock the infa tion was completed. It had been decided in view of the circumstances that only tw should make the ascent, Mr. Plerce and the writer. When all was in readiness tho anchor ropes were loosened, but to the con- sternation of all the balloon would not rise. Then, after reducing the load of provisicns end other apparatus to a minimum and finding it would not rise, the writer stepped off. Again disappointment stared us in the face: It would not rise. i Desperate to prove to a jeering crowd that the failure unintentional and not from fear, Mr. Pierce disconnected the basket, and elevating himself into the concentrating ring asked the crowd to ‘‘boost” him up. He rose a few feet, to sink hopelessly again to the ground. Why the balloon would not rise could only be accounted for on two grounds. First, the weight of the new netting had been scme what increased over the old, and second, the gas contained too much carbon to give it the requisite buoyancy. After a brief consultation it was decided to make another effort the next morning. A guard was placed around the balloon to pre- vent any mischief. The next morning at dawn Mr. Plerce were on the ground looking over the tion The balloon was seemingly to its utmost, but upon trial it would not lift Mr. Pierce in the basket. Chafing under repeated failures, instead of waiting for the sun to rise and thoroughly evaporate the mofsture on the balloon from the heavy dew and still further increase its lifting power by the expansion of the gas Incidental to the increased heat, Mr. Pierce cut lcose the bas- ket, suspended himself from the concen- trating ring, threw off his coat, and then or- dered the men to let go. In a moment he was up 500 feet or more in the air, then de- liberately calling at the top of his v:ice, which could be heard for blocks, “‘Goodby boys,” he dropped some sand ballast and shot up skyward like a frightened bird suddenly es- caped from a prison cage. The balloon took a northeasterly course, going at about fifty miles an hour. Sud- denly, as flying over the river bottoms about three miles distant a cloud of smokelike ap- pearance burst from the top of the balloon, and, as it in some convulsive struggle, it seemed to fall by jerks in sommersault fashion through the air. Securing a saddle horse I rode toward the spot as fast as pos- sible, expecting to find the unfortunate corpse of my friend. I discovered Mr. Pierce safely on land apparently as well as ever. The story as told by himself was that after seeing his course was directly over the Missourl, which was then over its banks, he concluded to let himself down, lest the gas giving out after a time might drop h'm in an undesirable location. To effect this he suddenly drew ihe rope attached to the side of the balloon, with a view of splitting the sack, anticipating as a result that it would spread out in parachute form and drop him_safely below. The rope, in my opinion, luckily broke and forced him to take the safe course, viz: to pull open the valve and let the gas out more slowly, with the result already named and more fully de- nd 1 ua inflate scribed by Mr. Plerce himself. I could add much by way of comment and analysis from a sclentific standpoint by the light of subsequent acquired knowledge, but 00 this is already long. proves the old adage, ““Truth s stranger than fiction.” ANDREW ROSEWATER PGl SERMO. HEEL It certainly New York World e spiritual wheelmen in this world o' sin and shame, > of us are experts—others bran' new at the game. Two roads ave all we travel, one o' them is smaoth and wide, The other rough ard hilly, now which one will you nide? he smod the way Wheels with punctured frameworks lay, With here and there a rider who has suf- fered In @ smash. They rode *‘the pace that kills" and thought they cut a mighty dash. h road looks invitin', but all along tires and broken See! Yonder goes a scorcher upon his wheel, Ridin' to perdition just as fast as he can Level road before him; lots of fun upon the way, Money in his pockets for to make his life so Eay. bendin' low Look out on the other road, there, too, Room for plenty more, my friends, riders all too few, Hard work climbin’ adam there, Nary chance to coast and save your legs a lot o' wear. lots of bikes up the hills, no mac- But walt until you reach the top an' then you'll see a sight, A toad that can't be beat an' new and shinin' bright, Fitted up with heavenly gear—that's to be your prize, wheels all day was to take place. upon two fence posts, Reoollections of Thriliing Experiences on | | the GreutHoliday. Tl Strange Part Played By the Fourth in the | guns, marched with military step, and in | And Tons of Home Mude, Highly Colored | exploding there with loud reports. Life of a Well KnoWn Army Ofcer— the hearts of some of them there was Kindled Explosives—A Few Novelties in Set | Tlh-~ Hi]‘l\}nm:: J.l;;'nmw '\m:\hshll‘llh |,"|‘wn i an enthusiasm, such as had led their clder N and startling, the effects produced by these The Rewards 6t a Boy Who brothers and their fathers, to enlist in the Fleoss Vaty the Moaoiony of belng entirely different from any other, diss Fought for the Flag. my that was far away at the front, getting | the Cracker. playing showers of pearls, chrysanthemuma i for that second great encounter upon ot varfous kinds, stars, willow trees, moons, uu; A\I.umm\l battle field S | dragons, 1ighted lanterns, hanging rhl!mi (Copyright, 195, by 8, 8. McClure, Limited.) Jumping down from tho fence posts, the [ Three more days and the fun begins, The | thunderstorms, showers of shells, clusters of Yoo sald Cologel Fred Grant, leaning | tWo lads walked beside the Juvenile scidiors, | (i "bor and the old bo: "'h" :“’l‘l” lr: grapes, fans, necklaces, rings, scrolls, ote, back in his commissionér’s chair at the New looking very solemn now, and wishing that Y 0y, the small g besides numerous combinations of the same, o by 0 L they, too, were members of that company. | @nd the old girl, will indulge in gunpowder The ingenuity of the manufacturers has York police headquarfers, when I asked him | At last they came to the public square, Here | patriotism, frighten the eagle from his eyrle | been taxed to the utmost to s:cure new and about the memorable Fourth ot July, 1863, | a platform had boen erected and seat d upon | and contribute more or less to the ear-split- | beautiful pieces for lawn displays and publie “I remember the entrance of the federal [it Wwere the member of congress from that 4 e e b ever slaous | eXhibitions, and there is no design that oAns troops into Vicksourg very well indeed, But | dIftrict, and a distinguished orator from an- | ) Tl "‘{;“l“'_“” tie of the ever glorlous ;04 o mate speclally to ordor In this city, AR It e e ien: Was. quite il | Other state, and perhapa hal a dozen others. | Fourth he country will blow itselt with | Tha pearl batteries which throw into the feom camp dinordera &nd suffering from & They were not to make the ordinary Fourth | the usual implement But, Ob, what alair a number of varlegated stars, yellow most horrible toothache, which was not re- ‘:’ July speech, but to urge volunteers 10| pead the next morning! jacket nests which produce swarms of yels Poned ot after we. had passed over the | come forward and enlist, so that new regl- | "y e tne first halt of June twelve ships | 1OV Jackets, jack in a box, and Columbinw fortiications, . You, will easily understand | OME Might b made complete And aent to |\ sen "Gy’ Ohiness combustibles tenchied | JILS¢10 ST HORIG of thE LCRTHEESEENN. why many detatls that would now be very | MgIrOnb o i h Chinese combustibles reached | worke this yedr Jitafbutiing v AHUDTADG WHALSVEE 10N (ot e e dad hor o pat g et | chUL Sotmtey, THEY, BUEHNL 8,000,000 Ao N T U memory. specches. - He hiad not heard vory much about | ages, In cach packege there are sixty-four | name o the fact that it 1s tho largest fAes “:On the 34 cf July, as you no doubt remem- | onty “taine fechoes of the great confliot had | Aire crackers. That makes 512,000,000 fire wotks wheel sold for b ce 1t has & ber, the preliminaries of Vicksburg's sur- | Sonsiated st that time- Ho heard the con- | crackers. To render this vast prospect of | Lvely etlon. A center whaol revolves with render ‘were gono- throngh by my father and | Domer e o HAt A Coting men who | Joy more comprehe gt great force, and, with two smaller wheels fu AT PN e meting ot my | S ommAn § ‘l“‘ urged the young men who | y more comprehensible, remember that & |the fnner circle, forms fantastic figures: General Bemberton @ nack. by Gonoral Mo, | Jere gathered in the square before him | fire cracker is two Inches long, and it these | Maglc fountains are another novelty for & Pherson, with General Pemberion, atten‘el bY | great orator make a powerfil plea, and he | PAcks were fald out in one continuous line, nickel. And in the 1-cent novelties the only General Bowen, has been described in better | \iiiqered whether this speaker did not feel | 8 the small boy would be glad to have them | {HW HT.’.\\“‘\;‘.',If‘.."”"“'" zeysers, electric lights L L0 LR LIRS uld | vory hot standing in the sun and swinging | laid, it would make a lige 16,161 miles long, | "y unfon battery i another now feature GO L LT DD L AT !‘n.~|”;;.\;u|‘.~m:<: violently and speaking in such |and it would ir;nwh‘ more '”“?“1’““11‘”1"A devised In this country. It dlsplays a grand details, while the staft officers discussed af-|° MONEY FOR THE HOMESTEAD. Around the world, Dmerson's shot would be | tusillade ot colored stars and - EtveATEy fairs_among themselves. After the terms | o =y "o T T RS "rh!‘:m' o to be cheap this | Kaleldoscople eftect. ~Another novelty, called had been arranged and put into writing the [ , MR he Saw che SoRETEIIIA (A heard | vear. What cost 5 e o b (Cheap ihis |the “siiver-birch tree,” sends a column ot conference. was ended and Generals Pem- | hi* Pocket @ packhgs of monwy oS, IO | fan now be bought for 2 or 8 ot i e | it sevonty.five feet R L - berton and Bowen returned o thelr own | Bach orle of the first'ten men wio comet |due tothe new tarift law. The old duty Bt Bk incs and we to heatauarters, | There WAt | forward and enista will vocolve $100, “and | underthe McKidley' lowwas'$ cenis u| Tho Nateher tribes-are said to ave, boen all throgh our headquarters, and, indeed, | beriase thal Mho Hovh one m anett pound, which made the extra cost of an|the only North American Indians who had & a v, $200 more.”” Then one man, and another, | eight-pound box- containing sixty-four packs | templa of worship the entire federal camp. 0 fand still another, went forward, signed his | of fire crackers, 64 cents. Under the Wilson | I was suffering so severely that | wen!|pame, was cheered to the echo as he did|law the duty is 50 per cent ad valorem, and | into _the t‘nm ”“1" 1 was slv-lrhlvz'“”V.l ll:;" 0, and reczived $100. Eight men came for- | amounts to about 20 cents a box. This af- imther and lay down upon one of the (Y0 | ward speedily. Then there was o long puust | fects only {mported goods, of course, and aur bamboo _cots ‘\fl“ }‘"l by ”' |( it 1;’ before the ninth presented himself. As he | home-made fireworks will cost as much as R Rt s U iRoTot lsth7 NRMOT e | SAmERTEOMULHERHINCIOER) passed a lad, | ever this year. But the fact that fire crack- such paln that T could not sleep, a0 [ o | whose first mame was Willam, and sald o fers are to be cheaper than ever before will ;nvu{hnr iy l( lay there, Bour arty | im, “Wiilam, that's the first $100 that T| probably develop large increases of gun- Watching my father, who R ing st a | over had, and Im = golng to glve it L1| powder patriotism all over the country and i mother.” He was one Willlam knew, and | yoie™ie"s “Rourth of July long to be re- rude little two-by-four pine table, also made in the morning as soon as the formal sur- render can be mad “That was all he sald, and I suppose he must have turned in soon after. I fell into a deep sleep almost instantly. “0f the actual entrance into Vicksburg on the ourth 1 rememibet ‘only the chief points. Our men were jubilant,of course. The staff, led by father, roje. inside the confederate lines to a house partly of stone and partly of aching tooth was ajtended to, and then, belng very 1ll indeed, T wag put to bed. A few days later it was nhecesbary to send me north to save my life." FIRING THAT MEANT BUSINESS. Dr. George F. Shrady, who was General Grant's physiclan during the great soldier's t illness, recalls July 4, 1862, as the most pressive Independence day in his experi- ence. “1 had just been graduated ir medicine ouid Dr. Shrady, “and was on my way to Fortress Monroe, where [ was to serve as an assistant surgeon. The battle of Malvern Hill had been fought on July 1 and 2, and there were many wounded union soldiers at the hospitals in and about Fortress Monroe. We went there by boat, the sea voyage part of the trip being made on the Euterpe, and ur trip up to the fort on a smaller steamer I got my first taste of real war on that trip The confederates at Fort Powhatan disre- garded our yellow flag, indicating that ours \Was a hospital boat, and opened fire upon us. I stood on deck looking directly at the fort, as our boat steamed leisurely along. Suddenly there was a puff of white smoke and a great red flash. Then a big something came sailing through the air right toward us. You know you can see the projectile from a big gun it you are about in its range, My first thought was that I was ‘right in it £o to say, and my second that I'd like to get out.of the way. But before I had time to dodge, the shot had struck the smokestack and demolished 1t. That made things highly interesting, and besides the sharpshooters kept peppering at our pilot house all the way up, and, taking it altogether, the trip was a right lively one “When we made the return trip a few days Jater in the same boat, we were escorted by two gunboats, one of which was named the Galena, after the town of General Grant's residence. It was as it a school girl had been stoned by mischievous urchins on her way to school, was afraid of being hurt, and the teacher had sent her home between two big boys who would swagger along on either side, and see that she came to mo sort of harm. Well, as we passed Fort Pawhatan one of our gunboats sent a shell or two crash- ing over toward the boat. It was fun to see the missiles cut oft the tree branches and make the dust fly around there. There were no answering shots. The mischievous urchins Kept quiet. They didn't like the looks of the big boys that had been sent to see the little girl home, and so the return trip was much Jess exciting than the trip up stream had been.” ENLISTING ON THE FOURTH. An army officer of such present rank and standing that he is likely some day to be a major general, was recently visiting some old friends in the east who had not seen him often since he began army life, and sald to them that he looked upon the 4th ot July, 1862, as the date of.the beginning of his areer, and that he had sometimes wondered at the coincidencey which had made that day a conspicuous one in his life. Then briefly he told his story: ! “Soon after midnight on July 4, 1862, a country lad was awakened by a prearranged signal, and looking’ from his window, saw one of his mates waitihg impatiently for him to come out and celebrate: by the firing of pistols and a little brass capnon, in the small hours of the night. Noj many minutes was the awakened lad engaged in dressing, and with an agility which wiis akways his characteristic he swung himselt’from his window to the limbs of a cherry, trge, and by that means dropped to the ground. In his pocket were a couple of biscuits ‘afid some pieces of cold meat, wheih he had with prudence provided on the evening before. Sharing the provisions with his mate, they slarted, munching as they went, They went to a hill beneath which stood a little farm hotise which was cnce the home of the grandfather of a president of the | United States. On the crest of this hill they | discharged thelr cannon perhaps a dozen times. Then, dragging the little cannon be hind them, they started off for the city, some four or five miles distant. As they passed a | farm house they stopped beneath the windows and discharged their pistols. When at last they reached the city they joined a consider- able company, of youngsters who were engage | like themselves. Just at sunrise they climbed into the steeple of an old church, beneath whose rafters some of the soldlers of the revolution had gathered In the days ot '76, and rang the bell with vigor, although it was no child’s play to pull the rope. One of them, the lad with which this story trely with myself. I looked up what little Jump on one and wheel away straight into Paradise has to do, was 17 years of age, of a man's dressed W and by another whose father wa N ous as a general in command of union troops V.CKSBURG FIRING THAT MEANT BUSINESS | ¥ . afterwards became a high officer in the regu- 16 30; 1895, 13 Both were very or an celebration of the S0 they found a seat where they perched hemselves to wateh the procession as it went There was a company of boy eoldiers, fn zouave uniform, commanded by no who has siice gained fame as an artist conspicus WHOO CARGOE the battle of Bull Run, and who himselt r army. These little fellows, with wooden was only a year or two older than himself, [ [ ionh oo e Gt rves iy by the Noller boys:.;..His face was lighted | snd tot o Aall, NCE yWHSTS near 40 SLEOnE. | Hos cas have o Hor cohiiore Thie siae by the filckering blaze of a candle, and the | “'Now the congressman pleaded and begged [ fi! SO0 AN T8 TRE. CEARKEES WL AL Soralohing of Jiis pen ke’ it traveled bASK urid|ipor tha tefth et to conte Torwardrand: enifbt | sl TOrS SOTKINLS Oned.Onn HAYe. Lwice da forth over the paper was the only sound In | ang receive his $100. Willlam's heart was [ MO¥ B8 AOrCOOr broug 4 the teut. Finally, in the middle of the | yidenly set on fire, and he sald to himself, | , tHETQ 4Fe TER TEW e EaparouRht oLE night—I am not sure whether it was yet the | ¢ Hiram can enlist, why cannot 17 The [ {1 Wiy of heavy fireworks this year om0t "bogan 1o drowse a Ittle, In | s1eo that L set wow will bo a Broat help to| Amons them iy probably the biggest attempt spite of my pain. But I was aroused very | father, and the other $200 will make it possi- | over made In the way of canton crackers, soon by the entrance of an orderly With a|pla for him to pay his interest. Then I Thero Is a glant cracker now fourteen inches note, shall be a soldler, tco, and carry a real gun.” | long. The dealers are almost afrald to keep "1 4id not have to be told that the mes- | *"Fie hinking. but scarcely knowing what | them or to sell them, and they will not sell sags aras from General Pemberton. 1108t | o ala. William edged hiw way to tie steps | them to boys unless they are accompanied my sleepiness at once and watched My | which led up to the platform, and then hesi- | by their parents or seme responsible person father's face while he read the note. It | tated. The eyp of the congressman fell upon | or have a permit in writing. One of these was not a long one, but he read it over in- |y +Come up, my son,” he said. “‘You, | crackers contains powder enough to break tently two or three times. When he lookel | {50 "want to fight for your country. Come | the gl front of a store if set off at the up an expression of great reller passed over | and join the rol of honor” b g | CUFb and it is only safo to explode them his features and he took a long breath. 'So, almost before he knew what he had | out in some open space where the concussion TN “Well, Fred, he said, turning o me, | qone’ Willam hal signed the roll, received | can do no harm to adjoining buildings. If you live or travel “'s all over. ~We shall enter Vicksburg | yis ¢100 and was told to report on the follow-| The list of new things in fancy fireworks ing dey at a place which was named to him. | this yea the little fagm house. william did not dare tell his mother what he had done. So he sought his lather, who was celebrating the Fourth after the fashion Ve nat was pretty’well riddled by shot |of farmers wno toil hard, by getting in a| 7 I up about 500 feet, a swarm 38 e T e canate Bkt St af sarr Wiam Sout, 1o th | of Sren Lo barpnty, e wile ' aad| lisiments, located in AESEY fon. who looked greatly distressed, and the |and calling his father apart from the fleld | T00R" o1 or o e, ey IS " X AT e sienn, o Jlalk between Gen. | hands placed in his hands the $100. aisappeur, every principal city in D rvmarton and/hy! father was not long; | “Where did you get this, my son?” the| Some of the old sot pleces appear now A t its terms were courteaus but hardly cordial, | farmer asked. ; % under new names, and many of them are MErica (seo cities below.) nd all were heartily,glad when the signa- | “It was given to me thid morning. modified in thelr colors o as to produce new | yxr o ) 2 {ures had been appended to the articles of [ *“Given to you for what? and pleasing effects. Of the cheaper new e display a large assortment e anton. - Then W remounted and rode [ “For enlisting in the army, and you will| things is tho siiver geysor, the clectric llght, { skilfull \ fabrl into town. I remember that our horses had | have §200 more by and by. trolley wheel, beehives, gas wells, yellow ol skiifuily se ected fa rics, It oW, o breaatworks and_ trenches, and [ The old man looked at him bewlldered, | juckets and grasshoppers, all of which are SIS it that the jolting increased my suffering and then, after a time, he asked the l)r\)( 0| sold for from 1 to 5 cents each. over 3,000 styles. ather selected his héadquarters as soon as the story. As \\}Il m did so the \";”l‘ ,‘”"' art In making fireworks consists in T = o] d he could. a dentiét-was brought and- my |camo into the father's oyes, but he said: | mixing the colors and so constituting them rousers to order, £4 to $14. “William, it you had asked me this morning | that the A BRAVE SOLDIER. tion of his comrades. Near the close of the battle, as he was pas:ing through a cornfield, devised, ho was struck and fell to the ground. It colored his cot on that Fourth of July his mind went back to that day a year before when he had started out for a boyish celebration, and had returned to his home pledged to become a soldier, and he was glad that he had taken that step. He knew that army life had a fascination for him, and he then made a reso- lution that in case he survived his wound he would remain always in the army. Thls time when he left the hospital a lieutenant's com- mission wi waiting him—a boy of only 18. On the Fourth of July, 1864, Willam had a memorable experience. He had fought all through the Wilderness and before Petershurg and he was a captain now, Some official busi- ness brought him for the first time Into the presence of Grant, and Grant sald to him ““Captain, 1 have heard of you, and especially of your courage at Cold Harbor. I shall not forget you.” On the Fourth of July, 1865, the young captain, having been mustered out of the volunteer service, received a lieutenant’s com- mission in the regular army, and although he was never told so directly, yet he never doubted that he owed the appointment to a friendly word from General Grant. In the west, whither he went with his regiment, he remained many years, and his old father and mother were very proud of th record which he there made in the perilous campalgns against the Indians. Slowly, by suc ve promotions, he at last reached the rank of colonel, and was generally re s one of those soldiers who, though lack'ng West Point training, nevertheless have the qualities which make a fine commander. gnized i | And Last Call- The Buckeye Buggy Co., Have Twelve Vehicles of the Karbach stock that must be sold this week, Prices will be made to sell them. Call at once, Cor. 15th and Howard St The Bargaius ofa Litetime. stature, but a boy's heart and impulses; the An Abundance of Material for the Aunual | In that moent he changed from & lad to & | There are Ferrls wheels, elactric fans, trolla: I et mecome beparated from His | whoote sisetrie, bieyelen, Brockiyn brisess,| Otates you' can have riost playmate, who had gone marching on With | jit1o Vesuviuses and big Vesuviuses, tor f : Phe boy =oldiers. Therefore he turned his | Liiie Ry s A0 b ehasers ad| suitable clothing made @ face homeward, and after a while reachedy yupinese bombs. An unusually good thing is the parachute rocket, which floats a num- ber of small lights by fittle pa other pleasing which lets loos: I shoult have forbidden it, for 1 should have | opy The designing is done by the chemist, Suits to order, $15 to $50. said that you were too young. But it seems | tha work of manufacture not requiring skilled to me that i they want soldiers to fight for | layor, There will be a few new imported | Overcoats about the same. the flag so bad as this, then some one in our | fralirke ‘oo of the best buing the Chinese | family ought to go. 1 cannot, for T am (00 | mandarin, composed of a large number of | We make garments at shori old, 1 feart You have three brothers, by | firecrackers. This is something that has 5 2 they are too young. You shall stand bY | yover been seen in this country beore. The | notice, or forward them tc your word, William, and go.” hen the | head 18 larga and round, and contains thous- : i Then théy went o the Nouse, anl, wher, U | ands of snakes of various hucs, which sawirm | any destination, often to ous Jown the bible and read a chapter in it to | {14 GO about A every qEUetin When | other stores for delivery. her boy. to be found in batteries. he electric spreader is perhaps the more Little more than two months later Willlam | 1o ™1 "aces, after the explosion, a myriad | Gnements expressed. was in the thick of the fight at Antietam. | o¢™'ctars each showering different colors, ! His courage and his coolness won the admira- | through the air. For those who prefer pa- | ALL OUR WORK MADE IN THIS CITY BY triotic fireworks proved, however, to be a spent bullet. The | "Among the new goods of American make thock was severs, and the wound painful, but | ara an almost endless line of colored exhibi- not_dangerous. | tion “candles and ‘rockets. New electric pa- CHICAGO. ST, Louts, When_ William came out of the hospital | rade torches that will burn in rain or wind, 3 b found that he had been made sergeant as | that are self-igniting, will be a prominent | ST-PAUL: 74 OMAIA, a recognition of his courage and his faithful- [ feature this year. HatTon! DiNvER fess. A year later, on the Fourth of July, he | Dragon nets are a new and startling article TAILOR liy In the hrspital agan, at Gettysburg. He | in fireworks, simple to fire, and display beau- | DESMOINES. PITTSHURG, s one of the immortal band who had re- | tifully. They commence with discharges of : phi telved the charge of Pickett's men at the | electric stars, each star in its flight separat. | WASHINGTON. NEW YORK. INDIANAPOLIS, oovedwall. Hin commanding officer had seen | ing and making a number of smaller stars and | Kansas CiTv. SANFRANGISCO. MINNEAPOLIS him fghting while the blood was streaming | flashes. There is also a shower of brilliant o ound in his neck. As he lny upon | colored fires eight to ten fet high. As a | HARTFORD. PORTLAND. ORE. LOSANGELES, —— = | M NI finale, a grand outburst of hissing, flery l PING UP THE FOURTH | g ufsturivts o Aot o | hssing noises, and leave tralls of brilllani fire behind them as they shoot through the alr, The most amusing article ever offered In firoworks is ‘“‘the devil among tallors I s to be placed on the ground to fire, and opens with an fllumination in colors, followed by a rich stream of brilliant fire; next shows a fountain of reporting electric stars, and terminates with a burst of flery dragons thrown to a helght of fifty or sixty feol, and Patriotio Din, S OF CHINESE CCMBUSTISLES prosents an iteresting 10t of names, | anywhere in these United order by one or another of Nicoll the Tailor's estabs achutes, the dragon An- device is rocket, oy will burn properly with the right gorgeous, send- [ Samples mailed. THIE BE 207 S. I5TH STREET. the union battery has been P JOUR TAILORS, which displays a grand fusilade of stars and gives a kaleldoscopic effect. GIN HOT weather with a very warm offer to new beginners, To every one buying their complete outfit of us this week we will give a COMPLETE DECORATED DINNER SET FREE. Our offer is for THIS WEEK only and We are the set is shown in our west windows, showing quite a number of new fall styles in Carpetings, including Tapestry and Body Brussels, Moquette and Axminster. eral new colorings have been added this season and we have secured every nov- elty shown. We are closing out Alaska Refrigerators at about cost. We are agents for the Jewel Gasoline Stoves—there are no accidents with Jewels, BN (ash or Easy Payments— ,¢4’ ONE PRICE Yo & Mowe.Ys WonTh oRYour HoweYBack THIHANG i