FIREWORKS AND FROLIC

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6994, 9 January 1901, Page 2

FIREWORKS AND FROLIC

SUMNER LAST EVENING. BEAUTIFUL WEATHER AND A BRILLIANT SCHEME. ... . ■ . ?•..•. HAPPY EXCURSIONISTS. [" Stab " Special I .]

The Christchurch people will,-' on . very , slight provocation, join an excursion by, tram to Summer, .provided the weather conditions are at aU favourable, «nd when i&ey are, thfe hqlid% inafcers usually enjoy tJhemselves. \. ' To a imaii -"wrhp loves his fellow man 1 } the ..sightof a.;<aoowdi of people/ full 'of life, and! .. animation, erery face rippiing'. with smiles or brimming with laughter, indicating thepos--] ■ sesskoi of plenty .of healthy animal spirit, must always be pleasing and. weleams. Such a sight was to be seen in Cathedral Square last eveniing, when the special trama were leaving for Sumner. All sorts and conditions of men and' women were in the crowd, but the great majority were women, mostly young, and the majority of the men 1 were also youing; This fact will easily suggest to tfhe reader that "love's old, sweet song" was often.— j well, if not either said or sung nipon, the oars as they rolled to Sumner, was to be read in eyes that looked love " to eyes that spake again." The night was fine, just enough of a stir in the air to temper the -warmth, and fan ; the cheek of beauty into ajrosy glow. . There were six engines engaged in the ex- ; cursion, each drawing a tram of at least four cars, and a thousand people were carried on. them. There were openi cars and! closed cars, in fact every available car in iflie company's possession was made use of, aaidl the ; trams ran out in rapid succession, and 3he whole iwork was done without accident or annoying delay. At Sumnef the fireworks display was made from the^Oave (Rock, and was a brilliant affair indeed. The fireworks comprised rockets and shooting stare that illuminated the whole heavens during their momentary existence; Catherine wheels that whirled out storms oi fire ; fiery serpents that shot skyward; as if intent on storming the- very gates of heaven, but sudfdenly retreated from the attack, asd with a groan of disappointment writhed back to earth, leaving a bright track of yellow light to mark for a second, their defeat and failure; a huge battery of guns and blazing fire tubes that discharged" shot and, shell in all conceivable colmirs and of glorious brightness, and poured a.'wa.terfall of fiery spots over the entrance t!o the cave ; the whole finishing with a superb design in coloured flame, rockets, stars and fiery serpents, that wished the crowd tfhe compliments of the season, .'displaying the wordis "A Happy New Year" in gorgeous fiery colouring. Messrs. Stokes and Bicker- ! ton did -dheir work well, and on; the brilli-anitly-illuminated beach, when the fireworkY were, in play, the question was frequently ask«d(— -Why send Hoaiie for fireworks, when effects such as these cam be produced by fireworks made in New Zealand. The display lasted an 1 hour, but before the trams left at ten o'clock, a little but effective pyrotechnic display was given in the main street by the people, at the post office, for wOuch effort to. relieve the monotony of waiting, the fair lady who saw to the blue fire, J and! the gentlemen who fired the rockets, received hearty cheers. • The trams left at ten o'clock, and the journey was enlivenied by the choruses of young men and maidens, which were given in various degrees of excellence— or otherwise. ' • ..-,.'