From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for July 3, 1915:

• “City officials do not anticipate any difficulty from breaking of the city sane Fourth ordinance, either tomorrow or Monday but they do intend to enforce that ordinance to the letter and to see to it that all people and visitors are protected from possible danger and that no fires result from the explosion of fire works if they can. ‘I am opposed to the shooting of fireworks and the explosion of crackers in any part of the city,’ said Mayor Francisco this morning, ‘but I suppose it is too much to expect the boys to refrain from noise all over town. I like to see the youngsters enjoy themselves, but at the same time we must remember that the old folks and the visitors have rights and feelings which we must do our best to protect…. I hope that the dealers sell out most of their supply this year and that they do not order heavily in the future. It is hard to ask a man to throw away the stock that he has on hand and I wouldn’t want to see any Lawrence merchant put to any financial loss. But I do hope that the noise from the celebration can be less and less as the years go by and that in time Lawrence can celebrate the nation’s birthday without shattering the nerves of half her citizens.'”
• “Monday will be a holiday at the University. Most of the laboratories will be closed from this evening until Tuesday morning at 8 o’clock…. Students will spend the day in their rooms at study, will celebrate at Woodland Park or will make trips to the country for exercise or for picnics. Blue Mount, Hunters Point, Cameron Bluff and Wakarusa will be names that will be repeated over and over by students within the next three days.”
• “Fifty years ago tomorrow morning a wiry, active young chap, named W. J. Flintom, left his home in Highgate, Vermont, to look for work and took the stage to St. Adams. The late H. A. Cutler, for many years a printer in Lawrence, was at that time publishing the Transcript and put young Flintom to work as a ‘Printer’s Devil’ under a three years’ apprenticeship and agreed to give him his board and to pay him $25.00 for the first year, $40.00 for the second year and $70.00 for the third year. In 1869 Mr. Flintom came by train to Kansas City and crossed the Missouri river on a ferry, the bridge just constructed not being opened for traffic until July 4th of that year. After working for a short time for the Evening Bulletin, in Kansas City, Mr. Flintom came to Lawrence and began work for the Lawrence Journal, then located in an upper room almost across the street from the present location of the Journal-World…. At that time all of the various departments of the business, news, job, bindery and press, were contained in the one room known as Miller’s hall. The Journal was a morning daily and was owned by T. Dwight Thacher and E. P. Harris…. Mr. Flintom was a good printer and for many years was general superintendent for the Journal, under Colonel Learnard, and left the Journal nearly ten years ago to interest himself in the Gazette where he has had charge of the printing department. The stories Mr. Flintom can tell would make interesting reading…. ‘I have, no doubt, handled more paper than any man ever in Lawrence, and in 1885 bought for Col. O. E. Learnard the first car load of flat papers that was ever shipped to this city…. The first and only vacation I have taken was in 1876, a period of seven weeks, and attended the Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia. I do not believe I have been out of actual service six months of the 50 years.'”
• “Swimming is by far the most popular class of the summer session of the University this year. In this class are enrolled 124 students or about five times as many as are enrolled in any other class…. The work of the class includes swimming both in the pool in the basement of Robinson Gymnasium and in Potter Lake on the west end of the campus. Each afternoon about 2:30 o’clock the members of the class gather at the lake for their afternoon exercise and there are usually several left at the lake when the time for closing comes at 8:30 o’clock…. The swimmers have the chance to participate in light swimming practice, diving, long and short racing, and high diving. A diving board has been put up that is thirty feet high for use of those engaged in high diving. The lake will be open for the six weeks term…. Fancy swimming is being practiced and there will probably be an exhibition before the close of the first term open to the general public.”