# WTF is this 4th of July thing (picture) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 6, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396 "2015-07-06T15:19:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/1 "2015-07-06T15:19:51Z")
Last Friday we had our pontoon boat full of dogs and traveled from the Allegheny River up Crooked Creek. [I took this picture from the boat.](http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv174/kayaker01/fourth_zpscfxbb5qc.jpg) It appears to be a trailer consisting of a giant compressed gas cylinder and many horns. Ever see something like this? What does it do? And how about the poor person inadvertently caught by my picture?šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/2 "2015-07-06T15:55:49Z")
Itā€™s to celebrate the holiday. It looks like a massive air tank surrounded by a shit-load of air horns. I suspect that the star-studded blue box at the rear holds a generator/compressor to keep the air tank filled. You DO NOT want to be in front of that thing when it sounds off. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/3 "2015-07-06T15:59:26Z")
Kinda looks like Geddy Lee to me. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/4 "2015-07-06T16:25:25Z")
Thatā€™s one HELL of a Septic Tankā€¦! > [@doorhinge](#): > > surrounded by a shit-load of air horns. ā€œLadiesā€¦ andā€¦ Gentlemenā€¦! It is with Great Pleasure that we announce that Lord High Rectum has decided to grace your presence with a performance So Spectacular that he can barely wrap his 'roids around it! Thus, without further Further Adieuā€¦ **His Royal Pooā€¦!** ā€ _ **cue trumpet horns** _ ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/5 "2015-07-06T16:42:07Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Thatā€™s one HELL of a Septic Tankā€¦! > > ā€œLadiesā€¦ andā€¦ Gentlemenā€¦! It is with Great Pleasure that we announce that Lord High Rectum has decided to grace your presence with a performance So Spectacular that he can barely wrap his 'roids around it! > Thus, without further Further Adieuā€¦ **His Royal Pooā€¦!** ā€ > > _ **cue trumpet horns** _ If the great French flatulist, Le PĆ©tomane, had one of these, he wouldnā€™t have needed the generator/compressor unit. ā€œThe Imperial Marchā€ and the ā€œ1812 Overtureā€ would sound fabulous. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/6 "2015-07-06T17:03:26Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Kinda looks like Geddy Lee to me. Yes. Or rather, I agree. Mr Lee has a son and a daughter, but neither of them look a lot like dad. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/7 "2015-07-06T17:57:40Z")
So, insane firecrackers (including using sticks of dynamite directly) wasnā€™t enough for this person? Now, we have to deafen the neighborhood, too? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/8 "2015-07-06T18:03:52Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > So, insane firecrackers (including using sticks of dynamite directly) wasnā€™t enough for this person? Now, we have to deafen the neighborhood, too? Furthermore, the ā€œneighborhoodā€ is an _extremely_ quiet area along the bank of Crooked Creek. Kinda nature preserve quiet. Thatā€™s what made the device even more of a WTF. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/9 "2015-07-06T20:36:41Z")
At a guess, thereā€™s a controller somewhere under the hood that trips solenoids to actually play tunes with all the various sized horns. Think the General Lee car horns on steroids. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/10 "2015-07-06T20:39:18Z")
Iā€™m betting on some insane smoker that morphed into an even more insane piece of functional art. Iā€™ve seen some pretty ā€œbusyā€ trailer units around the various fairs and for rent. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/11 "2015-07-06T20:42:02Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Itā€™s to celebrate the holiday. It looks like a massive air tank surrounded by a shit-load of air horns. I suspect that the\*\* star-studded \*\*blue box at the rear holds a generator/compressor to keep the air tank filled. > > You DO NOT want to be in front of that thing when it sounds off. šŸ˜ƒ I would say that blue box is star-spangled! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/12 "2015-07-06T22:24:28Z")
Itā€™s not a cloudbuster? šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/13 "2015-07-06T22:29:37Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I would say that blue box is star-spangled! That would be a better, much more descriptive, and accurate choice. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/14 "2015-07-06T22:30:20Z")
Someone looked at the Doof Warrior from _Fury Road_ and thought ā€œI can beat that with air-horns!ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/15 "2015-07-06T22:47:37Z")
Youā€™ve never seen a Patriot missile before? The military named them that for a reason. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/16 "2015-07-06T23:30:06Z")
Looks _nothing_ like Geddy Lee! And Iā€™ll bet he doesnā€™t celebrate the 4th, either. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/17 "2015-07-07T02:37:07Z")
It looks like an insane LP powered noisemaker. Jeez I hope itā€™s just a prop. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/18 "2015-07-07T03:08:14Z")
Maybe my terms werenā€™t correct, but I found no mention of such a device after many searches. If need be I can jettison my gf ashore this weekend and she can ask the homeowner. ETA: ā€œOh, and was Geddy Leeā€™s son at your picnic?ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/19 "2015-07-07T03:23:55Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If need be I can jettison my gf ashore this weekend and she can ask the homeowner. That would be awesome. Inquiring minds want to know! šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396/20 "2015-07-07T04:57:49Z")
The size of the tank is the tip-off that this is intended for prolonged playing, not just a blast. Iā€™m guessing the horns are tuned and it is a (poor excuse for) a calliope as things now exist. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-4th-of-july-thing-picture/724396.md?page=2)