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Fourth s Record Looks Like Battle.“CHEERFUL IDIOTS” AND CARELESS CAUSE TROUBLETalk of ’‘Safe and Sane” Celebration of Nation's Birthday Is Forgotten by Thousands, and the List of Killed and Injured Is Just as Large as Ever.DEAD ................................72By fireworks* and resulting; fires......3SBy cannon.......................... 3By firearms.........................1lt;;By gunpowder....................... fiBy toy pistols....................... 2By runaways........................ 5Heart failure due to explosion of cannon crackers................... 2INJt'RED ..........................2,730By fireworks......................1,178By cannon........................ 223By firearms....................... 407By gunpowder.................... 558By torpedoes...................... COBy toy pistols..................... 223By bomb canes.................... 52By runaways...................... 35FIRE ROSS.....................8535,435Once more the annual barbaric sacrificial orgie of death and mutilation, which masquerades under the guise of patriotic celebration of the Nation’s Independence day, has passed, and the fearful cost has been counted in part.In. many homes there is mourning forchildren who have met untimely ends and adults whose lives paid the penalty of wanton folly, while in darkened chambersand hospitals throughout the country liethousands of maimed and suffering victims. some sightless and some disfiguredfor life, the works of the demon fireworks.In Chicago, despite the brave strugglein behalf of a “sale and sane” Fourth,there was no improvement over previous Fr*v-.ttbs,-ascL-the result ' air the fc.Torl.-toward reforn?. can scarcely even be dignified by the appellation of near-sane.Missing arms, legs, and fingers, blind eyes and scarred heads, faces, and bodies long after the “glorious” Fourth of 190S will testify to the manner in which the day was observed in all parts of the country.It has been learned that the giant firecracker is by far the principal cause of the most mutilating wounds. Last year 1.4SD injuries, including thirteen deaths and eight cases of lockjaw, were due to the giant cracker. In Milwaukee, for instance, this year, thirty-five out offifty-three persons injured were victims of the big cracker.The joker as usual got in his work this year, and when the total of the dead and injured is known his victims will be among them. Careless and downright foolish persons will also have cause for regret when the results are known.In Stoekwell, Ind., firecrackers were thrown under the feet of a team of horses, frightening the animals so badly that they ran away, hurling a man, woman. and two little girls from the vehicle.The woman was killed and one of thegirls so seriously injured that she is not expected to live, while the others were badly hurt.Work of ‘‘Cheerful Idiot.”From Mount Vernon, 111., comes the report that a “cheerful idiot” set fire to a cannon cracker in tin* pocket of Dwight Sullivan. He was severely burned and liis trousers blown to atoms. Tt was fun for the spectators, but Sullivan may yet be included in the list of tetanus victims.In Newark, Ohio, a. boy placed a tin can over the mouth of a cannon. When Hie weapon exploded the can nearly tore The lad’s leg off and his physician says he cannot recover.In Fort Wayne, Ind., torpedoes and dynamite caps placed on the tracks blew a street car from the rails, injuring several persons.MONKEY GETS THE JURY 4 HABIT.Set* OfT Fireworks, Burns Up Houses andHimself.IJNew York.—Limbo, a patriotic monkey, is dead, but before he journeyed to that celestial coacoanut grove from which no chimpanzee ever returns he wound up a spectacular celebration of Independence day with a fire that did $3,000 damage to a three-story frame house at Bath Beach.On the top floor lived Mrs. Mary Black-well, whose sole companion was Limbo. She had bought a stack of fireworks to amuse neighboring children. Limbo gota piece of lighted punk between his teeth and scampered about. Mrs. Blackwell forgot all about Limbo until she heard a report from the other room.She ran to tlfe door and saw skyrockets, bombs and snakes shooting all around the apartment Limbo was on the mantel screaming the Declaration of Independence in his own way. In a few minutes the whole upper floor was ablaze. When the firemen were through they(Continued on Page Two.)
Newspaper Details
Chicago Saturday Blade
Chicago, Illinois, US
Sat, Jul 11, 1908
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 13 Aug 2022
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