Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 160, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1911 — FINGERS TORN OFF BY EXPLOSION OF FIRE CRACKER. [ARTICLE]

FINGERS TORN OFF BY EXPLOSION OF FIRE CRACKER.

Jim Meyer, Son of Ex-Postmaster Meyer, Loses Foor Fingers on s The Fourth. Jim Meyers, of Tolleston, son of Expostmaster F. B. Meyer, who is working in his father’s drug store at Tolleston, lost four fingers of his left hand and had the balance of the hand badly mangled the Fourth of July while attempting to shoot off a cannon cracker. The. following belated account of the accident is taken from the Gary Tribune: No deaths resulted from the celebration of the Fourth of July in Gary, although James Meyer, the son of Former Assistant Postmaster F. B. Meyer lies at Mercy hospital in a critical condition as the result of firing cannon crackers yesterday. His left hand was almost entirely blown off. Yesterday afternoon a party of young men were setting off fireworks before the Meyer drug store on Bormann boulevard and a long row of small crackers had been set up along the sidewalk. Inside the store Meyer 1 had several cannon crackers and decided to throw a big one out to outdo the smaller salutes. He lighted the fuse and holding the cannon cracker in his hand, rushed to the door. The screen door stuck, however, and the cracker exploded before it could be opened. The shock of the explosion of z the giant cracker tore off four fingers of J^eyeFsi ,hand(, and shredded the . flesh or the palm. The screen was blown out and the front of the store rooni was spattered with blood and bits of flesh. , , C. V. Gough, who was returning from the Country club, took the injured man into his automobile and hurried him to eMrcy hospital, where physicians were called immediately. The wound is serious and the danger of blood poisoning from the gunpowder is considerable.