Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 July 1901 — FOURTH OF JULY ACCIDENTS. [ARTICLE]

FOURTH OF JULY ACCIDENTS.

Explosives and Deadly Firearms Gather a Grim List of Celebrants. Fourth of July casualties, as shown by reports received on the 6th, were nineteen killed and 1,611 injured. Chicago had a greater list of injured than last year. Philadelphia led in the East. Firs loss, $60,790. The number actually killed is less than last year, being 19 against 30 then, but the number of injured is considerably larger, the figures being 1,611, against. 1,325. The real list of fatalities will, * however,” not be known until the number of deaths resulting from lockjaw caused by toy pistol wounds come in. Last year in Chicago there were no deaths reported on July 5 from toy pistols, but before the month was out twenty-five children had died from the resulting lockjaw and the remainder of the country sent in equally fatal records. Chicago, in spite of the orders of the Mayor tnd police as to the manner In which the day was to be celebrated, made a worse showing than last year. Then it had one death and forty-two injured. This time no death is reported, but there is a list of 103 injured. Of other cities Philadelphia makes the largest showing. It reports 175 casualties of every kind and description and Cincinnati comes next with 150. New York was singularly lucky, being behind Chicago in the list of injured, but It had three deaths resulting from an explosion of fireworks, and New London had a premature explosion of a cannon by which two more were killed. * In Quincy, 111., there was also a fatality from a runaway caused by horses becoming frightened at fireworks, and there were a number of injuries in various cities growing out of the same cause. In the list of fatalities, explosions of fireworks and the careless handling of firearms caused the majority of the deaths, but over one-third of the injuries were caused by the careless use of fireworks, more especially sky rockets. In several cases severe injuries were caused by these rockets being directed into "crowds, Instead of the air, and In one case two persons were killed thereby.. Next to the fireworks comes the toy pistol in the casualty list. Two hundred and forty-nine children were injured, and the question now is what will the fatality list from this source finally amount to. The other causes of injuries divided the honors fairly well between them except that the most serious harm was done by the premature explosion of cannon in the hands of 1 people who were not accustomed to their use. In several cases unfortunates lost hands and arms by this means. A lamentable case occurred in a small town in South Dakota, where a boy was instantly killed by the explosion of an anvil which was being used in lieu of a cannon. The loss by fire resulting from the careless use of fireworks or their premature explosion was less than in previous years, the fires as a rule being small ones and the damage light.. In the entire country It amounted to but a little over $60,000. The list of those killed and injured io summed up in the following: THE DEAD. By cannon explosion...... 4 I By fireworks 0 By firearms 7 By toy pistol 1 By runaway caused by explosions 1 Total .* 1» THE INJURED. By fireworks COS By cannon explosions 2M9 By firearms 206 By toy pistols 2-19 By gunpowder 191 By runaways... 23 Total 1,611 Fire loss f1u,790