Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 90, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 July 1904 — The Fourth and So Forth. [ARTICLE]

The Fourth and So Forth.

Rensselaer had no oelebration this year. Nearly all the oelebrating population went to other places, to Fair Oaks, Parker’s pionio, the river, Chioago. Lafayette etc. Enough were left however to keep a big noise going, from far before dawn till long behind daylight, and in the aggregate, a very large amount of fireworks was fired off. There was the nsnal number of aooidents. The most serious was one which happened to little Paul, six year dd of Mr, and Mrs. John Healy,at his home on Front street. He was firing medium sized fire crackers in the morning, and lighted one which seemed to go oht. He started in the house with it in his hand, when it exploded, near hie face. The region all around the right eye was very badly burned, and the eye itself greatly injured. The physioian thinks, however the injury to the eye will not be permanent. Ray, son of Isaao Reubelt got his hand badly burned, and John, son of Henry Hildebrand, had his finger considerably injnred by a toy pistol. Several other boys got minor barns. Two exoiting incidents oocured at Fendig’s drugstore, in the evening. while fire-works were being sent off. W. F. Smith let a giant fire-craoker explode in his hand, it going off sooner than expeoted. The spectators expeoted to find his hand torn to shreds, but it was not injured. Another excitement was oaused by Jack Montgomery oonceiving and executing the idea of sending up a pound stick of dynamite in a paper balloon, with a long fuse attaohed. The stiok proved too heavy for the balloon, and the boys held their breaths for fear it would louge against the McCoy building and “break the bank” worse than ever. It just cleared it however, and then they had another soare, for it seemed like it would settle down before the dynamite exploded, and perhaps wreok someone’s house, or worse. Luckily, however the wind-bag’s wind held out until the dynamite exploded, whioh it did with a big report, and blowed the balloon to Ballyhack.