The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-05
INCIDENTS OF THE FOURTH
VERY FEW ACCIDENTS REPORTED
AND NO SERIOUS ONES.

Thousands of People at the Shore
The Fireworks witnessed by an Enor-
Gun.
once more the glorious Fourth with
Its celebrating crowds, firecrackers and
other noisy incidentals has come and
gone and the general verdict is that the
day was one of the quietest Fourths
that New Haven has ever experienced.
The early celebrations yesterday morn
ing were tame compared with those of
previous years and the edict which went
forth prohibiting bon-fires had the eff
feet of stopping most of those which
were contemplated. Some adventure
some spirits, however, in various parts
of the city attempted to light fires re-
gardless of the police orders. These
were all Squelched by the firemen and
policemen, and there was not a single
big bou-f1res within the city limits. Yes
terday morning about 7:30 No SIS engine
company was called by still alarm to
Grand avenue bridge where a crowd of
celebrators had lighted bon fire on the
bridge. The firemen extinguished the
blaze before much damage had been
done to the bridge, although some of the
iron work was warped by the heat.
About 1870 yesterday morning No. Is
engine company was called to put out
bon fire at the junction of Washington
street and Congress avenue, and at 3
O'Clock was called to put one out at the
corner of Washington and Liberty
streets No. extinguished a bon fire
at the corner of Whiting and Commerce
streets. The firemen succeeded in stop
ping bon-fires without any trouble. In
previous years the police have met with
considerable difficulty in preventing the
fires of celebration. and after they
would once eXtinguish fire it would be
soon lighted again. Monday night
whenever a bonfire was found blazing
the nearest fire company was called by
q still alarm and the firemen drenched
the pile Of old boards, boxes and barrels
so that it was impossible to light them
again. The crowds atte mpting to light
the fires were also dispersed not relish
ing the contact with a stream of cold
water from the hose.
The day was an ideal one for the Fourth
with the high temperature which is
usually expected on that day and Which
is more acceptable than rain would be.
Beginning early in the day large crowds
headed shoreward and from s o'clock in
the morning until late in the afternoon
cars headed toward the shore were
crowded. While there was a goodly
sized crowd at the east shore, the west
shore was crowded. "Savin Rock was
crowded" as one man said, with people
thicker than huckleberries. There
were at least 10000 people at the shore
and all during the day large crowds
were waiting at the pump corner of the
green to catch cars. Every car was
packed within a few seconds after it
stopped at the corner, and finally the
people growing impatient lined up on
Church street between George and
Chapel, and as soon as a car from the
rock put in an appearance wild break
was made for it. AS many as could Sc
cured seats or footing on the running |
boards while the rest surged back to
wait to break for the next car
At Savin Rock the thousands made |
the place look like Coney Island. There |
were people from at least forty towns |
I'm Connecticut many of them having |
come on excursions run from outlying |
towns. There was one crowd Of 500 from
Hartford on the excursion of the Car
penter's union of that city, $500 on an
excursion from Waterbury. and several
hundred on an excursion from Merden.
"a large party came down from Holyoke
on an excursion run by the Sons of st.
George Of that place.
The streets of the central part of tha
city presented deserted appearance in
the afternoon, there being fewer people
on the streets than usual on an ordin-
ary week day, the cause of this
being the great exodus to the shore.
Accident to IA nj ertd-n Man.
While the tide was in at the rock and
even after it had gone out there were
hundreds of bathers along the beach
About the middle of the forenoon when
the tide was going out and the water
along shore was shallow Joseph Amman
of Merden, dove from the rear of Mil
ler's pavilion, at the same place where
James McHugh dove and killed himself
about two weeks ago. Amman struck on
his head and was rendered unconscious.
and other bathers pulled
him out of the water and the New Ha-
ven hospital ambulance was called. He
was taken to the hospital and it was at
first thought that he had broken his
neck On examination it was found,
however, that he had sustained frac
ture of the skull. His injury is not
thought to be serious and he is expected ,
to recover. He is about twenty-four
years of age and is a married man..
Other Accidents.
While there were fewer accidents, due
to fireworks, than usual. still there We're
some; none however, being very serl-
,us, Eddie Donnelly, a thrteen-year-
old boy who lives at No. 10 Cassius
street was one of the first victims. Ear
" in the forenoon he was shooting fire
crackers in front of his house and held
n one hand a piece of lighted punk
while in the other he held a can con-
+aiung about half a pound of powder
There was no cover on the can ana {
he piece of lighted punk slipped from :
lis hand and fell into the can; at once
here was a flash but only slight eX- s
,losion as the powder was not much {
confined. The flash ignited the boys '
,1o+,iner and If was soon in q blaze. A