Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-06
VERY LITTLE DOING
Police and Firemen Have Com
paratively Easy Time
INDEPENDEN DAY
SEVERAL SLIGHT FIRES LATE IN
THE EVENING.
Most Serious Occurrence Follows Elk
plosion From q Chemical Experiment
Seven Persons Injured Thereby.

plosion From q Chemical Experiment
Seven Persons Injured Thereby.
The police and fire departments had
comparatively easy time In protecting lie
and property while the patriotic populace
was celebrating Independence day. Fire
works of every description were used from
early in the morning until midnight
Sparks showered on pedestrians and fell
ON tops of houses, but there was not a
single serious fire, and but few persons
had to be treated for burns. Major Syl-
vester had a big detail of policemen in
service for use in case OF emergency, anu
! Chief Belt had all the members of the fire
department on hand to make quick re-
sponses to alarms of fire.
The most serious of the Fourth of July
casualties occurred about o'clock at night
at 21OO C street northwest, where John c.
Symonds. a youth from Laramie, Wyo.,
attempted to give an exhibition of a west
ern volcano with chemicals. He had stud
led chemistry in the high school at his
home and knew enough about it to use
certain acids which were calculated to
present sight which would entertain his
friends. He made one mixture, and the
sight Of a miniature volcano was presented.
The next thing in order was larger rep
reSentation of the same spectacle, and TINS
attempt proved itself to be an imitation
of Pelee The explosion which followed
had serious results There were several
persons injured, but they were given
prompt medical aid. and all of them are
on the road to recovery. Symonds fareu
worse than those who composed his audi
ence. Six victims of the volcanic erup-
ton were hurried to the Emergency HOS
pital, where the surgeons were kept busy
for more than an hour dressing their in
juries.
Symonds came east for the purpose of
entering the Naval Academy at Annapolis,
but was unable to pass the physical ex-
animation, and had received the consent
of his parents to attend Yale or Harvard.
While in the city he made his home at the
house of Mr.. George w. Manning. where
| the trouble occurred Saturday night.
Effects Of Explosion.
The volcanic explosion sent pieces Of
bottle in all directions and shattered
number Of windows. in addition to causing
injury to those who were afterward taken
to the hospital
Symonds was rendered unconscious by
the force of the explosion and the result
ing injuries. He soon recovered, however,
and innocently inquired il there had been
an explosion. His legs had been burned
and lacerated, his scalp injured and one
hand had been terribly cut by the glass.
In addition to the six who were treated
at the hospital, Mr.. and Mrs. Manning
were slightly hurt. John Manning, their
son, fifteen years old; Glen and Byron
Morse, sixteen and seventeen years old;
Paul French and Lewis Fuller were the
other victims Their injuries were painful.
but not serious. The parents of Symonds
were notified of the accident.
/ Mrs. Vermillion. wife of Policeman How
ard Vermillion, may lose the sight of one
eye, the result of burn. Her little child
picked up lighted firecracker, and she
took it from him just as 1t exploded. In
saving her child she was injured.
Earl Grove made the day memorable by
getting burned about the face and hands
while playing with a toy cannon. When he
went to discharge load there was an unex-
planned delay. He started an investigation,
and the explosion occurred at the wrong
time. 1t was not until it was too late that
he discovered his mistake, and it was neces-
sary for the boy to be given surgical aid.
He was treated at the Casualty Hospital:
Several other persons whose hands had
been burned were treated at the hospitals.
Patriotic people at Cherrydale, Va. did
some celebrating with explosives and one
of the participants, Carl Hager, had to be
brought there for treatment. The boy
had some loose powder in his pocket while
he was setting off firecrackers and spark
reached the powder. There was mild ex-
face and hands. He was treated at the
Georgetown University Hospital.
Other Casualties.
Other casualties reported by the police
included the heat prostrations mentioned
in Saturdays Star. number Of ARRAYS and
several cases of intoxication, in some of
which the victims were rendered uncon-
scious Lizzie Tillman, colored, twenty-one
years old, who spent the evening at a
Cheasapeke Junction resort, arrived in the
city about 1 o'clock in the morning and
complained that she had been assaulted by
another colored woman, who had cut her
head. Samuel Anderson had trouble with
another man who struck him with plate.
His head was cut and he was taken to
treated at the Homeopathic Hospital He
had been cut in the side by another colored
man and dangerously wounded. A dog was
worried by fireworks and attempted to even
up matters by biting David Brandons leg.
David was attended by his family physician
at his home, 1926 1lth street northwest.
Carrie Douglass, colored, was suffering
from an injury to her head when she was
she had been assaulted by another colored
woman. John Slack Of Falls Church was
treated at the Emergency Hospital for e.
knife wound. His version Of his trouble
was that he was assaulted. in Virginia.
John Thomas was struck on the head with
brick during row near LIST and o streets,
and the police removed him to the Homeo-
pathic Hospital. Lester Mudd of AT Mary
land avenue southwest had his hand cut
while playing base ball on Congress
Heights. His injury was dressed by DR..
Harrison. Frank Cleveland ended the day
by falling from the second-story window
at his home 945 Maryland avenue south
west. He was treated by Dr. Perkins. His
injury Is not serious
The Fire Record.
It was not until $3.50 o'clock in the after
noon that the fire department received a
call Then there was slight blaze in the
stable in rear Of 1913 ~ street southwest.
which was extinguished before any damage
was DONE
Shortly after Q o'clock at night an alarm
was turned in from box 124 for fire In the
house of Kenny Bros. $50 D street north
west. Sparks from skyrocket set fire to
some waste paper. No damage resulted.
An hour later No. 8 engine company re-
orondod IN a local alarm and eYffnS7rfshad