Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-16
IN CYCLONE OF FIRE
Fireworks Explode and Wrap
: Whole Family in Flame.
CHASED BY BLAZING COILS
Hundreds of 'Snakes" Ignited by Ex-
ploding Oil.
TWO MAY DIE FROM BURNS
New York Father Fatally Scared Try
ing to Save Wife and Children
From Kissing Cauldron.
CHASED BY BLAZING COILS
TWO MAY DIE FROM BURNS

NTW YORK, February 16.-With long
coils Of paper and gunpowder in their hair
and clothing and splitting streams of fire
into their faces, while all about them was
a sheet Of flame from exploding fireworks.
a man and a woman and three little chill
dren were burned 50 severely In house
in Jersey City last night that two OF them
will tlie The woman and two Of the chill
dren have q bare chance Of life.
Snakes or devil chasers." the paper
coils are called, and they form an import
ant item in fireworks. 1t was from these,
which were manufactured by the FAMILY
at their home, that the injuries were re-
ceived, and 1t was in the effort to save his
wife and children from their discharge that
the father, neglecting his own safety, re-
ceived his fatal hurts. An exploding lamp
caused the accident.
Albert Osborne lives at No. Il Sackett
street with his wife and two children, Elsie,
aged four, and Albert, jr., aged three years.
With his wife. he is engaged In the manu-
facture of these snakes" which are sim
ply long strips of paper packed tightly with
powder and then coiled compactly. When
they are ignited they explode with his
sing sound, accompanied by a rotary mo-
ton. splitting the flame on all sides. 1t is
supposed that Osborne was doing work for
q fireworks company. 1t is illegal for such
work to be performed, except in isolated
districts.
Lamp Near the "Snakes."
1t was about supper time. and the little
daughter Of a neighbor, Ida Waters. eleven
years old, was in the house at the time.
On the mantelpiece stood lamp alongside
of several boxes of the completed snakes
ready to be sent away. The table at which
the family sat was directly in front of the
mantelpiece.
Mrs. Osborne had just trimmed the wick
when suddenly the lamp blew up. The
burning oil fell upon the boxes of fireworks
and upon the Osbornes as they started
from their chairs. They had scracely
had been burned through and the fuses of
the snakes were alight.
1t was only with the hiss Of the first one
that Osborne recalled this danger. Shout
ing to his wife to cover the children he
Jumped for the boxes as their covers blew
Off and the entire room was literally nlieo
with the squirmng, writing, fantastic rolls,
that shot flames into the mouths ana eyes
of the victims and found lodgment in their
clothes and hair.
Crazed by pain and fear. but with the
maternal instinct. Mrs. Osborne seized her
baby, the boy and throwing her skirts over
him. she crawled and rolled toward the
door,
Standing in front of the volleying boxes.
beating thefn1frenZedly with his hands, the
father tried to protect the wOman'S retreat
while the little eisl fell senseless at his
feet.
All the time he was fighting the fire,
which burned the clothing and flesh off of
him before he managed to fall across the
threshold. STOPPING over the little girl whom
he pushed before him he fed. The Wa
ters girl had succeeded in getting out with
the mother.
Flames Shot From Windows.
When the neighbors ran up, the windows
were vents for shooting flames and Osborne
and his wife were still afire. blackened and
blinded by the exploding powder In the
long hair of the little girl some of the
snakes" were still alive, and they writhed
Medusa like
Blankets extingushed the flames on the
parents and children. The fire in the
house. which had begun eating its way into
the walls of the frame structure soon yield
ed to the fire department. When the ambu-
lances arrived all five of the injured had be-
come unconscious and they were driven to
the city hospital.
In each case the burns were mainly about
the face and body, differing only in serious
ness The father, who is forty years old.
and Elsie cannot live; the mother, thirty
years of age, and the boy, less exposed,
have fighting chances, while the Waters
girl although in serious condition, is not
considered In immediate danger
Investigation of the report that the-fre-
works were manufactured within prohibited
limits is being made by the police.