The daily sentinel., 1907-07-01
WHAT FOURTH OF JULY COSTS
IN KILLED AND INJURED

If Mr. James Keeley had not re-
manned at home one Fourth of July
six or eight years ago, we might not
have as we now have. a complete
yearly statement of the cost of our
prevailing method of commemorating
national independence. Mr.. Keeley,
who is the managing editor of the
Chicago Tribune, had sick baby.
sick almost unto death, and the noise
nearly turned the scales against her.
The tragedy of it all was brought
home to him solemnly. and he decid-
ed to see whether he could do some
thing to reduce it. He instructed
his secretary to send out kilograms
to one hundred different cities. ask
ing what the days record of death
and injury had been. other newspa-
pers took hold the next year.
Then the Journal of the American
Medical association, published in
Chicago, took up the work through
physicians all over the county and
made the statistics more comprehen-
sive. The doctors reported much
that the newspapers could not pos
sibly get for immediate publication
deaths from tetanus that came days,
weeks and even months afteryards.
So that while the newspaper figures
of July 5 and 6 give approximately
the number of dead and injured,
those published by the medical jour-
nal six weeks later are the real sta
tistics of Independence day. Although
the Journal of the American Medical
association can provide statistics COW
ering the last three or four years,
confusion is added to horror when
all the figures are set down at once.
The clearest view of this years
possibilities may be had from a
plain statement of last years reali-
ties. On the Fourth of July. 1906,
1853 persons were killed outright or
fatally hurt, and 5,30S were injured
OF the 1853 who lost their lives, 10
died of tetanus. OF the remaining
SO, 3S were killed by gunshot
wounds, of which IA were caused by
stray bullets from the reckless use
of loaded firearms on the part of
others: s persons, mostly young
children, were burned to death by
fire resulting from fireworks; Is per-
sons We're killed by explosions of
powder. dynamite, and railway tor
pedoes; three were killed by giant
firecracl1ers; three were killed by
cannon; one by a misdirected sky
rocket; one by a fall in an effort to
avoid a giant cracker; and one in a
runaway where the horses were
frightened by the explosion of a
large cracker Probably the worst
instance was an explosion of powder
near Wilkesbarre, Pa, by which six
boys who were preparing to cele-
brate were killed outright. OF the
injured 5.30S, 20 suffered complete
loss of sight. ~ the loss of one eve.
Sc the loss of legs. arms. or hands,
and 227 the loss of fingers. The giant
cracker did the most harm=a joy
producer with a short fuse which in
frequently proves deceptive. Fire
arms ranked second causing 532 in
juries, 1877 of which resulted from
stray bullets. Toy cannon took their
place, the resultant wounds. while
not so fatal. being worse than those
from firearms. Even "canes and
caps" long heraldod as safe, did not
prove harmless. They were noisy
enough. but the exploding cap often
caused penetrating wounds in the
ankles or legs. To a practical world
which demands to know what shall
be done, the best suggestion is that
ordinances regulating the use of fire
works lie buried in almost every
community, and that the project en-
forcement of law is an ideal toward
which any citizen may begin working
at any time.-The outlook.