Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1908-07-03
DAMAGE DONE ON
a.. =. 49, FOURTH.
THE

On oaC0 FOuItu, uIeWO1Ao Out II
more than 700 buildings and kill 800
persons in the United States This
does not include children burned to
death by the ignition of their clothing
nor those killed by runaway horses
The number manned through the loss
of ewes and fingers IS never less than
1000. Preparatory to the reign OF lire,
rubbish IN areas or yards should be
removed or wetted down. Stables,
outhouses, packing rooms and cellar
windows should be tightly closed.
Red fire does not explode; the pin
wheel is fastened to a tree the
Roman candle discharged from the
curbstone burns nothing but wrist.
The dynamite torpedo often used on
street railwaytracks is not dangerous
TO the occupants Of the car but 1T is
terror to hysterical nerves.
The small Chinese firecracker
which is used in greater number than
anv other fireworks, destroys most
property and fewest lives. The paper
of the cracker often glows for minutes
after it is exploded, igniting trash in
which 1t falls The electric sparkler
is harmless unless its wire while still
red hot is thrown into rubbish.
Garden pieces and the new cannon
string" which contains thousands OF
crackers. are safe enough because they
must be fired by an adult. But a very
small part of the ireloss on the Fourth
is chargeable to sky rockets. The
sticks are cooled on falling so they
seldom ignite a roof. But IN the
celebration at Pittsburg, last year, a
descending rocket stick pierced the
skull of a babe, destroying 1t in It's
mothers arms.
The samll cannon crackers contain
dynamite and the very large Ones
giant powder. One of them exploiting
in hand converts it to gases. Inc
baby cannon is one Of the most deadly
ioy producers. The number OF
tragedies from it has been enormous:
The hot air balloon IS the worst OF
incendiaries because the resin used
under it makes it flying bonfire.
Its use certainly should be barred in
cities. The lightning and shooting
matches are dangerous because they
are sold to children and contain plcrlc
acid.
A new firework called Son Of a
Gum is misnamed for only Lucifer
would admit parental claim to it.
1t is laid on the pavement to start!e
the passerby. When stepped upon it
hops about popping like a gatling
gun and often jumps into cellar
window, grating or trash pile to start
fire. It has all the fiendish
characteristics of the Devil Chaser
and some others.
The most deadly thing used in our
annual outbreak of savagry, called
patriotism, is the toy pistol. 1t
explods paper cap containing
chlorate of potash and pieces OF the
paper are often driven under the skin
of the hand. Street dust at all times
carries bacilli which cause lock jaw II
buried in human flesh SO that air can
not reach them. A most dangerous
practice is to cover such a wound
with plaster. All penetrating
wounds from fireworks must be laid
open by surgeon and dressed so that
air can enter them. The deaths in the
United States from lockjaw following
the Fourth have ranged from 1O5 to
466. Fortunately there is now a
serum for the cure Of lockjaw. ..x,.e.
There should be a state law limiting
the amount of powder in any firework
and prohibiting altogether fireworks
containing phosphorus, celebrates,
picrates, dynamite and other high
explosives. Toledo first, and then
Baltimore and San Francisco pro-
hibited fireworks altogether.
EDWARD PETERSON,
State Fire Marshal