Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-06
TOLL PAID BY CELEBRAIORS
Usual Number of Accidents Reported
by Doctors and Police.
NOT so MANY SERIOUS ONES
No Deaths Have Resulted, Although
Frank Kruse Mny Die as Result
OF Powder in n Can
Exploding.

Exploding.
Despite the enthusiastic celebration OF
the Fourth by the residents OF the city oy
the discharge Of firearms, explosions OF
torpedoes. fire crackers and other mediums
for the exhibition Of patriotic fire, but lew
accidents Of a serious nature occurred as
compared TO former years. The discharge
Of blank cartridges in revolvers were "a
booed several days, before by the police
and the usual dctonations from this source
were missing even at the ball game, where
In former years fans had been wont 10
exhibit their appreciation Of a base hit by
shooting off blank cartridges. Another
feature which was not as noticeable as
In former years was the explosion OF tor
pedoes on the tracks Of the street railway
company. Several persons were arrested
for these offonses Friday night, but not
desiring to deprive them of the enjoyment
Of the days festivities Judge Crawford
discharged them in police court. Their ar
rest, however, had the effect of putting a
stop 10 the practice.
No deaths have as yet resulted from the
days celebration, although Frank Kruse.
son OF John Kruse. a baker, living at 1911
spaldlng street. lies in a critical condi-
ton at his home with the sight Of his left
eye destroyed and half Of his face badly
lacerated and burned as the result Of lean
ing over an oyster can filled with powder
which he was preparing for an explosion.
The boy was playing down on the north
side OF CORTLAND beach in the afternoon.
He had placed the can Of powder on the
ground ready for ignition when It exploded,
catching him before he could get away
from II. He was picked up and taken
home and attended by DR.. ]. c. Bishop,
who pronounced his condition critical.
Hand Badly L~acerated.
Another Of the serious injuries of the day
was the one received by Memo Pasha, q
newsboy Il years OF age. who lives at 112I
South Fourteenth street. = With a number
OF other newsboys young Pasha was en-
gagged in shooting a small cannon near
Seventeenth and Jackson streets about 1880
Saturday afternoon. After loading the
cannon for a discharge the fuse to all ap-
pearances went out. Pasha walked out to
the miniature artillery and picked 1t up.
1t exploded in his hand. tearing off a
thumb and badly decorating the balance OF
the member. He was taken to the Omaha
General hospital and attended by Drs. Ford
and Sharrer, who we're obliged to amputate
the first and second fingers OF his right
hand, but 1t Is feared he will lose the en-
tire hand.
Christopher Spores, a Greek employed by
the Union Pacific. had his hands badly torn
up by the premature explosion OF a giant
canron cracker which he was holding in
his hand. He was attended by DR.. Chadek.
who announced thai Spores would retain
the use OF his digits.
BY the premature explosion of a cannon
cracker Johnnie Roach. aged IL, lost one
OF his thumbs and the use Of one hand for
several weeks to come. The accident &C.
CURED in front OF the boys home at FIJI
tenth and Vinton streets. He was attended
by DIR. Holovtchiner.
Early Saturday morning an explosion of
powder badly burned the face Of Henry
Boehs 500 South Twenty-fifth avenue. The
boy had arisen early to be able to get In
a full day. Some loose powder handled in
1udiciously was the cause OF the accident,
Henry had to spend the greater part OF
the Fourth with his head swathed in
bandages.
The S-year-old daughter of Attorney C. J.
6mythe, ITO North Thirty-elghth street, SUI.
fered . painful injury to her hand while
trying to extract a torpedo from n CAP
pistol after 1t had failed to explode. While
pulling the torpedo out Of the pistol, il
exploded. badly decorating the tips OF three
fingers on the left hand.
Roman Candle Burns Child.
Marietta Cantania, known at the city
mission as Little Sunshine was seriously
burned about the forehead and eyes late
Saturday afternoon by a Roman candle,
Marietta. who lives at 26 North Tenth
street. was playing In the street near her
home when someone across the street shot
a Roman candle so close to her that one
ball struck her in the face. She was taken
by Miss Magee OF the city mission to Po-
lice Surgeon FitEgibbon, who dressed her
burns. Marietta is quite a famous char
acter considering her 4 years and meagre
knowledge of English. Having been in
this country but two years, she can't tel
her own NAME. but her habit Of constantly
smiling has earned her a reputation snd
q nickname.
What might have been one OF the mosi
serious accidents of the day was prevented
by officer Woodbridge about noon Saturday
when he espied a number of young mer
on Twentieth street near the Union Pacific
tracks surrounding a large cannon. The
cannon had about a two-inch bore and
weighed over 100 pounds. When Officer
woolridge approached he discovered one
OF the young men busily engaged packing
powder into the barrel from a large car
OF the explosive which was standing near
by. In packing the powder the gunner wal
using a small blacksmith's sledge hammer
woodbridge jumped among the celebrator
and confiscated the powder, but in tn
melee the cannon disappeared with a mum
Der OF the young men.
The little daughter OF Fred Mcintosh
sol South Twenty-fifth street, fell off tn,
back porch OF the home five feet to tn,
ground and broke her left collar bone,
Powder and Can Combination.
One OF the most serious accidents of tn
day was the injuries to the 5-year-old sol
OF Lysle shultE, SS South Twenty-thir'
street. The little fellow found Ime loos
powder which he placed in, a tin can an
lighted, with the result that there was
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