Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-07-06
MAN MAY DIE
| AS RESULT Of
\ BOMB ACCIDENT
Twenty-six Others Injured at
Display of Fireworks in
Caldwell.

exploded at the Independence Day
display of fireworks at Caldwell,
Saturday night. is reported today to
be of a most serious nature. 1t is
feared he may die. -Four of the
other twenty-five persons injured are
In a critical condition and will be
MANNED for life
The committee in charge of the
celebration viii hold meeting to-
night or tomorrow night. The COM
mittee consists of William II. Tobin,
Frederick r. Cook and Captain Rich
ard Waugh
Besides Mr.. Vandall. those seri-
ously injured are:
Mrs. Robert Vandall. burned about
the hands and face. She was at first
aiken home. but yesterday morning
had to be removed to the Mountain
side Hospital. where her husband had
been taken Immediately after the ac-
cldent
Mrs. Frank NJ Gregory. sixty
years old. Bloomfield avenue. We
roma, lower part of the body badly
burned She is attended by DIR.
Archie c. Bush, of Verona. at her
home
Miss Grace Gore. sixteen years old,
daughter of School Commissioner
Alexander D. Gore. of Washburn
place. Caldwell burned about the
face and hands and may lose her
sight.
Robert Stryker three years old, of
Tullytown, Pa. badly burned about
the arms and legs. and may lose one
arm
Others injured and who had to be
attended by physicians are:
Charles Curry, of Verona, severely
cut about the legs, attended by DR..
H. B. Whitehorn, of Verona.
Miss Annie Alberts, twenty-five
years old, of Westville avenue, Cald-
well, cut and burned about face, arms
and legs. attended by DIR. r. L. Bond,
of Caldwell.
Marion vandall, twelve-year-ol
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert
vandall, burned about the hands and
face.
Marion stryIxer. four years old, of
Tullytown. Pa, hair burned partly
off. neck cut.
Harold jackson Central !. avenue,
Caldwell burned about arms
Mrs. Edward NJ. Jackson, seventy
years old, Central avenue. Caldwell,
burned about arms and face.
Laura Walker, of Newark. slightly
burned on body.
Mrs Abram Cameron, of Pompton
avenue. Cedar Grove, wounded in
right hip.
William Cameron, Mountain ave-
nue. CALDWELL burned about body.
Lillian Siekierskie, of Fairfield, face
and hands burned
Percy Lang. forty years old, of Cen
trail avenue. Caldwell, burned about
legs and body.
The rest of the persons hurt re
ceived minor injuries, scratches aud
slight burns.
The spirit of joyful exuberance in
which the celebration was begun on
Saturday has made way to regrets at
not having followed out safe and
sane program and the general feel
ing of grief found expression from all
The pulpits of the Caldwell churches
yesterday morning.
Start Subscription List.
NAmeeting of the Mems Club of
churches of that town was called,
and as a result a subscription for the
benefit of the stricken was started at
once Fillmore Condit headed the
list with $40 and W. Moore Gould,
president of the club. followed with
IS. 1t was announced that subscrip-
tions would be received at the office
of that town.
It seems like the irony of fate that
when the celebration was to be ar
ranged. Board of Trade committee
appointed two weeks before the
Fourth abandoned the program for
lack of interest. One of the Commit
tee members, Harry Havell. at that
time said:
cit would be much more sensible,
-. Ira IN,
GET money enough and buy an auto
mobile fire truck. as Roseland did"
The pyrotechnical display took
place at the Caldwell baseball
grounds at the extreme western end
of the town.
Crowd of 10000 Present
From all parts of Western Essex
and from Morris County men, women
and children came, and the crowd is
estimated at rom 5000 to 10000
About 300 feet from where the
pieces were set off Vandall and his
family were lifting on the grass and
most of those who were injured were
grouped in the vicinity of that spot.
The explosion happened almost at
The beginning. A bomb of the sun
burst type was the cause of the
fatality
When 1t was sent up it assembled
about 100 feet and then seemed to be
extinguished At the same time it
dropped and fell right in Mr.. Van
dall's lap.
The next instant the explosion
came with a terrific crash that shook
the ground. Dealing out destruction
In all directions, the piece went off to
its last bit of explosive power, blind
ing those around and enveloping the
victims in binding cloud of smoke,
6 through which those further away
heard the shrieks
When the smoke had cleared away
yandall was lying on the ground
moaning, with half of his clothes
burned off and pieces of flesh torn
from his limbs by splinters of the
bomb.
Unmindful of their own severe
burns, the wife and daughter of the
injured man were making valiant
efforts to extinguish the flames.
Others rushed to their aid.
Mrs. Gregory's clothes likewise
81 caught fire and were a mass Of
q flames from her hips down. Before
the flames could be smothered she
suffered severe burns. DR.. John
4 Feiner, of West Caldwell, who was
present, attended the Vandalls.
For the next few minutes tele-
phones were busy calling physicians
to the scene There were many au-
tomobilists on the grounds and they
gave up their cars to transport those
burt to the homes or nearby friends.
The catastrophe came with such
rapidity that it was all over before
the tremendous crowd became aware
OF it's scope. and thus what might
have been a general panic with the
possible result of the weaker being
frampled upon by the stronger in the
general rush was averted. The set
ting off of the various pieces con-