New Britain herald., 1923-07-05
INDEPENDENCE DAY
WITHOUT FATALITY
Few Accidents Reported, Most Of
Them Being Of Minor Nature
FIREWORKS SHOW TONIGHT
Fight Fans Stand I'm Rain and "Hear"
shelby Fight-Ffremen Go IL
Hours Without Being Summoned

Police Have Comparative Easy Day
Fourth of July sputtered its way
into history at midnight without a
single fatality to mar its glory Only
a few accidents were reported and
the majority of these were of a. minor
nature consisting of burns from the
premature explosion of fireworks or
the careless handling of blank car
fridge pistols.
1t was a wet Fourth, not wet as in
past years when the saloons put on
extra help to help assuage the thirst
Of patriots bent on Celebrating" But
1t was wet At different times dur
ing the day the sky became a sieve
doors.
Thousands flocked to the shores and
4 In some cases were soaked by sudden
summer storms Picnic parties were
forced to pick up their skirts and HE
for cover Touring parties were
! drenched and stumbled home through
wet streets until late hour.
There was hardly any disorder to
speak of. Chief Hart's policemen
adopted the phrase so frequently used
in connection with the United States
Marines and had the situation we'll
in hand" The few entries which en-
broidered the blotter at police head
quarters Weretfor minor infractions of
Fourth of July regulations. A few
enthusiasts insisted in toting their
firearms in public and couldn't keep
their fingers off the trigger.
Record in Fire Department.
From 12 o'clock midnight on July
3 to IL o'clock midnight on July 4,
the fire department was not called up
on for service. There wasn't even a
5''still alarm" to break the monotony.
Chief Noble said today that he could
not recall a similar Fourth of July
situation.
Thumb and Fingers Blown OF.
Herbert Schick of 392 Stanley street
had a thumb and two fingers of his
left hand blown off yesterday when a
cannon he was rsmming exploded He
was taken to the New Britain General
hosnital for treatment.
Jacob Schlafer. IA, of 23s North |
street, had his hand painfully hurt
with a blank cartridge.
Raymond Cochran ii, of 273
Washington street was badly burned
about the neck by powder from a
blank cartridge
Joseph Zigmanski of 157 Broad
street had three fingers of his left
cartridge exploded.
Edward O'Dell, 10, of $40 smalley
street was painfully injured when a
flrecracker which he was lighting ex-
ploded in his face severely cutting his
face and mouth,
Stanislaw Chernosky of 241 Broad
street, six-year-old child sustained
severe burns of his face and eyes
when he exploded blank cartridge
in his face.
Sam Rosen, "a years old, of Lilac
street, is suffering from an injured
thumb, the result of his poor aim.
While shooting blank pistol he ac-
got his thumb in front of
the gun, and although the thumb is
still with him 1t is temporarily out of
Fireworks Tonight.
Thousands were disappointed by the
announcement yesterday that the
band concert and fireworks display at
Walnut Hill park had been postponed,
but the complete program will be
given tonight at the park. The con-
cert by the Philharmonic band will
start at s o'clock and the fireworks
will follow.
That there was keen interest In the
fireworks was proved by the hundreds
If telephone calls received at the
Herald" office from Berlin, Plain -.
lille. Southington and even Hartford
n addition hundreds of local calls u
we're answered. AS result of the Q
interest it is expected that one of the II
biggest crowds in the history of the -
'ity will attend the display tonight.
Big Crowd Hears Fight Returns
About 1000 dyed d-in-the-wool fight t
ans stood in the rain on Church d
treet yesterday and listened to the n
tory of the Dempsey-Gibbons bout at =
helby, Montana, as 1t came through
he Herald" megaphone. Even a
ownpour of rain was not sufficient y
D wash out the dye and they stuck .
ntil the last blow had been whipped y
Il