Evening star., 1929-06-25
LAST JULY FOURTH
TOOK TOLL OF 239
5000 Others Were Seriously
Injured in Celebrating
Noisy Holiday.
Special Dispatch to The Star

Special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK. June 25 (N.AN.A).
There were 239 deaths last Fourth OF
July-from fireworks and resultant lock-
jaw, motor car accidents, drowning, heat
and airplanes. In addition, approxi-
mately so deaths occurred during the
week following from accidents on the
Fourth.
There were 5000 serious injuries, and
the minor injuries have been estimated
at close to 10000.
Recently National Safety Council
engineers made an exhaustive study of
5000 press clippings covering Fourth of
July accidents in 1928.
A main cause of death was the motor
accident-and in great many of these
fireworks played a part. Lighted fire.
crackers were thrown at drivers, with
smashups following. Several children,
hurrying from lighted crackers in the
streets, ran into the paths of automo-
biles and were killed.
A driver trying to avoid a Roman
candle crashed into a car and was
killed. Then there were the usual IA
talities which occur in exceptionally
heavy traffic, both in the cities and in
the country.
LOckjaw Killed Many.
Lockjaw took tragic toll-the after
math of fireworks. Erie, Pa, had eight
such cases. 1t Is estimated that there
were IS such deaths following the
Fourth. The tetanuS cases were nearly
all caused by blank cartridges, fire.
crackers, bombs, toy pistols, sparklers,
rockets and Roman candle accidents.
A large percentage of the victims were
children. Four babies ate sparklers.
An infant of was killed when a
I'm in l.
ted clothing caused many deaths among
children.
Would-be jokesters were out in full
force A New Jersey man placed six
inch lighted cracker in the mouth OF a
sleeping friend. Many were injured
when lighted crackers were placed in
pockets or when they were thrown at
intended joke victims.
Sparklers played a big part in the
tragedies, mostly through the igniting of
clothing. There were many poisoning
cases, fatal and otherwise, from spark
lers, snake twisters," and from ordi-
nary firecrackers.
The skyrocket came in for its full
share also. Toy pistols caused many
serious burns and eye injuries. Pistol
caps exploded in the pockets of New
York boy, with lockjaw and death re-
sulting.
Blank cartridges claimed many lives
and caused many injuries. Pronlis-
cuous pistol firing with real bullets re-
suited in many fatalities and serious
accidents. Brooklyn, N. Y, alone had
four such cases. In Reading, Pa, 20
of the 25 Fourth accidents were from
blank cartridges.
Homemade cannon took their usual
toll, particularly the crude gas-pipe
affairs.
TOrpedoes Took Toll.
Torpedoes caused many deaths. A
Pennsylvania lad was killed when a
pocket full exploded as he fell from a
swing. Many cases were reported OF
babies eating them.
An eight-year-old lad in New Jersey
died from fright when a small firecrack-
er was thrown in his direction. A
Brooklyn boy tossed a firecracker over
a hedge. 1t fell into the lap of a two
year-old infant and caused her death.
A Western man, who had previously lost
one eye, lost the other when thrown
cracker exploded In his face. An ex-
ploding firecracker knocked over a
loaded shotgun, which exploded and
killed young mother in Washington.
Dynamite was brought out for the