KinSource - Tale of the Week - Casualties Of The Fourth

KinSource

Minnesota Tales

The Saint Paul Pioneer Press, July 5, 1895

CASUALTIES OF THE FOURTH

NEITHER VERY NUMEROUS NOR VERY SERIOUS.

The Fire Department Has a Number of Runs, but in No Case Was the Damage Great Owing to the Excellent Work by the Fireman - There Were Presumably the Usual Number of Minor Accidents, but Few Are Reported to the Officials.

The early bird has gone to roost again and, with all due respect to the event that yearly brings the untamable fowl off his perch, it may be said that very few people above the age of tender callowness, or bombastic idiocy, are sorry. The genius who makes his living by inventing infernal machines wherewith to make noises, did himself proud last year, and his triumph culminated yesterday. A greater variety of hideous detonations never happened of a Fourth of July, and it is apparent that the time approaches when there will be nothing for it but to curb the bomb factory.

And after all it was a great day. There was nothing in the way of serious accident to mar the occasion, and when the Fourth goes off without any casualties there is indeed cause for rejoicing that our fathers should have framed the document that is responsible for all the trouble.

Of course there were a couple of small boys who had to examine too closely into the mechanism of the affair that makes so much and such a pleasant noise. They came to grief. There was but two of them, and the doctors feel that they will, in time, grow to be presentable again when the powder has been picked out of their hides. The added gift of the fire cracker, to start fires if it cannot kill any one, came into play, of course, and there was something like a half-dozen fires - none of them of sufficient importance to leave very much of an impression on the public mind.

With these few drawbacks the day passed off, and it was all that it should be. It was such a day as must have made the "signers" to look down benignantly from their home in the heavenly place and feel that they did pretty well for themselves after all. St. Paul went a-junketing and had a royal time. The business streets were practically deserted during the daylight hours, but for the presence of the cheerful idiot who had a gun and felt that he could not get people enough to see and hear him make a chump of himself if he went out into the country.

Thousands went to the lakes and suburban resorts, and the crowd at Como was terrific and quite beyond computation. The spread of the grounds did not help in the least to thin the throng out, and there was easily twice as many people out as on any other day in the history of the park.

There were all sorts of picnics for every kind of people, and they were all patronized to the limit of the expectation of their promoters.

It was all in all such a day as the Glorious Fourth should ever be.

ONE OF THE LIVIEST.

Fire Does Considerable Damage at Fourth and Wabasha.

The Bridge square box, No. 21, was pulled at 11:42 a. m. for one of the livliest fires of the day. When the department arrived the men saw dense smoke pouring from the third-story windows of the building at the corner of Fourth and Wabasha streets, occupied by Mussetter's drug store. The fire had secured considerable headway, and they were forced to exert their best efforts to prevent its destroying the entire roof. As it was, the building was damaged to the extent of several hundred dollars. Mrs. D. L. De Long, a dressmaker, who occupied the rooms where the fire originated, sustained a loss of about $300. Mrs. Frank Karr lost some personal effects. The building belongs to the Merriam estate, and has had several bad fires.

NO ONE WAS AT HOME.

The Residence of P. F. Egan Damaged to the [Extent] of $1,000.

An alarm came in from box 549, Victoria and Ashland avenues, at 9:17 p. m. The fire was at the two-story frame residence of P. F. Egan, at 882 Hague avenue. The blaze was started on the front porch, presumably by fireworks. It spread to the interior of the first floor and the basement. When the department arrived the men found a fire of considerable size. It was soon extinguished. The loss on the house and the contents is variously estimated from $600 to $1,000. No one was at home at the time of the fire.

A HOT FIRE.

The Abandoned Carlson Trunk Factory Burned to the Ground.

At 2:26 p. m. an alarm came in from Box 467 at the corner of Banfil and Richmond streets. Fire had been discovered at the old Carlson trunk factory, and by the time the apparatus reached the spot the long frame building was enveloped in flames. It was one of those hot, nasty fires that the men are sometimes called upon to enter. When Chief Cook gave the word the pipemen rushed into the building which was filled with blinding smoke. Some stayed longer than others, but nearly all eventually came out choked. At one time it looked as though the entire block would go, but the work of the firemen prevented the flames from spreading beyond the yard occupied by the abandoned trunk factory. Peter Eiswirth's two-story frame house at 103 Western avenue was slightly damaged. The factory building, two stories in height and 20 by 100 feet in size, was burned to the ground. The sheds in the rear were also destroyed. There was nothing in the building, and the loss will not run over $600. No insurance was carried. The building had been on fire several times before.

Engine No. 3 was disabled while at work and was sent in for repairs. The reserve engine at No. 12 was called out to take its place, but arrived too late to do any work. At a subsequent fire some difficulty was experienced in getting the reserve engine started properly. A false second alarm was sent in during the fire, and a number of pieces of apparatus were called out, but were not needed.

THE CAN EXPLODED.

Charles Godbout Is Badly Burned by an Explosion of Powder.

Charles Godbout, aged twelve years, was badly burned at 10 o'clock yesteday morning by the accidental explosion of a small can of powder which he held in his hand. He was playing with his brother in front of their home at 167 East Filmore avenue. Charles was about to load a toy cannon with the powder. A fire cracker, thrown into the air by his brother, went off over his head, and a spark ignited the can. The lad's face was slightly burned. His right arm was almost roasted and his left arm and hand were blistered. Dr. F. P. Canac-Marquis dressed the wounds.

Fun With His Little Cannon.

George Schwartz, aged thirteen, was having more fun than anybody with his little cannon yesterday afternoon. It went off prematurely and one end of the barrel flew up and struck George in the forehead. Dr. Jones dressed the wound and had the boy sent to his home at 99 West Ninth street. He was not seriously injured.

Loss Not Over $50.

At 11:19 an alarm came from Box 85, at Como avenue and Rice street. When the apparatus arrived it was directed to 1 Winter street. A vacant one-and-one-half-story frame house at that number was on fire. Firecrackers started the blaze. It was first discovered in the roof, and did not apread to the lower parts of the building. The entire loss was not over $50. A. Kophstad is the agent of the property.

Not a Fourth of July Fire.

Box 454, at the corner of Nina and Selby avenues, was pulled at 11:10 for a fire in the residence of Mrs. J. Murphy, 149 Nina avenue. It was not a Fourth of July fire. The blaze started in the kitchen from some unknown cause. It has secured little headway, and was put out in a moment. The loss was nominal.

This Was a Small One.

The first alarm of the day was turned in from Box 715, at the corner of South Robert street and Fillmore avenue, at 9:05 a. m. The roof of the two-story frame dwelling at 74 South Robert street, owned by William Fenton and occupied by Hans Hanson, was found to be on fire. Fire crackers was the cause. The department has no difficulty in extinguishing the blaze. But little damage was done.

Burned a Barn.

At 5:40 p. m. a barn in the rear of 98 Garfield street was destroyed by fire. The alarm was turned in from Box 415, at the corner of Douglass and Seventh streets. Godfrey Sigenthaler, the attorney, owned the property. The fire was started by some small boys playing with fire crackers. Loss $200.

No Loss.

Box 84, at the corner of Rice street and University avenue, was pulled at 9:58. A small shed on Martin street was partly destroyed. No loss. The blaze was started in the most approved Fourth of July fashion.

Caught From a Rocket.

At 10:27 box 753, at Isabel street and Stryker avenue, was pulled for a small fire at 56 West Concord street. The frame house at that number, owned by H. C. Witcher and occupied by Charles Longdigke, was slightly damaged. A rocket came down on the front porch and started the blaze.

This Was the Last.

The last fire of the twenty-four hours occurred at 10:48. Box 83, at the corner of Rice and Martin streets, gave the alarm. A heap of boxes and rubbish caught fire in the yard of the Eureka Stone company, and at one time threatened to spread to the sheds and buildings of the concern. The loss was nominal. Cause - firecrackers.