Independence Day Fireworks Tragedy
While Tacoma celebrated with a quiet holiday, a local boy faced a life-altering injury when a cannon exploded.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
It was a decidedly quiet Fourth at Tacoma. Those who did not go to Seattle went out somewhere on picnics or joined excursion parties. Firecrackers alone served to drive away the impression that it was Sunday. In the parade in the morning, the Chieftains' League of the Red Men carried off the honors. Their Continental uniforms were in harmony with the spirit of Independence Day. De Vere Fairchild, while adding to the noise with a small cannon at No. 606 Wright Avenue, had his hand partly blown off by the cannon exploding. During the day, no other fireworks accident cases were brought to the hospitals.
“De Vere Fairchild, while adding to the noise with a small cannon... had his hand partly blown off by the cannon exploding.”
Fireworks accidents remain a recurring theme in local news, but the shift from backyard cannons to commercial displays reflects the changing urban safety landscape. While the 'Red Men' fraternal group mentioned in the text is largely a historical artifact, the seasonal migration of citizens between Tacoma and Seattle for events persists to this day.
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