Fireworks Committee Blamed for Panic at Wright Park
Careless handling of explosives during Tacoma's Fourth of July celebration left spectators injured and fleeing for their lives.
The story, cleaned up
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Owing to the culpable carelessness of the fireworks committee of the Tacoma celebration, a disastrous explosion and panic took place in Wright Park, in which many persons were injured. A large quantity of fireworks, including six dozen 8-pound rockets, were ignited by sparks while lying on the ground and were discharged into the dense crowds, inflicting severe injuries upon men, women and children. The committee had roped off a small, poorly positioned area, forcing spectators to crowd within ten feet of the explosives. An editor from this paper observed committee members smoking cigars near open fuses and failing to cover the ordnance properly. When a shower of sparks fell upon the pile, the fireworks erupted, sending rockets shrieking into the mass of people and causing a stampede.
“One man, who was fitting sticks to 8-pound rockets, was calmly smoking a cigar, with the burning end often within a few inches of a fuse, and exposed fireworks lying all around.”
Wright Park remains a central hub for Tacoma community life, but this 1904 tragedy serves as a grim reminder of the lax safety standards that once accompanied large public displays. The incident highlights a moment when civic celebration turned into a public safety failure, echoing the perennial tension between ambitious municipal events and the responsibility for citizen welfare.
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