The Rockets Turned Around: Tacoma's Fourth of July Went Up in a Sheet of Flame

A Mr. Murray, who with his two daughters was standing within a few feet of the exploding fireworks, started to run, but lost hold of one of his girls in the melee. He ran back into the shooting flames, found his girl and dragged her away. As he did so, he says, he saw a giant rocket come roaring out of the smoke and strike a middle-aged woman in the back. As she fell with a loud cry another hit her, apparently knocking her senseless.

As soon as Mr. Murray had taken his two daughters safely away to a tree about a hundred yards distant, he left them and, with another man whom he pressed into service, hurried back into the smoke and flames still spurting from the firing ground to save the woman he had seen knocked down by the rockets. He found her lying senseless, covered with blood, and with another woman lying unconscious across her, who had apparently swooned from fright. Both women were rescued and taken away under a shower of fire from bombs and rockets.

Miss Hattie Braizeman, of Chicago, was among the injured. Standing near the locust trees with a friend, she was hit by a big rocket which exploded, setting fire to her clothing and inflicting severe gashes upon her person. She was carried away in an ambulance.

Two children of E. S. Squires, who had been employed to superintend the firing, were burned about their faces. Mrs. Robb, of Old Town, was frightfully burned on one leg by an exploding bomb. Mrs. H. T. Reynolds was painfully hurt by a rocket which struck her in the back; the heavy stick broke and one splinter penetrated her side, while another gashed her scalp.

Another woman, whose name was not learned, was struck across the bridge of her nose by a rocket, which left a blood crease and frightened the victim into insensibility. She was carried to the Park drug store for treatment. Myrtle Albaugh, a little girl, was trampled upon and her leg badly crushed; she was taken to the Fannie Paddock hospital. The son of Colonel William S. Shank, of 619 North I street, was burned slightly about the face.

One unknown man, whose clothing was afire, ran and jumped into the lake in the park and extinguished the flames. He was not badly scorched.

Van Allen Smith, of North Twenty-fifth and Steele streets, was assisting to discharge the fireworks. He was attempting to scatter the fireworks and was struck by a rocket. He was also badly burned about the head. Rendered unconscious by pain, he was picked up and taken to the hospital.

Mrs. Crow, 1516 South D street, was standing close to the pile of fireworks when the trouble commenced. She was struck in the back of the head by a rocket and an ugly wound resulted. She was conveyed to her home and is under the care of Dr. Curran. A little girl from Bismarck was severely burned on the knee, but was taken away before her name could be learned.

Most of the members of the fireworks committee had taken off their coats, and these were burned up.

Fire Breaks Out.

The explosion set fire to a number of broken wooden packing boxes under the locust trees, and a brisk conflagration was soon in progress. A call for the fire department brought a company of fire-fighters to the scene and a stream of water soon put out the flames.

When the fireworks first began exploding on the ground the crowd surged backwards through the tiers and down the hill, but when the bombardment partly ceased many pushed back toward the firing plot, eager to see what had taken place. Just then a second batch of explosions occurred, sending the crowd away on a second scramble for safety.

The fireworks which exploded cost something over $500 and contained enough powder to have blown up a dozen buildings.

After the excitement had partly subsided the people began to gather about the park bandstand and electric fountain, where it was speedily discovered that many children were missing. As fast as they were found, Chairman Garrett Fisher of the general Fourth of July committee announced their names from the bandstand. He also informed anxious parents that all children picked up by the police would be safely kept until called for.

Fierce criticisms of the fireworks committee were heard on every side after the explosion took place. The fact that they had been culpably careless was plainly evident to the thousands in the park who had witnessed the catastrophe. The most ordinary precautions, which would seem to have suggested themselves to the veriest tyros, were omitted. Had the fireworks committee even taken the trouble to provide a large canvas tent, wetted down with water, and then placed their stock of explosives inside, there would have been no possible chance for sparks to do damage. Had the committee merely increased the area of the firing plot with the extra rope lying unused on the ground, most of the danger could have been averted.

The Fourth of July fireworks committee consisted of County Auditor J. H. Davis, chairman; Ben Haverkamp and Lincoln Davis.

The electrical fountain in Wright park, constructed by Robert W. Taynton, was greatly admired by the Fourth of July crowds who saw it playing last night.