Homemade Cannon Blast on Yesler Avenue
Two young boys narrowly escape death while attempting to build an improvised firework cannon on the Fourth of July.
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.
Carl Teater, aged 9, and Herbert Ziebarth, aged 12, were seriously burned yesterday while attempting to fashion a cannon out of a .44-caliber rifle shell. The boys were playing in front of M. M. Teater’s house at 1813 Yesler Avenue. They attempted to trigger the shell using gunpowder and a firecracker, but a stray spark ignited the entire supply of powder in their box. The resulting explosion set young Teater’s clothing on fire, and he was only saved because his mother heard his cries and tore the burning garments from his body. Both boys were attended to by Dr. Lyons for serious facial and hand burns.
“Pish went the powder, as it exploded in the boys' faces and set fire to young Teater's clothes.”
This incident highlights the hazardous, unregulated nature of Fourth of July celebrations in the 19th century. Yesler Avenue remains one of Seattle's major arteries, though the neighborhood has transformed entirely from the frame-house era to modern density.
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