100 years ago in Spokane: A Fourth of July celebration ended in tragedy, while the city marked plenty of other injuries and arrests of revelers

A 5-year-old was not expected to survive after being severely injured by fireworks.

Celia Lloyd was “gleefully setting off” a sparkler in front of her home on the Fourth of July when the little girl’s clothing suddenly caught on fire.

Her father ran to her and tried to put out the flames, to no avail. A neighbor finally arrived with a garden hose, but she had already suffered serious burns from waist to neck. Her father suffered burns on his hands and wrists.

Elsewhere, 10 structure fires were started by fireworks, a strikingly low number compared to earlier years. Most of these were roof fires started by rockets or thrown firecrackers. Unlike in previous years, there were no grass fires, probably because of recent rains.

The Spokesman-Review reported that “firewater rather than fireworks,” caused the most problems. Police made a record number of arrests for intoxication, more evidence that Prohibition was being flouted more than ever.

In other holiday accidents, a 9-year-old girl tried to board the Jack Rabbit roller coaster at Natatorium Park before it had come to a stop. She slipped beneath the runners and suffered a badly crushed leg.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1687: Isaac Newton’s great work Principia published by Royal Society in England, outlining his laws of motion and universal gravitation

1994: Amazon.com is founded in Bellevue, Washington, by Jeff Bezos.