Bang-up Fourths
1838 - 1981
It was described as a horrible sight. Blood
splattered the walls and one witness reported seeing a severed thumb hanging from the
remains of the ceiling.
The cannon had been fired most of the day, but its
greatest carnage came as it misfired.
The scene wasn't a war-torn battlefield. It was a
bar in Newport, and the event was an Independence Day celebration.
Explosions have been a part of local July 4th
observances and, unfortunately, along with those explosions have come numerous accidents
and injuries.
The following is a look at some memorable and
infamous Independence Days of the past.
1900 - By most accounts the worst July 4th explosion
came on Independence Day 1900 at the bar of Matt Feilen in Newport.
Feilen (spelled Feilan in some accounts) was a
former constable who in 1900 was the proprietor of the Owl Sample Room at 819 Monmouth St.
The holiday celebration at the bar apparently
started early and included the potentially lethal mixture of alcohol and gunpowder. The
bar provided the drinks and the gunpowder was used to fire a cannon.
The size and nature of the cannon were not described
in the accounts, but witnesses said the men in the bar had been loading it and shooting it
off all day outside the bar. About 8 p.m. the cannon was carried inside the bar for
reloading.
The cannon, still hot from a previous firing, was
then crammed with a wad and more powder by Feilen, who pushed the mixture down the muzzle
with an iron poker. Exactly what happened next is not clear, but there was an explosion
with a loud roar.
One of first witnesses on the scene said the
building was wrecked. Other witnesses said groans could be heard under the rubble.
Volunteers quickly began to dig the men out. To make matters worse, parts of the building
were on fire.
The rescuers dug through the debris and found Feilen
and another man, Sam Smith of 641 Dayton St., Newport, lying on the floor. Both were badly
injured.
Feilen's left hand was torn off at the wrist, his
right arm was broken and his face, stomach and chest were covered with small cuts and
powder burns. He was rushed by livery wagon to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Covington.
Smith was burned on his face and hands. He was
carried to Miller's Drug Store, where two inch-long splinters were pulled out of his chin.
He also was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital.
A Kentucky Post account two days after the blast
said Feilen's left arm was amputated above the elbow and the thumb on his right hand also
removed. His eyes also were damaged, but the extent was not known. Doctors said Smith had
suffered a fractured jaw and would probably lose the sight in both eyes.
Both men apparently survived, but a Kentucky Post
account on July 7, 1900, said the two would be ''terribly scarred for life.''
What happened to Smith is not clear. Feilen
apparently never completely recovered from his injuries. He died on Oct. 3, 1909, at the
age of 37.
The saloon later reopened on the site under the
control of Feilen's brother, Peter.
1838 - One of the largest local observances of
Independence Day this year was in Mount Pleasant, which is now the area along North Fort
Thomas Avenue near the Dayton hill. Accounts said several hundred farmers and their
families paraded, heard speeches and drank toasts. Among the toasts were ''May the soil
moistened by their blood ever spurn a tyrant's footsteps'' and ''May they continue
sufficient to guard our rights, until all nations, having learned true wisdom, shall cease
from war.''
1876 - The big centennial celebration locally was in
Newport, where ceremonies were held at the Campbell County Courthouse. Talks were given
and a history of the county written by Mary K. Jones, wife of Congressman Thomas Jones,
was read by Newport Mayor Albert Berry. Among the special guests on the platform were
three elderly African-Americans. They were former slaves in the James Taylor family. One
of the men, believed to be about 100, had been the coachman for Newport founder James
Taylor in 1792.
1880 - Two little girls were seriously injured in
separate fireworks accidents in Covington. Mary Willenbrink and a girl identified as the
daughter of William Gildehaus were seriously burned after their clothing caught on fire.
In Newport, Teny Rohner was struck in the eye by a
torpedo; Fred Brandt was shot through the hand at a picnic; John Maylette had a thumb
blown off; 19-year-old Joseph Johnson had his left hand injured; and Henry Williams was
accidentally shot in the foot.
1892 - Increased police patrols cut down, but did
not eliminate, the injuries this year. Among those injured in fireworks-related accidents
were 16-year-old Edward Elliott and a companion, Joe Poston. They were burned on their
faces and hands after a cannon they were firing exploded at Ninth and Columbia streets in
Newport. Meanwhile, the business of Charles Donnelly and Co. on York Street was destroyed
by a fire started by a Roman candle.
1899 - No community celebrations were apparently
organized by local cities, but accounts said many clubs held events at party groves along
Madison Pike and Lexington Pike (now called Dixie Highway). The big public attraction that
year was the Lagoon Amusement Park in Ludlow, which drew thousands of visitors on
Independence Day.
1908 - A curious passerby alerted police to two boys
in Covington with firecrackers. The firecrackers turned out to be sticks of dynamite,
which were confiscated and thrown into the Ohio River near the Suspension Bridge.
Meanwhile, Covington attorney Benjamin Graziani had his summer home in Clark Lake, Mich.,
damaged when a young boy got into Graziani's $25 stash of fireworks and accidentally set
it off all at one time.
1929 - By this year fireworks at Coney Island had
become enough of a July 4 tradition that traffic on River Road near Brent in Campbell
County was at a standstill for almost two hours as drivers stopped on the roadway to watch
the fireworks from the amusement park. In Kenton County the big event was the St. Joseph
Heights picnic, which drew 10,000 people to Park Hills.
1930 - In addition to the St. Joseph Heights picnic,
big picnics this year included the Northern Kentucky Masonic League at the Alexandria Fair
Grounds, the Newport Knights of Pythias gathering at Benevolent Grove on Alexandria Pike
in Cold Spring and stunt flying at Lionel Field in Edgewood.
1957 - Fireworks at the East End Recreation Field
was among highlights this year, although the event had to be delayed two days because of
rain. An estimated 8,000 people attended. Ludlow also drew thousands to its fireworks
display.
1958 - Boone Countians flocked this year to Boone
County Day at Verona Lake Ranch. Grant County and Kenton County days also were scheduled
just before and after Independence Day. Fishing, games, rides, picnics and fireworks were
the attractions. About 3,500 people attended the Boone County Day on July 4 with Patricia
Scheben being selected ''Miss Boone County.''
1959 - Over the July 4th weekend the Tasty Food
plant in Burlington burned. The plant processed meat, fruit pies and French toast. No
injuries were reported, but Burlington and Florence firefighters described the fire as one
of the ''meanest'' they ever fought. Damage was placed at $50,000.
1979 - A storm just before dawn this day knocked
down trees and walls and flooded basements. The Crescent Springs electric sub-station was
knocked out, the rear wall collapsed on a house at 25 Sheridan Road in Alexandria and
parts of Price Pike in Boone County were under 4 feet of water.
1989 - A fire at Conner Junior High in Boone County
caused smoke and water damage in the school and destroyed some roofing materials stored
near the building. The loss was originally believed to be extensive, but was later
estimated at $30,000 to $50,000. No injuries were reported.
Blast in 1981 rocked Newport
While fireworks was always a threat on a personal
level, the danger of fireworks on a community level was brought home on April 2, 1981,
when a fireworks factory exploded in Newport.
Two men were killed and 24 people injured after a
concrete block garage at 938 John St. was ripped apart by an explosion that blew windows
out of buildings for several blocks.
Damage was estimated at $2.4 million.
The two men killed - Steve Thomas and Billy West -
were working inside the firecracker plant at the time of the explosion.
Several people were later convicted of charges
stemming from running an illegal fireworks factory and tampering with evidence.
The study of Northern Kentucky history is an
avocation of staff writer Jim Reis, who covers suburban Kenton County for The Kentucky
Post.
Publication date: 07-04-99
