Grant Cracker Got in its Work

The following story was published by The Washtenaw Times on Friday, July 6, 1900.

Night Watchman Andres Gibson met with a most distressing accident Wednesday morning, July 4, about 1 o'clock. He came up in front of the Bycraft restaurant where weveral persons were sitting on a pile of lumber. As related by one of those who witnessed the accident, he had a giant fie-cracker in his hand. He took a match and tried to light the fuse while standing near the end of the lumber pile. The wind blew the match out, however, whereupon he turned and stepping up to the corner of the restaurant building and with his back to the wind, he again lighted a match and touched it to the fuse and threw the cracker down by the north wall of the building, right under the building. Some one remarked that it woud shatter the window when it went off. Gilbson then leaned over the box at the corner and taking the cracker in his hand, just as he raised it up not far from his face it exploded, terribly lacerating the inside of the left hand and cutting a hole in his forehead just over the right eye. He staggered backward and declared that his eye was gone. Those sitting by thought he was joking until he turned round and they saw the blood streaming down his face. They then took him inside the restaurand and called Dr. Cornue, who found the man badly wounded. Later Dr. Copeland of Ann Arbor was called in consultation. It is the opinion of the physicians that the sight of the eye is gon, but they hope the eyeball may be saved. The wound in the hand is not such as to endanger the hand at all.

Mr. Gibson has made an efficient and capable night watchman and many regrets are expressed over the terrible accident which has befallen him.