Fireworks Barge Accident
Newsgroup Postings

The newsgroup, rec.pyrotechnics, had several very insightful postings about the Alton fireworks barge explosion. Most of them focused on it from the fireworks perspective. Many of the individuals posting messages are employed in the fireworks display industry. Several of these postings plus some from other newsgroups have been copied to this page.

To search the newsgroups more thoroughly we suggest you utilize the Dejanews search engine and search for terms such as: fireworks, barge, Alton.

The first posting is our announcement in rec.boats of this site.

 
Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 07:53:32 -0700
From: "<\"Gary Polson\">" 
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Fireworks barge explosion Alton IL
A barge shooting fireworks in the Mississippi River at Alton IL Thursday night July 3rd exploded killing one and two are still missing.

We have a page on the accident and a photo on RBBI in the Accident Folder.

Gary Polson
RBBI

Date: 5 Jul 1997 19:49:40 GMT
From: Harry H Conover 
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Alton Fireworks Accident

zsquadleader@hotmail.com wrote:
:  Re: The Alton, Illinois fireworks accident --
: [several excellent suggestions deleted]

Still, I tend to beleve that you missed the most obvious hazard of all: Firing from an occupied barge. If you looked at the statistics, it wouldn't suprise me to find that 75% of firework shooter fatalities occur on barges.

In over 30 years of supervising fireworks displays, I have only done one barge shoot, and would never do another. The prospect of being knocked stuned or uncounscious into the water is, for me, not an attractive one.

When you're on that barge, there is literally not where to go except overboard if and when something goes wrong -- and sooner of later, something will go wrong. As reported in the news, two of the deaths in this accident resulted from drowning.

Barge fireworks accidents almost always involve fatalities, unlike mishaps during the firing of a conventional site. From the Macy's Fireworks barge explosion years back to today, barge fireworks fatalities are regular yearly events.

Note that when fireworks are fired from barges remotely (as is done Boston), I see no problem. However, while I am seldom is favor of restrictive legislation, this is one of the few situations for which it should be enacted at a federal level. The fact is, firing fireworks from occupied barges is inherently dangerous as in always involves serious lethal risk to the firing crew.

This practice should be outlawed! (No entertainment event should require risking human lives.)

Harry C.

Date: Sat, 05 Jul 1997 10:41:12 -0600
From: zsquadleader@hotmail.com
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Alton Fireworks Accident

 Re: The Alton, Illinois fireworks accident --
Fireworks were probably Chinese. 80% of display fireworks used in USA are. It's the secret shame of our national holiday that we celebrate freedom with artistic materials made by what is often virtually slave labor. But I did not come to bash China, it's the price driven American market that dictates the choices.

The description of the accident that I heard indicates that it was probably a "bad-lift" accident. An eight inch diameter aerial shell, instead of lifting properly to its seated position in the sky, just "hopped" out of the mortar and back down on to the deck of a barge. It then exploded, setting off much if not all of the remaining pyrotechnic material. One of the crew from "Mad Bomber" was killed and two were lost and unaccounted for.

Bad lifts and the consequent low or surface breaks have 3 causes, two of which can be nearly eliminated.

1.) Zero or insufficient lift-charge from factory. Lift-charge was never put in, not enough was put in, or the lift-charge has partially or fully leaked out prior to use in a display.

THE FIX -- since QC problems at Chinese factories are not about to improve, and we needed it done yesterday, a system which lets the pyrotechnician see at a glance whether there is a lift-charge and a sufficient amount is in order. Lift-charges should be attached to aerial shells in a see-thru container. That way their presence can be confirmed before loading into the gun. Currently, most lift-charges are paper-wrapped in opaque brown paper, or opaque cardboard containers. Some American shells have a clear or translucent lift-cup already, so this fix is feasible.

2. The shell is mis-loaded into a mortar of slightly larger size. A loader puts a 4 inch shell in a 5 inch gun (or a 5 in a 6, etc). Even though the lift-charge is present and ignites properly, because of the shell's loose fit in the gun, much of the expanding gas from the lift-charge escapes the mortar without blasting the shell up into the sky. Result -- a low or surface break. The shell "hops" out of the gun. No fun. None!

THE FIX: Color code the aerial shells and mortars. Each aerial shell's exterior is a certain flourescent color with a large numeral printed on it as well indicating size. Color code the mortars with flourescent colors and a size numeral painted in a foot wide stripe around the muzzle.

[the 3rd cause, which is not amenable to an easy fix, is intentional or unintentional sabotage. An inert or insufficiently energetic material is substituted for a lift-charge.]

These two fixes won't solve all our fireworks display accident problems, but might reduce them by as much as one-third if put into universal use.

The other fix is enforcing safety distances between the crowd and the firing site. As the 4th of July display accident statistics come in, I guarantee there will be at least one caused by the crowd being allowed to be almost on top of the firing site. There are no hard- and-fast laws, you know, only voluntary guidelines.

Be safe. Have Fun. Go read the Declaration of Independence, and [subject to the laws of your locality and state] light a pack of firecrackers to celebrate the fact that some people wrote it and acted upon what they wrote.

Date: Sun, 06 Jul 1997 09:02:03 -0600
From: zsquadleader@hotmail.com
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Alton Fireworks Accident
Harry C.'s observations re: shooters on barges are well-taken. Harry, why don't you try to quantify the fatalities breakdown for us? There must be some records somewhere, and if there aren't, some pyro group ought to start amassing them so we can set our safety sights in the right direction.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is using the newsgroup to learn more about the situation. Good to see the press using the newsgroups to investigate a story. 
Date: 6 Jul 1997 16:51:38 GMT
From: Andy Kravetz 
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Alton, Ill Accident
Hello, I need some information on the Alton, Ill. accident July 3 that killed three men. Specifically, I would like to know a bit more about the company, Mad Bomber, and about commerical displays done over water.

If anyone has any information, please email me or call the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, (800) 365-0820, x8222. Ask for Andy Kravetz.

Andy Kravetz, reporter
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
c681357@showme.missouri.edu
http://www.missouri.edu/~c681357

Date: 7 Jul 1997 02:57:23 GMT
From: Bill Nelson 
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Alton Fireworks Accident

zsquadleader@hotmail.com wrote:
If it did set off most of the rest of the material, I don't know how it happened - unless they were reloading shells - and not using a proper magazine. All the mortars should have been buried in sand, and not been a contribution to the problem.

The other two bodies were recovered from the Mississippi. Apparently, the medical examiner said they drowned. Sounds like a reason to wear a life jacket - if you are going to do a barge show.

... deleted...

There is another cause - although it usually just results in a low break. That is not having the shell at the bottom of the mortar tube when the lift is ignited. 

:  The other fix is enforcing safety distances between the crowd and the
: firing site. As the 4th of July display accident statistics come in, I
: guarantee there will be at least one caused by the crowd being allowed to
: be almost on top of the firing site. There are no hard- and-fast laws, you
: know, only voluntary guidelines.
In most states in the US, there ARE rigid guidelines for separation distances. That is 70 feet per inch of internal mortar diameter. This is for vertical firing of the shells. An offset is allowed for angled mortars - although some AHJs will not permit the offset.

-- Bill Nelson (billn@peak.org)

Date: 7 Jul 1997 03:02:31 GMT
From: Bill Nelson 
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Alton Fireworks Accident

Harry H Conover (conover@tiac.net) wrote:
Agreed. I would never do one either, unless I were firing it electrically from a different barge.

... deleted ...

: This practice should be outlawed!  (No entertainment event should
: require risking human lives.)
Every time we do a fireworks show, we are risking our lives. If you meant that we should not expose ourselves to unnecessary risks while doing shows, then I would agree.

Bill Nelson (billn@peak.org)

Date: 8 Jul 1997 00:42:34 GMT
From: Harry H Conover 
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Alton Fireworks Accident

donald j  haarmann (haarmd@mail.idt.net) wrote:

: It is not uncommon to remove the lift supplied with Chinese shell and using
: your own!

: 50 cents worth of 2Fa is cheap insurance.
In years past, this was done quite commonly.

In fact, Japanese shells were commonly sold to the U.S. companys without any lift charge. (Since Japanes firing practice is/was not to package lift charges with shells. Japanese firms poured the lift charge into the mortar immediately before firing.)

Since the Japanese and Chinese shells marketed to the U.S. began to employ integral lift charges, the need for this practice has been abated. I personally have never seen problem with the lifting charge on an oriental shell, but in many instance have had problems with their poor fuse construction.

For this reason, I've found it prudent to replaced the fuses supplied with the oriental 8", 10", and 12" shells with domestic quickmatch. If you've ever had an oriental 10" or 12" shell hangfire or go off in your face, you'll appreciate why.

In this particular case, I'd personally hazard a guess that the culprit shell was placed improperly in the mortar, from any one of a number of reasons. Unfortunately, I personally seen this happen more than once.

Harry C.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch again.
Are they the only newspaper that is aware of newsgroups?

Date: 8 Jul 1997 18:07:24 GMT
From: Andy Kravetz 
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Alton Fireworks Accident

zsquadleader@hotmail.com wrote:

> Harry C.'s observations re: shooters on barges are well-taken.        Harry,
> why don't you try to quantify the fatalities breakdown for us?        There
> must be some records somewhere, and if there aren't, some pyro group
> ought to start amassing them so we can set our safety sights in the right
> direction.
To everyone who poated, I am working on a story on Barge launches and general safety. My work phone is: (800) 365-0820 x8129. Please give me a call so I can find out more from teh people who have worked around barges and fireworks.

I am not looking to fry the industry but want to address some of the concerns that were brought up here. Please give me a call. Or send me private email so we can talk further. your comments have been very helfpul so far. Please call me so I can ask you more questions.

Andy Kravetz, reporter
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
c681357@showme.missouri.edu
http://www.missouri.edu/~c681357

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