The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-30
FIREWORKS AND EuuRlH OF IuLY,
How they are Made (tbe Fireworks, Not
the FOurths), and All AbOOt It, with
Wfnts and Reflections.

Wints and Reflections.
II is estimated that several millions of dollars
IN value are burned up in the fireworks way
every year in the United States, and in ships
which belong to the United States alone. OF
course, as our great national powderb1rning
holiday comes in the very heat and height OF
summer, it happens that we have to take our
mundane sulphureous refreshment for the most
part all at one time, and in the hottest weather.
The fourth day OF July consumes more fireworks
in the United States than all the other days in
the year, the ratio of about to |. The makers
Of iubilant combusIbles estimate, that for con.
sumption in Uncle Sans dominlons they sell
goods in the proportion OF about to l, as before
stated Were independence Day stricken from
the calendar with 1t would vanish nine out OF
every ten dollars which now the frework'
makers bag
Readers of Dickens land most of our readers
can tell Dickens 'Mattn Chuzzlewit" from
Colendge's Ancient Mariner though one of
our city writers got them strangely mixed the
other day, beng confused by having too much
-, too much -, too. much, well, too much
ice in the water he drank. will remember that
the illustrious Samuel Weller was made tremen-
dously irate by hearing his MASTER the great
Pickwick, called ny an irreverential reprobate
"Old fireworks" Now, however disrespectfu
the explosive nickname "Old Fireworks" may
have been in the renowned and never-to-be
suffciently-honored Wellerio-Pickwic days,
at the present time we fancy tnat no particular
stigma would thereto attach. On the contrary,
many persons would be only too glad to stand
in the financial shoes and to daily don the fiscal
breeches OF either of the gentlemen who may
be more correctly than perhaps any other re.
terred to as "Old Fireworks" Cause why?
They is rich, they is. They have accumulated
gold and greenbacks, and plenty of them; and
in their careful charge the izzng, scorcnng,
.spluttering goods in which they deal have been
Transmitted INTO solid houses and lands and all
the appurtenances thereunto belonging.
All the Chinese crackers, or what the boys
commonly call "fre-crackers," are imported
from China, as it is impossible TO manufacture
In T. q VW
China, for the low price at which the industri-
Gus Chinese can afford to make them. The
amazing cheapness of labor in the Orient gives
them in such simple manufactures as they can
master an advantage which we can never hope
TO overcome.
In the making of all fireworks great part Of
the labor must be performed by hand, as gun
powGer Is too dangerous a paytnlng to be
trusted to the handling Of machinery. 1t is thus
solitary tact which will ever keep the fire
cracker business IN the hands OF the Cinnamon,
and they may proceed at once to chucGle over
their everlasting monopoly. Were itamong the
possibilities to do the Job bg any sort OF machine
within the inventive powers oil man, we should
in two months have Yankee hre-cracker appa-
ratUs turning out thousand bushels or 50 day,
and should be ediaed by the charming spectacle
of seven millions nine thousand and sixteen
Cinnamon, be the same more or less, on their
celestial knees, wping their wretched pig-shaped-
and-slZed eyes with their despair'ng tails, and
beseeching JOSS or whatever god was in fashion,
to SIN te dead the barbarans who had learned
TO build tire-crackers cheaper than they could;
and the gay old Joss would doubtless smote 'em.
Some OF these imported crackers are So large
that the report of one is as loud AS that of six
pound cannon. There are eight sizes Of fire.
crackers III market this year, ranging in price
from ten cents TO ten dollars pack. A still
larger size, which cost the importer dollar
apiece, and the buyer at retail two dollars each
we're sent over formerly, but this year there
have been none of these imported. Toe largest
now to be had here cost the retail customer
dollar each,
Torpedoes, which are. OF all fireworks, the
most harmless are mace IN this immediate vicl.
nifty, They are very amusing toy, and espe
cially suitable for children, for the reason that
there is positively no fire about them. Indeed,
while visiting a torpedo manu.actOry, we no
ticed there one enterprsing and industrious
youth who seemed to be endeavoring to find
out how many torpedoes he could explode in a
given time. Being surrounded on every side by
tons ofpOwder in various shapes we b. gan to
grow nervous, and timidly getting near the
door, suggested to the clerk the propnety OF
having the juvenile lunatic arrested. Our fears
were, however. quoted by the information mat
by no possibility can the explosion of torpedo
set anything on ire. So umd parents, who are
aiTaiO of other crackers, give the youngsters all
the torpedOcs they can possibly fire away, and
Ter one day let them 60 it while they're young.
Rockets are made of all sizes, from two
ounces to two pounds IN weight the suck not
being included in the weighing. rocket
Wee hn. two pounds will traverse about a mile
OF space from the time it leaves the hand till
the last spark vanlshes. The United States
signal rockets for use on shipboard are OF dit
ferent construction from the ordinary display
rocket. There is no golden RAIN or showers
of bright sparks from them wnen they eX-
plOde in the air at the highest point OF their
curve; but there is simply single dery star OF
intense brightness, which continues burning as
II slowly falls, long after the composition" has
burned out; indeed, the rocket-powder or com
position" is used merely to project into the air
the brilliant star which is to serve as a signal.
No ship leaves port without a supply of these
signal rockets, and also generally OF other tire
works, for use in case of emergency when it
is necessary 10 communicate III night with the
shore or with other vessels.
The main sales of the fireworks trade are made
from the 25th of May to the 10th OF July. 1t is
OF course at this time when all the Fourth ol
July Committees are making their purchases.
There is, however far trade all the year long
with the West Indies and also with ships. The
people of Jamaica particularly, and of the other
West India islands, are very excellent customers
Every sort of a holiday, be il birthday, anniVer
sary, Saints Day, or what not, must be Cele
brated by the burning OF pleney of gunpo wder.
Just at present the city fireworks depots are
driving an immense trade with the many dele
gates and committees from other cities and
from towns and villages OF all sizes, who are here
making purchases for the GLORIOUS Fourth o
Julia" They generally contine their purchases
TO crackers, rockets, triangles. wheels OF various
dimensions, mines, Hover pots blue lights Ro
man candles, beneoa lights, batteries, shells
tOrpedoes and such like small affairs, seldom
buying any Of the high and more expensive
exhibition pieces Their idea is to procure
such articles as will give the most pleasure fol
the money, and will ditfuse rhat pleasure owe
the greatest number OF houIs. The spendiC
exhibition pieces arr very appropriate for
large city, where money for pyrOtechnic pun
poses are appropriated by the thousan Is o
dollars, hut would be but a poor Investment TO
a country village; the whole Of their CAREFUL