The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-08-16
JAPANESE FIREWORKS.
Rockets that are Fired Half - Mile into
the .EIrds. Btasas. Dragons and
Flags that Come Out Of Them

Rocket. that Fired Half Mile into |
FIaga that Genie OuI OF Them.
Japanese night fireworks are of tive |
kinds, ground displays, and rockets. |
Day fireworks are exclusively OF the |
latter kind, for obvious reasons. Effect |
can only be produced by them in the !
air and ct a distance, and as many of
them consist of mefe or less sombre
imagery traced in smoke or cloud, clear
blue SKY is the best background for their
disclosure. The full success of this,
again, is dependent, not only upon a
clear atmosphere, but also on perfectly
calm Weather Of The gentlest of zephyrs.
The morning of our visit exempllhed
this; the heavens were as lead IN color,
and brisk breeze was blowing of the
land. Notwithstanding this, the pro-
prietor courteOusly insisted upon
sending up a couple of his magic cases,
IS unlike the foreign rocket as can well
be conceived. Out of one of these BURT
clouds OF yariegated hue, with fantastic
accessories, but which were blurred and
smothered by the murk behind. From
the other emerged tricolor flag, which
was seized by the wind and borne rapidly
far out into the bay, ''mere waftage of
the air" Night and day rockets--we
must use this word for want of a better
=-are neither of them self-propelling.
| fhev ATE shot perpendicularly into the
air from mortars imbedded into soil at
right angles to the horizon. Perfect
| accuracy of flight is thus insured, result
| hardly attainable with the western stick
/ and self-propulsion system. The Ordi-
nance is made of wOOd--very often mere
| pine, though camphor-wood is preferred.
| Every mortar Is composed OF two pieces,
/ each ike half o. ore Of the metal moTtars
! in use among our armies, supposing the
/ instruments 10 be split downward
| from the meuth to the breech. \
touch-hole is bored in the lower
extremity of one of these half tubes,
/ and the two are then soidly and tightly
/ bound together with bamboo strip, Just
/ "a buckets and tubes are coopered, con
tinuously from end to end. The engine
/ is then complete. 1t only remains TO
plant the solid portion OF the butt hrmly
| In the ground, and all is ready for action.
These toy mortars are of various sizes,
I from q foot or IS inches TO feet IN
! length. and with diameter, within the
tube. OF from Il TO 6 inches. 4 good
one will bear 700 or 800 discharges The
extreme ordinary range is l 200 yards,
though a higher elevation can be at
tanned by affixing wings to the missile
This latter is sometimes of spherical but
more generally of cylindrical form In
the latter case the bursting charge Is
contained in q globe at the bottom of
the cylinder. Suppose one of these
about 10 be discharged. A mortar OF
suitable size is spoDged out, a charge OF
powder is dropped into the muzzle,
quick fuse is put into the
touch-hole. If you have looked
( closely at the projectile you have seen
at the fiat extremity two little loops OF
Irvine, the of which may have puzzled
you tits now apparent. The operator
masses through them, from side, a piece
of stout cord. with the aid of which he
lets the fire-work carefully down till it
touches the charge, and then withdraws
the cord. A fre-stick is applied TO the
fuses and instantly the contents or the
gun are hurled straight into the air.
Now. as we said above, the bursting
charge is in the gIobular portion OF the
bomb, and this part is lowest in the gun
so that its time fuse, communicating with
the detonants, may ignite with the dis
charge But the whole case Is so weie h.
ted that, as soon as it leaves the muzZle
top and bottom are reversed, with the
2 result that the fuse burns, and the eX
plosons take place upward, the wisdom
: of which arrangement will be at once
apparent There is practically no end
excepting the period of descent Ofthe case
or It's component parts, to the number o.
, " surprises which could be put into one
rocket. in which both for night and day
j exhibitions the system followed Is the
same. Explosive charge, compartment
dragon or stars; explosive charge, flag
OF luminous crysenthena; explosive
! charge. etc, to the end OF the chapter
e We will now tell as much as we dare, Of
= it would be fair to say, Of what Mr.
= Hiravama puts inside his missiles. ApC
g we frankly confess that, compared will
d what we do not know, what We do know
= of the matter is very little indeed
q Certain questions could neither have beer
Is properIy asked or wisely answered
Moreover, if his own artist keeps him IL
d the dark as to many of their opera
e tions, what could be expected of hin
I or them toward stranger Ih
n brighter and more expensive OF tn
figures emitted from smoke or CLIQUE
are made of silk; by far the create
4 number, however, are formed OF yer,
4 soft, light. but singularly cohesive paper
j. In the case OF dragons, tigers, fish, birds
Is and such like, the material is cut, sew
q snd painted IN the form ana coIofs
f the object intended to be represented
n But this is not enough. 1t is necessar,
Q that the image shall assume its prope
o posture in the air, when released from
!, the space in which it is folded an,
= packed as lightly as possible; that
! shall not float lightly, and descend bu
: gradually. To insure this requires, a
/ may be imagined, great nicely OF adjust
ment of the fimsy texture. Small
j leaden weights are disposed her
/ and there about the figure, AM
: small circular holes are cut Il
carefully determined spots on the belly
2 back, legs and head for the admission
and exit of the air which keeps it in
fated. Flags and banners. pictures an
4 screens, are in one piece; their folds ar
Y opened, and they themselves are KEEP
4 continually in visible position to tn
a eye in the fight and descent, by SINAI
!. weights, as above, but only on that edg
4 which should be downward. All of tn
; simple, and many of the more elaborate
y cloud effects are produced by colore
4 earths of fine consistency, judiciousl
!. disposed others are the result of tn
combustion of serial commixture of Gel