The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-08-09
JAPANESE FIREWORKS.
ROCKETS THAT ARE FIRED HALF A MILE
INTO THE AIR-BIRDs, BEASTS,
DRAGONS AND FLAGS THAT
COME OUT OF THEM


japanese night fireworks are, says
the Toxic Times, of two kinds, ground
displays, and rockets. Day fireworks
are exclusively of the latter kind, for
obviously reasons. Effect can only
be produced by them in the air and at
n distance, and as many of them con-
sist of more or less sOmbTe imagery
traced in smoke or cloud, a clear blue
sky is the best background for their
disclosure The full success of this,
again, is dependent, not only upon
clear atmosphere, but also on perfect
ly calm weather or the gentlest of
zephvr7. The morning OF our visit
exemplitied this the heavens were as
lead in color and a brisk breeze was
blowing off the land NOtwithstand-
ing this the proprietor courteOusly in
sisted upon sending mp couple of his
magic eases, as unlike the foreign
rocket as can well he conceived. Out
of one of these burst clouds of varie-
gated hue, with fantastic accessories,
but which were blurred and smOthered
by the murk behind. From the other
emerged a tricolor flag, which was
seized by he wind and borne rapidly
far out into the bay. "mere waitage
of the air" Night and dav rockets
we must Use this word for want of a
better-are neither of them self pro-
pclling. They are shot perpendicular
~ into the air from mortars imbedded
in the sod at right angles tC the hOri-
zOn. Perfect accuracy of flight is thus
in sured. a result hardly attainable with
the western stick and selfpropulsion
system,
The ordnance is made Of wood
very often mere pine, though camphor
wood is preferred Every mortar is
composed of two pieces, each like half
of one of the metars in use among our
armies, supposing the instrument to
be split downward from the mouth of
the breech. a touch hole is bored in
the lower extremity of one of these
half tubes, and the two are then solid
ly and tightly bound together with
bamboo strips, just as buckets and
tubs are cOoped, but continuously
from end TO end. The engine is then
complete. 1t only remains to plant
the s5fid PortfoI5an exteubutt firmly in
the ground, and d . for action
These toy mDrtars are of various
sizes, from n foot or Is inches to
feet in length, and with diameter
within the tube, Of from j to inches
y good one will bear 700 or 500 dis
charges. The extreme ordinary range
Is POO yards, though a higher eleva-
tion can he attained by afliXing wings
to the missile. This latter is some
times of spherical but more generally
of cylindrical form. In the latter case
the bursting charge is contained in a
globe at the bottom of the cylinder
Suppose one of these is about to be
discharged, a mortar of suitable bore
is spOnged out, charge of powder is
dropped into the muzzle, a quick fuse
is put into the touch hole. II you
have looked closely at the projectile
you have seen at he flat extremity two
little loops of tvine, the object of
which may have puzzled you. 1t is
now apparent. The operator passes
through them, from side to side, n piece
of stOuy cord, with the aid Of which he
lets the firework carefully down till it
touches the charge, and tEen with
draws the cord. n fire stick is ap-
piled to the fuse and instantly the
contents of the gun are hurled straight
into the air. Now. as we said anove.
the bursting charge is in the globular
portion of the bomb. and this part is
lowest in the sun, so that its time fuse,
communicating with the detonants,
may ignite with the discharge But
the whole case is so weighed that. as
soon as it leaves the muzzle, top and
bottom are reversed, with the result
that the fuse burns, and the explosion
or explosions take place upward, the
wisdom Of which arrangement will be
at once apparent. There is practically
no end, excepting the period of descent
OF the case or its component parts. to
the number of surprises" which could
be put into one rocket, in which both
for night and day exhibitions the
system followed is the same Explo-
sive charge, compartment, dragon or
stars +; explosive charge, flag in lumin-
Gus crysenthema; explosive charge,
etc, to the end of the chapter,
We will now tell as much as we
dare, or it would be fair to say, of
what Mr.. Hirayama puts inside his
missiles. And we frankly confess
that, compared with what we do not
know, what we do know of the matter
Is very little indeed. Moreover. if his
own artists keep him in the dark as to
many of their operations, what could
be expected of him or them toward a
stranger? The brighter and more ex.
pensive of the figures emitted from
smoke or clouds are made of six
by far the greater number, however
are formed of a very soft. light. but
singularly cohesive paper. In the
case OF dragons, tigers, fish, birds and
such like, the material is cut. sewn and
painted in the form and colors of tn,
object intended to be represented
But this is enough 1t is necessar,
that the image shall assume its propel
posture in the air whom rofooeo1 f