The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-06-01
The Fireworks at Night.

The display of fireworks on the bridge in
the evening was probably the largest pyro-
technic exhibition ever exhibited in this
country. Some ioea of its gigantic proper
tioDs ma be obtained when it is stated that
there we're 1000 pieces, We Ching fourteen
tons and needing fourteen trucks to take
them to the bridge. They were in charge of
a corps of forty -eight men, forty of whom
we o in the center of the bridge and four at
each tower.
Promptly at s o'clock the exhibition began
simultaneously at the towers and in the
center of the bridge, Miss Laura G. Detwiller
applying the match to the fuse of the first
bouquet of triplet rockets. From that mo-
ment on the air was filled with a constant
succession of shooting rockets, bursting
bombs and flying shells, which exploded at
a great height into showers of variegated
stars, fiery serpents and gold and silver rain.
From the tops of the piers iower-pots sent
a continuous stream of red, green, orange
and blue stars into the air, while illumina-
tons of similarly colored fire cast an ever
changing, ever-beautiful radiance over the
scene. There were no set pieces, as it was
intended that the exhibition should be seen
not only by those in the immediate vicinity
of the bridge, but also by all living within a
radius of ten miles.
To specify each particular piece is almost
impossible; but among the most beautiful
may be mentioned the bomb-shelled, triplet
and asteroid rockets. The bomb-shelled,
rising in the air from 60 to 500 feet, explo-
ding with a lou report and discharging stars
of extra size and brilliant colors; the triplet
ascending to 800 feet, exploding at that height
showing a beautiful display of serpents and
dropping a ball which subsequently explodes
throwing stars which at a third explosion
change into fiery gold rain: the asteroid rock
cts explode into seven stars at first of Ii green
color, then changing into blue and red as
they float along in the air.
In the center of the bridge on the roadway
were placed forty copper mortars of differ
ent caliber, from which the shells, ranging
in size from six to ten inches in diameter,
were fired. The number of shells discharged
amounted to $50.
All through the exhibition enormou paper
fire balloons were liberated, and as they rose
majestically in the air, and, propelled by
the wind, ioated out toward the bay, the
fireworks which were attached to them were
exploded, forming one of the most beauti-
full sights of the exhibition. To each balloon
was affixed n postal card addressed, stating
the fact that they had been sent up from the
Brooklyn bridge, and requesting the finder
to return the card by mail. Some of such
cards sent up III balloons on previous occa-
sions from New York city were found as fan
off as the State of Maine.
The exhibition lasted upward of an hour
and wound up in a inalb burst of pyrotechnic
glory.
Equally interesting with the display
itself was the view from the bridge. On
in their holiday garb of an illumination
which in extent almost rivaled that
of Fourth of July. AS far as the eye could
reach, up and own the river, ship crowded
against shif, with bunting spread and Chi
nese lanterns hanging from every part of