The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-08
USES OF SKY ROCKETS.
Invented by the Chinese. They Were First
Used In War, Now in Saving Life.

Invented by the Chinese. They wc<c First
Used In War, Now in Saving Life
Indispensable to the Fourth OF Juiy cele-
bration - the SKY rocket. But hun6reds
of years before . kourth of Judy celebra-
ton was thought of the sky rocket was
used as q warlike project1le. We are in
oeoted 20 the Chinese tor Il, though all the
rockets that are now used II this country
are made here.
The rocket was used for purposes of war
IN China as long ago as the early part CT
the Eighth century. 1t was soon adopted
by the Europeans. who, however, up 70 the
first part OF the present century used IL
mainly tor signaling and as q means OF
setting flre to pesieged cities Many inn
provements have been introduced, and
rockets are mace which will carry five
pound shot loo yards.
The motive power of a rocket is the pres
sure against the AIR Of gases generated by
the burning OF the composition which 1t
contains. Inc gases escape through holes
or vents I'D the base of the cylinder con-
tanning the composition, ana give thus a
forward or upward motion 20 the rocket,
as the case may be. The long stick OF tail
is added to keep the projecule steady in its
course.
Rockets have long been used by the life
saving service as signals, and all ships
carry a dozen or more on every voyage,
which they send up as signals of distress
in case disaster overtakes them. But they
are now likely to play . still more impor-
tant part in the work OF saving lives of
shipwrecked mariners, since a rocket has
been invented which Dids fair to take the
VII Of Aa nd hot AZ
used to carry lines from the shore to dis
tresSed vessels.
With the mortar and shot line is at
tached to a heavy metal slug or shot,
which is then fired from the mortar on
shore into or over the rigging of the ship.
This line is then secured by the people on
the vessel, who thus establish communi-
cation with the store.
But when this method is adopted at
night the endangered sailors sometimes
have great difficulty in finding the line
when it has been carried through the rig
ging; and if the man on shore fails rightly
to calculate the velocity of the wind, or
from any cause aims badly, so that the
slug falls into the sea without first going
over the vessel, it sinks, and the line, for
which the snjpwrecked mariners are wait
ing Win DLanCltu faces anu DthllnS hearts,
is useless.
The new life saving rocket consists Of
drawn steel tube, three and ehalf inches
in diameter ana twenty-four inches long,
charged with a composition which expels
the gases from the tube with a pressure
of sixty tons TO the square inch, and drive
the rocket with great velocity. Attached
to this tube is a wooden hoat and a torch.
The torch is lighted by the burning rocket,
and should it chance to fail into the water
instead OF upon the ship, the little flame
of the torch, supported by the float, can
be seen at once. Very likely the float,
with its attached line, may be secured by
the sailors. The torch would also show
the position of the rocket should it stop in
the rigging.
The composition with which the ordi-
nary exhibition rocket is filed is made of
inter, charcoal and sulphur, and the brill
liant sparks and stars of the long, fiery
trail are iron or steel filings or borings,
made red hot by the burning composition,
and expelled with the gases. These form
what is known in the trade rs Chinese
brilliant fire Edward Marshall In
Youths Companion.