Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-11-28
USES OF SKY ROCKETS.
Invented by the Chinese, They Were Firs
Used in War Noyy in Sayioo Life

Invented by the Chinese, They Were First
Used in War, Nov in Saving Life.
Indispensable to the Fourth OF July ceie-
pratlon ls the sky rocket. But hundreds
Ci years before 8 Fourth OF July celebra
ton was thought OF the Sky rocket was
used az a warIike projectiie. We are in
deDted to tne Chinese Tor it, though all the
rockets that are now used in this country
are made mere.
Tine rocket was useG Tor purposes OF war
in China as long ago as the early part CT
tne Eighth century. 1t was soon adopted
by the Europeans, who, however, uI tic the
1lrst part OF the present century used it
mainly tor signaling and as a means OF
setting ire to besleged cities. Many inn
provements have been introduced, and
rockets are maze which will carry g five
pound shot COCO yards.
The motive power OF a rocket il the pres
sure against the air OF gases generated by
the burning OF the composition Which it
contains. line gases escape through holes
OR vents in the base OF the cylinder con-
tanning the composition, and give thus q
forward or upward motion to the rocket,
as the case may be. The long stick or tail
is added to keep the projectile steady in it's
course.
Rockets have long been used by the life
saving service as signals, and all ships
carry Il 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 lmpor-
tant part in the work of saving lives of
shipWrecked mariners, since rocket has
been invented which bids fair to take the
place OF the mortar and shot at present
used to carry lines from the shore to dis
tressed vessels.
With the mortar and shot a line is at
tached to 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 sthis 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 shipwrecked mariners are wait
ing with blanched faces and beating hearts,
is useless.
The new life saving rocket consists of
drawn steel tube, three and one-half inches
in diameter and twenty-four inches long,
charged with a composition which expels
the gases from the tube with pressure
of sixty tons to the square inch, and drive
the rocket with great velocity Attached
to this tube is a wooden float and TORCH
The torch is lighted by the burning rocket,
and should it chance to fall 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 filled 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 as ''Chipese
brilliant fire. Edward Marshall In
Youths Companion.