Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-11-14
USES OF THE SIX YROCkET.
NOT ONLY FOR CELEBRATION. BUT IN
WARFARE AND LIFE SAVING.

The History of the Rocket-How II Is
Propelled-The Modern Apparatus
Used by the Coast Guards-Its Compo-
sition.
Indispensable to the Fourth of July
celebration is the skyrocket. But hun
dreds of years before a Fourth of July
celebration was thought of the skyrockct
was used as warlike proiectiI". We
are indebted to the Chinese for it, though
all the rockets that are now used in this
country are made here, says Youth'S
Companion.
The rocket wac used for purposes of
war in China as long ago as the early
part of the Sth century. 1t was soon
adopted by the Europeans, who, how
ever, up to the first part of the present
century used it mainly for signalling and
as a means of setting fire to besieged
cities. Many improvements have been
introduced, and rockets are made which
will carry a five pound shot 5000 yards.
The motive power of rocket is the
pressure against the air of gases generated
by the burning of the composition which
it contains. The gases escape through
holes or vents in the base of the cylinder
containing the composition, and give
thus forward or upward motion to the
rocket, as the case may be. The long
stick or tail is added to keep the pro-
iectile steady in its course.
Rockets have long been used by the
life saving service as signals, and all ships
carry 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
important part in the work of saving
lives of shipwrecked mariners, since a
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 distressed vessels.
With the mortar and shot 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 COM
munication with the shore.
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
rigging; 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 ma
riners are waiting 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 "a inches long,
charged with composition which ex-
expels the gases from the tube with a
pressure of 60 tons to the square inch and
drives the rocket with great velocity. At
tached to this tube is wooden float and
a 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
brilliant sparks and stars of the long,
fiery trail are iron or steel filings or bor-
ings, made red hot by the burning COM
position, and expelled with the gases.
These form what is known in the trade
as "Chinese brilliant fire"