The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-11-27
USES OF THE SKYROCKET.
NOT ONLY FOR CELEBRATION, BUT IN
WARFARE AND LIFE SAVING.

The History OF the Roclet-How It IL
Propelled-The Modern Apparatus as
Used by the Coast cuards-Kts Compo.
aitioM.
Indispensable to the Fourth OF July
celebration is the skyrocket. But hum
dreds of years before a Fourth of July
celebration was thought of the skyrocket
was used as a warlike projectile. We
are indebted to the Chinese for it, though
nll the rockets that q. low used in this
country are made here, says Youths
Companion.
The rocket was used for purposes Of
war in China as long ago as the early
part of the 9Th century. It was soon
adopted by the Europeans, who, how.
ever, up to the first part Of the present
century used il mainly for signalling and
as means of setting fire to besieged
cities. Many improvements have been
introduced, and rockets are made which
will carry 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
1t 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 a line is at.
tached to a heavy metal slug or shot,
which is then fred 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 II the man on shore fails
rightly to calculate the velocity of the
wind, or from any cause aims badly. so
that the slug falls inte the sea, without
first going ever 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 hall
inches in diameter and "a inches long.
charged with composition which ex.
expels the gases from the tube with a
pressure of go tons to the square inch and
drives the rocket with great velocity. At.
tached to this tube is q wooden foat and
q 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 fame of the torch, supported by the
float, can be seen at once. Very likely
the doat with its attached lins 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
brilliant sparks and stars Of the long.
fiery trail are iron or steel filings or Dor.
ings, made red hot by the burning com.
position, and expelled with the gases.
W.. F. u