Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-30
ENRECRAoKERs ARE GOING TO BIZ

though ordinarily it is only elias A fortune
was cleared on the operation by those who en-
gineered the corner
For the protection Of the infant cracker
making industry in this country, the Mckinley
bill has imposed duty Of eight cents pound
on the imported article, which is equivalent te
about sixty-eight cents 9 box. But fire.
the arrival Of number Of large car
goes. that the price will not be so high a.
last year, when there was no tariff. No small
| crackers are made in the United States, because
labor costs too much, but cannon crackers" Of
| larger size are manufactured in considerable
quantities, the headquarters Of the business
being at Weymouth, Mass. American cannon
| crackers make louder noise when they 60 of
than the Chinese, because machinery is used to
wrap the paper more tightly and they are
sealing wax. Naturally, being more closely
| confined, the explosion has better effect. But
to the average boy there are valuable associa-
| tions attached to the real Oriental cracker
which lend to 1t an interest superior to that
possessed by any home.mad one. Ass pre-
caution the big fire crackers of domestic make,
a foot or so in length, bear the printed warn
| ing, do not hold in the hand while firing"
Not too exaggerated an estimate IL set upon the
gamption OF the purchaser; Neglect Of the
I safeguard referred to would be only too likely
to result in the loss Of q hand. For some rea-
son these American cannon crackers are pro-
vided with alarmingly short fuses.
THE COST IN CHINA.
One gets notion of the low cost Of labor in
China when it is understood that the manufac-
turer only receives 30 cents in that country for
box containing forty packs. Each pack is
composed of sixty-four crackers, SO that the
quantity represents nearly 1850 altogether.
Thus it appears that the maker produces about
eighty for a cent Considering the fact this
includes all the materials the merchandise
comes pretty cheap. Nearly all the fire.
crackers that reach America come from Singa-
pore. Even the children are employed in
turning them out No small amount Of skill
must be required in rolling the crackers
50 neatly and compactly, each one the
same size, with its bit Of gunpowder in
| the middle and the small fuse running
through il for a lighter The very plating Of
the fuses in the ingenious fashion adopted for
rendering the toy explosives compact doubtless
involves much dexterity. Some significance IL
attached to the yellow and green crackers, two
| or three Of which are placed in every pack, but
| HE STAR reporter has not succeeded in find
ing out what it it, The children sometimes call
these king" or queen" crackers and imag-
inc that they 60 of with . louder bang. Fire
| crackers are apt to vary q good deal in quality,
because those which have been kept for some
time, the paper Of which they are made being
very porous, absorb moisture and do not ex-
plode satisfactorily.
1 oAoA SAASA4no u NONkIIHs
''Baby crackers" as they are called. are COM
paratively novelty. They are just like the
ordinary kind, only ever 90 much smaller,
being about three-quarters of an inch long and
not much bigger round than q parlor match
Nevertheless, they go OF with nearly as loud a
report as the larger kind. They cost rs cents
package at retail, each package containing
ten packs OF seventy each, so that for a quarter
Of dollar one gets seven hundred. Probably
their manufacturer does not receive much
more than or cents for that quantity. They
are the cutest little things imaginable, each
pack being braided together in the usual vay
but with red and green ones alternating by
hves In the arrangement. Particularly recon-
mended for use In the nursery on the Fourth.
American cannon crackers contain dynamite
but this is very likely untrue
Torpedoes maintain their position as the TOW
explosives best suited for children's use, be-
cause OF their harmlessness. But the small boy
looks upon them az unmanly for that very
reason and az only fit for girls and infants.
BESIDES they do not make noise enough for him
nor is there any fire and fame about them.
One day. however, when the writer was very
young, he was walking along the street with
with the contents Of an entire pack Of newly,
bought torpedoes. A rowdy on the opposite
| side OF the way threw q stone at him, which hit
the pocket and exploded simultaneously the
whole lot producing painful impression. In
those days there used to be sold a certain
variety Of torpedo called the .'Union. !"
about a. big as a small marble and nearly
/ as hard. Good little boys we're not permitted by
their parents to buy this sort of torpedo, be-
cause 1t was very justly deemed dangerous 1t
was Deheved that the thing contained nitro
glycerine or some illuminate. At all events.
when thrown against blank WALL it produced
tremendous report Unfortunately. MANY
people had their toes blown of by dropping
these torpsdoes upon their feet, and they occs-
stoned many other accidents, one ingenious
youth having the top Of his head nearly re-
moved because he was SO imprudent as to hold
| one of them between his teeth and bite too hard
| upon 1t. so the manufacture Of the deadly
articles was discontinued.
THE DANGEROUS "NIoaER cHAsrp.n
Another rather dangerous firework toy il the
"nigger chaser" commonly SO designated.
which is held dear in the affections of eyery
boy, its peculiar fascination, as well as the peril
attached to its employment, consisting in the
exciting way 1t has of flying about in every
direction with cratic jumps not in any manner
full and less hazardous are CRASH oppers.S of
paper folded back and forth in such vay tina
the plaything skips about as if alive, as the
gunpowder 1t contains burns along the twist
ings, = fascinating sort Of cracker is known in
only does 1t go OF with bang, but. ascending
| in the air, it produces another explosion over.
head. A comparative novelty of z. eat interest
| Is the snakes nest'-about Of the bigness and
shape Of fair sized torpedo. When the point
OF it Is lighted 1t fzzes vigorously for the space
OF half a minute, giving vent to alot of greenish
powder that forms what is called the finest. -
out Of which there arises an extraordinary
looking serpent or dragon from six inches TO a
foot in length. The effect is very weird
indeed, aud it 10 exceedingly curious to
see SO large an object come out OF so very small
| a receptacle. ALI these things and torpedoes
as well are made in this country, as is also he
case with fireworks Of every sort. Great guam
titles of fireworks are produced at Rochester.
| n T., and at factories near Boston. In pyro-
technic displays nowadays bombs" which
are a new device, afford, perhaps, the most at
trsctiye feature, being preferred even to rock
cts. singularly beautiful effect is made bv
these explosive balls, which 90 hurting uer-
pendiculariy q thousand feet through the air
and burst into showers Of stars or golden rain.
These bombs are about ~ big as full-srown
onions with fuses attached. When one il 10 he
bred 1t 10 placed in an iron mortar pointed
vertically; the fuse ID lighted and the proieotile
10 launched upward. Bombs are the most ex-
pensive Of ordinary fireworks, costing Is each.
Much has been accomplished In recent years
| With rockets, which are made to discharge ali
sors Of beautiful things such % golden rain.
stars OF many colors and parachutes. Other
| kinds resemble comets OF let fall balls Of Are
| of different huss at successive stages of their
1 uro0reas tn rouQh -