Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-10-22

FIREWORKS AT LINCOLN PARK.
crowd congregated at Washington park,
which was the most accessible from the
heart of the city but it is estimated that no
less than 100000 people saw each of these
displays At o'clock the heavens COM
menced to assume the fiery canopy that
crowned the city with the most magnificent
blaze of glory that the world ever saw. The
display opened with salute of 100 fifteen
inch iPriel maroons which exploded at an
altitude of 500 feet, and sent a shower of
fire back to the earth.
Fifteen Thousand Rockets at "A Time.
AS this died away each park suddenly
blazed forth in a magical illumination from
500 prismatic lights fired by electricity,
changing colors five times and throwing
oyer the trees the tints of the national
colors and the newly adopted municipal
terre Gotta. Then 500 fvepound rockets
rushed into the skiesfrom from each of the
tn Fee parks, blending with their various
tints in the heavens. From time to time
the parks were brilliantly Illuminated with
colored fires i'll generous quantities
One of the crowning features of
the marvellous display was the magnificent
Columbian bouquet" made by the fight
of Is. 900 rocke-s-5,OOO at the same moment
from each of the three parks. This is the
largest fight of rockets known in the his
tory of the world and its beauty cannot be
fully described in words.
Everything Was SuperIative.
For two minutes the effect was seen in
every part of the city and for miles around
it. The heavens were turned into sea of
fire in every color of the rainbow and form
ing the most gorgeous canopy that ever
clothed any city on either continent. In each
of the parks five bombshellS, sixty inches
in circumference and weighing 10 pounds
were thrown from mortars to an altitude
of 200 feet where they exploded, forming a
picture of marvellous grandeur These
were the largest bombshclls ever made of
this kind One of the most novel and new
of the many features on the programme
was the star Spangled banner in fireworks
floating in the sky at an altitude of Z, 200
feet.
Was Pyrotcchnic Phenomenon.
! The flag was 500 feet in length and pre-
sented "A design never before attempted in
| berial work. They We're attached to bal
| looms under the direction of Baldwin, OF
| Quincy, III, the famous aerOnaut, who took
| bne of them into the heavens himself
| When at the proper altitude the flash fuse
i'was i@nited from the balloon, and upon
Preaching the suspended flag. "Old Glory
Ispread forth in all its radiance, a wonder
fin pyrotechnics without a precedent The
| flag burned for five minutes, and it is safe
| to say that the American flag never ap-
| peared before iD a position of such exalted
| grandeur The set pieces We're of a charac-
| ter that brought ont a wealth of enthusi-
| asm from the great assemblies. Upon these
| the best pyrOtechnicaI artists in the woi d
! have been working Tor six months and
! their efforts were rewarded in the magnifi-
| cent display they made.
/ Some Remarkable set Pieces.
The first of these occupied 1900 square
! feet of space and bore the inscription il
fire: "Chicago Welcomes the Nations OF
the Ea~th-l492-1S92," supported by tive
| American eagles above which Were brought
| ou{ the outlines OF the various Worlds fail
| buildings. Then a set piece with an area q
2.5Je square feet represented in fire the sail
in, o{ Columbus from Palos, and illustrat
ed his feet, the Pinta. Santa Maria anJ
| Nina. Every few minutes the colors of tnt
| fire changed and rs it burned the euthusi
asm of the onlO0iers was almost wild
| This was the largest set piece ever burned
in the history of fireworks As n conpan
ion piece the landing of the great discovere
on san Salvador was given Niagara fall:
was also given in llre presenting a catarac
600 feet in length OF golden spray an,
forming an effect never before equaled
There We're also many other devices an,
designs, and when 10 O'clock had passe,
the most elaborate fireworks display tina
was ever burned closed with the great &C