The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-02
FIREWORKS AND THE FOURTH.
How Patriotic small Boys and Those O
Larger Growth May Celebrate.

III.
How Patriotic small Boys and Those O
Larger Growth May Celebrate.
To those OF us whose knowledge OF fire
works consists OF recollections OF tho fire.
crackers and torpedoes Of tho small boy o
twenty-l i've or thirty years ago the big fire
works shops which open about tho first OF June
and run on until after the Fourth OF July are
revelation. The fireworks business has been
developing more and more every year until II
has como to occupy distinctive quarter OF the
business portion OF New York like the leathc,
trade. the wholesale dry goods trade and the
other big businesses. The fireworks houses are
located mainly between Vesey and Chambers.
broadway and Church streets. They are
quietly doing business the year round. but
1t Is during June they blossom out Vacant
store rooms in the neighborhood are hired for
i've or six weeks. banners and transparencies
are put across the streets. and watchmen are
stationed in front OF the shops to see that no
one with lighted cigar or pipe gets inside.
The insurance companies provide regulations
for the sale OF fireworks in addition to the city
ordinance and the salesmen have to be care
full, as a single spark might make the whole
establishment explode.
1t used to be that the buyer-the superin-
tendent OF q Sunday school. the manager OF q
picnic or excursion. or the head OF family
wishing to treat his children to q display Of
freworks-would so to the store and pick out
n few dozen packs Of fire crackers Of different
sizes. some packs OF torpedoes. and few rock
cts and roman candles The fireworks people
now save him all that trouble. They will get
up proper assortments OF any size. ranging in
price from five dollars to five thousand il
wanted. Their regular catalogue assortments
run as high as $1,000 in price. although SO big
n discount is rendered for cash on these large
orders that the real price Is consid-
erably lower. For SO an assortment can
be had which includes twelve large six
ball colored candles. six big eighth ball candles.
dozen kinds of rockets. fro wheels. vertical
wheels. and triangles n bengal light. fire.
works fowerpots, cans OF red green. and blue
fire. rosette wheel. colored geyser. bundle
OF punk and o mine Of serpents. This is an
ordinary. cheap assortment and will give q
big enough exhibition for all the families In a
block OF a country town. For Sunday school
picnics and excursions the expense is in
creased by exhibition pieces in addition
to the rockets. candles, mines of ser
pents parasols. and parachutes. For 500
oil the ordinary fireworks can be got and six
From the sio0 price up the the difIerence Is
Soss Is sG get few Of End q
sand-dollar assortments the companies will
SEND q man along to set them off. and will
safe for an ordinary man to handle big as
sortment OF fireworks. AS he may by some lit
tie Garelessness set them hem all Of at once ,,
ns Sat the are @ w 10 assed ar
range to givea continuous exhibition of fire
day they set of what are called Hiraynma"
or Japanese fireworks. These are tissue paper
figures Of all kinds. representing fish. turtles.
phants and an endless variety Of other things.
They are fired from mortars and sent up in the
paper to expand to full size and float around
FOR some time In q strong breeze these day
most Gy TOR hhey VIII then
wind makes them float around and look lifelike.
These pieces sell from SlOa dozen up with
cordng to the size and the nature Of tie piece e
When there Is no wind. or with steady breeze.
Q number Of the pieces can be SGT Off stimuli
to represent o company OF soldiers
f hgh The
Tor illumination. Here the old style Of hot air
balloon is used. with the flame at the base OF
the balloon to keep the air hot. The flame is
paper and cloth OF which the balloons are made
For night displays these are arranged SO that
pSsys and sest r3 seen eomns out
from his tusk. trunk, and tail These are now
constructed so simple OF design that an anna
|eur may send them up successfully, with
The oId.time nrecrackers and torpedoes are
% two APIECE IN tie 5Spss ace o iligstratssS
catalogues. The price Of hrecrackers. which
Used Se to be 10 cents paekSgs has fallen until
hackers d the child Of twenty ys s ago e cam
be bought, with short, stems. ior . cents q
we're called cannon crackers in those days. can
De bought for u or cents a package. while the
cannon crackers OF today sell as low as 8
houph there are Chinese crackers OF more
han a foot long, which have to be hsndled
IRE also bombs which make more noise than a |
,oS OF cannon crackers. and cost as much as |
r These have to be set on g. carefully, for
ear things to pieces |
The torpsdoes sell as low as ten boxes for
which are 80 cents dozen. and silver dragon
orpedoes for sl.5O dozen. The people who
ns bothored with these beasts In the y back
ard. as few OF the big torpedoes, which cost
,heh cats are sitting viii make tie animals
noye on to somewhere else.
Tss BY The Cns are
andes and screamer rockets which 60 up In
be air and make noise for long time; then
treams Of fire like huge peacock's illumin-
ted ri umage. Cannon rockets are made to
Ike the place OF caunOnS LOT shluteS ono OF |
he m nufacturers has com bined the principle
I the hirayama fireworks with the whistling
ockets. He makes life,siZe figures with Wills
les and calllopes In Thorn. which are so ar
nnged that when they are sho of In the air
hey will float around and make sounds which
ave some resemblance to tunes. These fig-
res can be sent UP early during an exhibition
nd will continue their loud playing and
'histling In the air until the lamp is burned
ut. when they will fall gradually to the
round. and can be charged and used again.
There are ,lso water fireworks for use where
,ere II a lax o or pond or even at the seashore
hen the water Is not too rough. The cases OF
lese fireworks are made water proof. so that
ley will swim around in the water and shoot
n stars or exhibition pieces. They are ar
lnged SO that an Illuminated sea serpent may
Q run around through small pond. shooting
ID fire out OF one eye and green fire out Of the
her and lashing the water wi ID a rainbow
III from which Roman candles and rockets are
lootinR,
10 who use fireworks that there Is large de-
and for all kinds OF bunting. The American
Ags are made to sell at prices from AZ cents
ross up. and there are many, sizes. The fire.
Orks dealers sell nags OF all nations together
it'll their fireworks and the American bunting
adj brass eagles From the business that 10
ping ON In the fireworks quarter this month,
appears likely that there will DO q big cele.
alton on the corning Fourth