The morning times., 1896-06-28
==-=-S1S
o=With-o
@--F Fireworks
f|uIl
With.

As Fourth OF July is a day particularly
set apart for self giorification, l suppose
Imay be pardoned for lying gthataccustom-
ed as we Americans are to being the
biggest in any given direction, probably
NO youth in the land will be surprised TO
learn tnau the largest manufactory OF
fireworks III the world is In America.
The word manufactory will doubtless call
up to your mind, as it did to mine, VISIONS
of a huge brick building of many rooms,
more or less vibrant with the noise ana
hustle OF machinery and labor. So you VIII
easily imagine my surprise when L found
myself escorted instead TO vast meadow
of some seventy acres, dotted over WIN
little smokeless, noiseless buts, flfty or
sixty In number, interspersed here aud there
with larger ones and two-story buildings
At respectable distance from the huts
are the larger buildings where less dan
gerous work is carried on, and where many
boys and not less than seventy-five girls
are elupioyed. Here one finds enormous
Quantities of brown and white paper,
hundred weights of pins for attaching the
quick match 10 set pieces, steel ana IRON
Filings for producing the bright starry
coruscations, chemicals to give TO the
stars their wonderous hues OF red, green,
white and blue, and other harmless ma
terials.
Scarcely less interesting was 1t TO watch
the nimble fingers rs they filled the Roman
candles Into one ofthese strong cases were
nut layers in the following order: Compo-
sitiou, a pinch of gunpowder, star ana
so on until the case was quite niled, the
composition and gunpowder furnishing
respectively the necessary combustion ana
propellor for the variously colored stars.
The Roman candle not only shines by herself,
"a thing of sweetness and of light" but
fills an important part in pieces like 1.-THE
devil among tailors," Chinese trees, etc.
Altogether a dainty modest creature, quite
unlike her more noisy, frisky Kindred
Letters, figures. in fact, all designs for
set pieces are made by means OF hundreds,
YES, thousands of lances connected by
quick match, and the making of these re-
uuires many nimbe fingers. A lance is a
email tube, about the size of sunih. filled
with ordinary composition, which is gun
powder debased by the addition of in
gradients to reduce its rate of combustion,
containing probably not more than per
cent. of actual gunpowder.
The quick match, the Indispensable fire
conductor, is made by saturating piece OF
lamp wick with wet guDpowder and gum.
1t is then reeled off and dried, and after
ward cutinto lengths and encased in paper
tubing. Girls are chiefly employed for max
ing this fiery maca roni and turn out millions
OF yards IN year.
Let US suppose. for instance. that one
wants the head OF George Washington to
appear in the heavens outlined by brill
liant band of light. A scale of the proper
tions of his face is first made from pic
ture. A large frame is then laid on the
floor, and in the center OF this frame, with
a bit OF crayon, is drawn on the floor, ac-
cording to the scale, a very much enlarged
picture, usually measuring at least thirty
inches from forehead to chin. A girl then
the exact form of the crayon outline. This
is fastened to the frame. and upon this
rattan outline, lances are placed very
close together, and are connected by the |
quick match. Naturally for this sort of |
work, aud for all finishing off processes,
girls are preferred on account OF the |
superior flexibility of their fingers and |
the general deftness. |
Among the most fascinating fire works |
n C always the rockets and the beauti- |
fGllv scintillatinG complicated wheels which |
give Slch charm to set pieces There will |
be t'is year an Infinitely new and beauti- |
f"i va-iety OF both these devices Rockets |
dis IN ing swarm OF magic dragonlike |
sc pcn;s with vermillion hued bodies, |
rocke' = bursting forth into a broad spread
OF l'ru'd gold with streams OF glittering |
ra'iiincv lighting up pretty parachutes.
will tree rockets. diamond chain rockets
-ru-;ets without end. Then the number
al variety Of wheels! Wheels with a |
b;lliant outer ring encircling an inside
ringnf re or green, contra revolving wheels
". pots of fire In variegated colors. col
o dole triangle wheels, etc The
m tive po-ver of these delightful displays
is siInplv '1e to the rapid evolution OF gas.
One has ut to light the fuse in order to
produce IS with sufficient rapidity to
r-ess ? I'll st the air and thus impel the |
piece -" ,-l in its course
r. ~ eel is used as n motive power in