The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-06-27
HIGH ART SHOWN
In PYROTECHNICS
Beautiful and Costly Devices for Use %
the Fourth. ,
PERTINENT TO OUR NATAL DAY
Some of the Expensive Fancy Pieces
ofFireworks That May BE Had by
the Rich..FOrtunes in Illuminated
Displays.

ofFireworks That May he Had by
the Rich..FOrtunes in Illuminated
Displays.
Speaking of the explosives used on
July 4,the Sun says: One fireworks COM
pany manufactures a set piece, "Agri-
culture" at sl.350. Manufactures"
cost s675. and triple column and stars
with the G. A. r. badge $500. Other
fancy-priced special pieces are the train
of cars; q. A. r. badge. $685.: firemen
with engine and hose, $3.50; George
Washington on horseback, extra large,
S24O, and the soldier figure and sailor
figure, $235 each. All these are of heroic
size. OF the regulation set pieces, de-
signed for any and all occasions, the
highest price, $420, is charged for very
elaborate piece called the Girandoie
Dazzling Diamonds" another, very
large piece. comes at s265, the Pleiades,
extra large, at 5000; the extra large
Gothic cross at $3.50? and there are a
score of other pieces which cost above
500 each.
OF the shooting fireworks, rockets and
UOIIlbS are pSSae'N ~ 49,
beauty of design which they show ana
because they make the greatest show
ing for the money and can be seen by
the most people. The bombs are high
est ip the price list, some OF them cost
ing $40 each, which seems a CONSIDER
able sum to pay for q loud report IN
midair and q minute or two OF beauti-
full fire display overhead, especially
when one reflects that very fair bi-
cycle can be purchased for that price,
and bicycle goes long way compared
TO n two-minute bomb. These bombs
are fired from mortars or upright guns
and burst when about O mile up In the
air. They display in all colors show
ers Of pearls. chrysanthemums. stars
dragons, fans, necklaces, rings. scrolls,
and variety of other devices. the
price for first-class bombs goes as low
as 81 each.
A CONSTANT RIVALRY.
In rockets there is a constant rivalry
among the various fireworks manu1ac-
turers for new effects and designs. Inc
parachute rocket has long been fami-
liar. 1t has been successfully USED 1or
8lgnalllUS ny uhSht al "oi sA'''~~'
the finest Of the new rockets are OF the
parachute variety. Two OF the nnest
of the new designs are the prize cometlc
rocket and the peacock plumes rocket
The former ascends to a great height,
leaving q heavy fire trail like. the tail
of q comet and discharges q single star
of great size and brilliancy. This star.
with u parachute attachment, floats
slowly down, changing from white to
red, from red to green, and from green
to blue; then suddenly becomes a fiery
wheel, revolving rapidly, and finally
bursts into q shower of tinted meteors
which flash and shoot, forming laby-
rinths of fire in the darkness. The pea
cock plume explodes when at the height
of its flight, forming a veil of feathery
plumes which intertwine in varying
hues until the display terminates with
a volley of salutes. These two varie-
ties cost $lO5 a dozen. The Japanese
bombsheu rocket a.. s57 q dozen Is an.
other very beautiful firework, but Is
somewhat less elaborate, the display
terminating with the explosion Of the
rocket into streamers of fire, forming
willow trees, chrysanthemums. or
showers Of pearls. Then there are the
cannon rockets, used mainly for polit-
ical meetings and 'parades, which ex-
plode with tremendous concussion
high in the air; the cascade rockets,
sending down cataracts of fire; the
dragon rockets, that writhe fantastical-
ly across the sky. and the wonderful
telescope rockets, each of which at the
end Of its upward course releases four
more rockets, and these bursts into
clusters of colored stars. The 'very
latest" according to the catalogues, are
the electric shower rockets thus des-
cribed.
bursting in mid-heaven, they form
an aurora borealis-like shower of elec-
trio jewels of emerald and sapphire
tints. falling slowly to the earth. The
grandest discovery in the art"
All these rockets ascend in a direct
course, but there are those called gey-
sers. or umbrellas of fire, which do not.
They revolve rapidly in their flight,
throwing off sparks, and as they ascend
in spiral course they look like wheels
Of fire mounting into the air. The
'prismatic whirlwind" is something Of
the same nature, but at the top OF it's
flight it becomes a crown Of varicolored
fires. The directions for setting this off
are as follows:
place on a smooth surface in the
open air, light the fuse, and withdraw
to a convenient distance"
OTHER GAY DEVICES.
What Is meant by "a convenient dis
tance" the directions fail to state, but
1t Is to be supposed that it would be the
distance to the nearest house. as the
results might be disastrous should the
''whirlwind' proceed across country in
stead Of heayenward. A very gay per-
formance is that of the dragons nest
or saucisson, development of the old
time mine. This, being set upon the
ground and lighted. becomes an anna
teur Vesuvius, spewing forth colored
fires, squirming flashes Of flame, and
shooting stars, and finally booms itself
into darkness with a big bang. Even
more gay than the dragons nest is a
large mine which goes by the profess
sional name Of Devil among the Tail
ors." This Stats with an illumination
in colors, followed by stream of bril-
liant fire, then q fountain of electric
stars, and finally shoots out q mass of
writhing serpents which explode with
loud reports. The flying pigeon is an