Daily camera., 1897-09-13
ART OF PYROTECHNICS.
Fancy Fireworks We're Made Two
Centuries Ago.
But the More Artistic Kinds Are of
Recent Orfgin-England Il
the Greatest Producer
of All Nations.

The day on which the Declaration OF
American independence was signed it
is likely that in all Philadelphia there
was not one timid torpedo or one fiz-
zing firecracker and that the clumsy
fintlock pistols Of the day were too un-
safe for anyone to use who was not
forced to. The celebrating was done
by the grown folks"
In 1897 100000 was expended by the
English in celebrating. the peace OF
Ryswick and in 1748 the treaty of Ak
la-Chapelle was occasion for a demon,
stration which equaled the previous
one. The centennial anniversary OF
the reigning family of Britain was eel
ebrated in 1914 by great blaze of fire.
works. Still further back, several cen
turies before Christ, Greek fire was
common weapon of warfare, vessels be-
ing equipped with a contrivance for
throwing barrels full of this almost un-
auenchable flame at antagonists and it
being also employed in the storming
of fortifoations This is believed to be
the germ from which the pyrotechnics
of the Europeans have sprung, for al
though the Chinese thousands of years
ago burned their fingers with fireworks
credit is not due them for the thousand
and one rattle-ti-bang whirring Sizing
devices that wake us at early dawn on
Independence day, drive dogs into the
quiet and seclusion of the cellar and
cause nervous prostratio among timid
mammas and horses. .U.
Two hundred years ago European
ingenuity had surpassed the mildly ex-
hilarating popping toys which in China
make their appearance in such profu-
sion at the new year. One John Bah
ington, an English gunner and stu
dent in mathematics, as he sub
scribed himself in the book he wrote
on the art of pyrotechnics, planned and
executed some very creditable rockets
and pinwheels. In his book he de-
scribes in glowing phrase the possi-
bilities of the fiery things, and though
his imagination went farther on the
subject than did his skill his prophe-
sizes are much more than fulfilled, for
such an array of improved "nigger-
chasers," sophisticated fire pots and
superrefned Roman candles was never
spread out, hung and stacked up be-
fore the wistful eyes of the Unsuitable
small boy as is this year. Notwith-
standing that fireworks by no means
primitive were used 200 years ago, the
art of coloring the flames in rainbow
hues is but 30 or 40 years old. Charcoal
and zinc in the explosive compounds
produce the glowing sparks; antimony
and tin, white flame; mercury and cop
per, blue; soda, yellow; strontium, red,
and chlorates, green.
England remains the greatest manu-
factnrer of fireworks, Notwithstanding
the strides which the United States has
made in late years. The manufactur-
ing is done, not in great factory build
ings, but for safety in small houses
so feet apart, and the greatest care is
exercised to prevent smoking or the
carrying of matches about the prem
ises, there being statutory penalty OF
ten pounds sterling for any such Of
fense; and no more material is issued
from the magazine to each crew than is
needed for each days needs. The en-
tire world is the buyer from John Bull
and Uncle Sam of these noisy jimcracks
and umptarrarra toys-even the Chi
nese, for when they want any really
fine fireworks they send to England or
to the home of the American small boy
and "land of the free" for them.-Chi-
ooro Nayus