The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-08-12
FANCY FIREWORKS.
Something of the Progress In Their
Manufacture.

Manufacture.
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 tiz-
zing frecracker and that the clumsy
flintlock pistols of the day were too UNI
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 174S the treaty of AK
la-ChapeIle was occasion for demon
stration which equaled the previous
one The centennial anniversary OF
the reigning family of Britain was eel
ebrated in 1914 10y a great blaze of fire
works. Still further back, several cen
turtles before Christ, Greek fire was y
common weapon of warfare, vessels be
ing equipped with a contrivance toI
throwing barrels full of this almost I'M
uuenchable flame at antagonists and II
being also employed in the stormlna
| of Notifications. This is believed to be
the germ from which the pyrotechnlc'
| 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 sizzinG
| devices that wake us at early dawn or
| independence day, drive dogs into the
| quiet and seclusion of the cellar and
cause nervous prostration among timio
mammas and horses.
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
| irgton, 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 posi-
| bilities of the fiery things, and though
! his imagination went farther on the
subject than did his skill his pr6phe-
sizes are much more than fulfilled, for
such an array of improved "nigger-
chasers," sophisticated fire pots and
superretined Roman candles was never
spread out, hung and stacked up be-
! fore the wistful ewes of tne 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 80 or 40 years old. Charcoal
and zinc in the explosive compounds
produce the glowing sparks; anthony
and tin, white flame; mercury and cop
per blue; soda. yellow; strontium, red,
and CELEBRATES, green.
England remains the greatest manu-
facturer Of fireworks, Notwithstanding
the strides which the United States has
made III late years. The manufacture
ing is done, not in great factory build
ings, but for safety in small houses
80 feet apart, and the greatest care is
exercised to prevent smoking or the
CARRYING of matches about the prem
ises, there being a statutory penalty of
ten pounds sterling for any such Of
tense; 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-
cago News.