The times., 1898-07-03
HOW FIREcRAcKERs ARE MADE
Chinese Inventions of Which Amer
lea Is the Best Customer
From the Chicago Times Hcrald,)

From the Chicago Times Hcrald)
Already the sound OF the exploding fire.
cracker is heard in the land, and as the
Fourth of July approaches still nearer
people with weak nerves will become more
and more apprehensive, while the small
boy will become more noisily patriotic
The firecracker so extensively used by
Americans in celebrating independence
Day is a Chinese invention, and is sup
posed TO have been used In China in pre-
historic times as universally as it is now
used in the Flowery Kingdom upon nearly
all ceremonious occasions. Its original
use is supposed TO have been to frighten
away evil spirits, and in some parts Of tf1e
Celestial empire it is still regarded as an
effective weapon against ghosts and hob
goblins.
The average patriot has little knowledge
of how these implements of patriotism are
made, the amount of labor expended on
them and the cost of the same and Il Is
only of recent date that anyone outside of
China has known the exact methods en-
ployed, for the Chinese are. secretlve
about their modes of manufacture.
An American consul In China who has
seen the native manufacturers at work
thus describes the process:
The straw paper is first rolled by hand
around an iron rod, which varies in size
according TO the size ofa.era cker< tos.be
made. To complete the rolling rude
machine is used. This consists of two
uprights supporting an axis. from which
is suspended by two arms q Heavy piece
of wood, slightly convex on the, lower
side. There Is just room between this
swinging block and the-tep -ofNthe table
to place the cracker. As each layer Of
paper is put on by hard,.-thc cra cker is
placed upon the table and the suspended
weight is drawn over the roll thus Tight
ening II until no more can. be. passed under
the weight. For the smallest whip
cracker the workman-Bsss for compress
sion, instead of this machine, a heavy
piece of wood, fitted~wfTh a handle like
that of a carpenters plane. In fling
crackers two hundred or three hundred
are tied together tightly IN bunch, Red
clay is spread over the end of the bunch
and forced into the end of seseeii-craeker
with a punch. While the clay is being
tamped I'm little water Is 'sprayed on H.
which makes it pack closer; The powder
IS poured in at the other end OF the
cracker With the aid of.aneaSyl>the edge
of the paper is turned in at the upper end
of the cracker and the fuse is inserted
through this"
The ordinary size cracker is one and
one-half inches in length and one-fourth
of an inch in diameter. In China they can
be purchased a n cost of 62 cents for
10000, although the. best quality eoEl-
mands twice this price. This is but little
more than the actual cost of manufac-
ture. The straw paper used is one of the
cheapest grade The powder is also OF
cheap and inferior quality, which proba-
bly, accounts for SO many ''sizzers' in
every pack. .,.. ...
For the fuse and outside wrapper fine
quality Of paper is used but even this is
inexpensive.
Most OF the hrecrackers are made by
women and children at their homes, and
rapid workers are able TO earn from 5
TO cents per day. An expert can earn
10 cents, while a novice receives only his
board for the first four years, The wages
paid in this trade are about the same AZ
those paid the common laborer
Besides being unhealthy, the work OF
making firecrackers Is more or less dan
gerous, yet the hours of labor are from
d. N. to II p. m, seven days in the
week.
The United States is, of course, the best
customer China has in her firecracker
trade, although England purchases a
small amount. For the year ending June
30, 1897 China exported 26 7O5, 733 pounds
Of crackers, valued at $1,5S4,15l.