The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-06-28
CRACKERS FOR THE FOURTH
China Exports so.ooo,ooo Pounds n
Year and This co..ntry Takes Nearly
Az.

rear anu Ahts eo~htry Iakes nearly
Az.
IN. Y. SUM-
Nowadays the cost Of ordinary fire.
works Is so tridins that 1t Is diflicult for
the American consumer to realize that
the great bulk Of them are imported from
China half way round the terrestrial
sphere" said the dealer in .pyrotechnics,
whose establishment In Park placa is
just now passing through its season Of
greatest activity. Every year nearly
&c, 200, 900 pounds Of fire crackers, valued
at about 81. 700, GOO by the Chinese imler-
ial customs, are exported, and of thi
shipment Ly far the largest part is sent
by sailing vessels to New York. Much
less than Loco, 600 pounds is sent to King
land, and exceedingly small quantities
reach other countries. Thus the United
States is second'to China In the use Of
fireworks.
1.-The exports, however, represent but
a small fraction of the amount manufac-
tured In China. where, Notwithstanding
the yastness of the industry, there are no
large manufactures. The crackers are
made In small houses by the coolies and
In the shops where they are sold. In the
latter places the proprietor OF the shop,
his wife Tor wives. more often) and child.
rem to the werk. No record Of the mum.
Der annually made and let of Is to be
found among Chinese statistics, so 1t Is
impossible do correctly estimate the value
Of the output. Ii must be, though, some
where in the tens of millions OF taels.
"Only the cheapest kind Of straw paper
which can be produced in the Immediate
locality where the crackers are made Is
used for the body of the articles, and q
piece by 80 inches will make twenty enc
crackers one and one-half inches l..
length and one-fonrthEof an inch in diam
eter. For the wrapper paper of high or
grade is used. The powder is of the very
cheapest grade, costing from $50 to LIS
cash per 'catty,' or from to Z cents sod
per pound. A certain kind Of paper
called leather In Shanghai is used for
the fuse. This paper is imported from
Japan and Is made from the inner lining
of the bamboo. In other places superior
rice paper Is used. 1t is generally stiff
ened with paste made from buckw
-four, which, according to the belief of
the Celestlals. adds to It's infiammabiiity.
A strip.of thisspsper fourteen inches "a
Chinese FOOT long by one-third OF an inch
wide Is laid on table and an infnitesi-
NAL quantity of powder poured down Its
middle by means of q hollow bamboo
stick. A dexterous twist of the paper
makes the fuss ready for use.
sThe fir st work of the crackermaksr ia
to roll the COARSE straw paper around an
ir on rcd with his hands. This rod varies
In thickness according to the size of the
crac ker to be constructed. To complete
the rolling a rude machine Is used. II
con sists OF two uprights supporting an
oxis, from which Is suspended by pair
OF arms heavy piece OF wood. slightly
convex on the lower side. There Is just
sufficieub room between this swinging
block and the top OF the table ut which
the Cracker manufacturer works to place
| the cracker. As eaoh layer of paper is
put ON BY hand, the cracker IL placed on
the table and sthe suspended weight is
drawn over the roll, thus pressing the
layers firmly together uRsil no more can
DO passed under the block.
In making the smallest crackers.
known technically by the appsllation Of
'hwpi crackers. the workman uses
heavy piece Of wood. fitted with handle
ike THAI OF carpenters plane. flor tpur-
poses of compression instead of the
swinging block. In filling crackers from
2UO 90 $50 are tied together in compact
bunch. he'd clay Is spread over the end
OF the bunch and forced into the end Of
each cracker with punch Of rude.design.
While the clay is being tamped In q
little water. is sprayed upon it. causing
10 TO pack closer. 1he powder is poured
In at the other and of the cylinder. wi h
an awi the edge OF the paper Is turn I'D
at the upper end Of the cracker rand 0
fuse inserted. The long ends OF the fus,
are braided togsther in suuh a way thar
the crackers lie in two parallel rows. Ihs
braid is doubled on itself, and large,
| quick firing fuse inserted, and the wnole
Is bound and secured with a fine threau.
The bundle Is then wrapped In paper and
sold. 1.-THE double.sounding crarks-
which has just found its way into the
United States, Is wonderfully popular ia
| China. IL has two cham hers separated
by plug of clay, through which runs n
| connecting fuse. There Ii also fuse ex-
tending from the powder In the lower
chamber through the side OF the cracker.
When the cracker Is to be let on it is set
on end and tire placed to the dangling
end OF the fuse The powder exploding
In the lever chamber throws the cracker
| high in the air, where the second charge
is exploded by lire from the fuse extend-
ing through the plug between the two
chambers. In the manufacture of the
double-sounders the clay is first tanped
in with punch to form the separating
plug. The lower chamber is then filled
with powder and closed by turning over
the paper at the end. The upper chamber
Is loaded and CLOSED with the red clay. A
hol, isspunched in the side of the lower
chamber with an awl, and the fuse insert
Ell through the opening.
"The ordinary sized cracker, one and
one-half inches long by one-fourth of an
inch In diameter. COSTS 10 the city of
Canton tael, or 62 cents, per 10000 fer
export. ~ Hankow the best quality az
this size costs tael for 5000. For II Q
second quality but tael IL asked for 30 {.