Evening star., 1901-07-05
MAKING FIREWORKS.
1t is Not Chfld's Play for Those Who
Prepare PyrOtechnfcs.

From the St Louis Post Dispatch.
The manufacture of fireworks Is not
childs play. Nearly every one of the men
employed at the factory has dangerous
work to do every day. The men and wo-
men who work there make spinning wheels,
roman candles, sky rockets, whistles, Mig
ger chasers, flying pigeons and a number
of other big and little things filled with
colored explosives. The cannon cracker is
a specially. Great quantities of them are
made.
There are some interesting departments
in the factory. The men who charge rock
cts and candles, for instance, have an in
teresting work. The explosives are first
mixed in separate houses by skilled work
erS who are all men These workers un-
derstand the mixing of chemicals and pow
ders and their work is secret, for each con-
cern has its own mixtures and formula
for producing many different colors of fire.
The cases for the candles and rockets
are wrapped from brown paper by the
young women in the wrapping department.
They are then taken to the charger, to-
gether with the powders, and he loads
them just as the pioneer loaded his rifle,
using a ramrod and ramming each charge
home until the rod leaps from the barrel.
AS many thirty charges are placed in
some Of the candles. The charger calls
these loads stars, each color Of powder be-
ing star. He knows how to place them to
get red, white and blue fire in succession,
and he works in a little house where he
has no more room than he needs to turn
around. This is necessary precaution at
a tirework factory, for the powders placed
IN rockets. candles, spinwheels, etc, are
easily ignited and would greatly endanger
life and property If handled in considerable
quantities in one place.
The men mix the powders and chemicals
and load the paper cases made for rockets,
candles, etc. The women and girls wrap
the cases and pack the fireworks when
they are ready to be shipped.
A. II Drawn. secretary of the
said: While American manufacturers have
become very aggressive in recent years
they are still behind the Chinese and Japa-
nese in the manufacture Of fireworks. The
little two-packs-for-a irecrackers
for instance are not made in this country
American workmen cannot afford to com
pete with the Mongo1ians in their manufac-
ture. There are sixty firecrackers, all
handmade. in an ordinary pack, and the
man who makes them gets less than a cent
for the pack American workmen would
"The manufacture of f1recrackers is
comparatively new industry in this coun-
try We make candles, rockets, spinwheels
and many another article as well as the
Asiatics can make them. but we are be-
hind them In fancy fireworks. The big day
mortars, for instance, are not made here
Everybody has seen them. They are fired
into the aid in daylight and at their ex-
ploson release figures of animals, birds
men. etc, which go sailing through the air
Inc Japs and the Chinese make those. The
lighter than Sill.
From this time until the Fourth Of July
Is the busy season in our business. We
make more than we sell at this time of
year, but within the next ninety days we
shall be making much less than we can
| SELL During the winter we sell quite a
| good many fireworks in the south The
southern people have great many festi-
walls and parties where fireworks are a fea-
| ture. and the most OF these occur during
| the winter months.
The work in our factory could hardly be
| called skilled labor, though 1t requires ex-
| perience to do some of 1t. The principas
! essential Is care, for We must continuous
| ly guard against fires and explosions"