Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-02


-"There was one conservative old mahara-
jah in Rajputana who had never seen a
fireworks display In his; life. Like most
Rajput chiefs, he was intensely proud and
seldom Travelled beyond his own domains.
for fear he would mot be treated with
proper respect by the outside world. ,
him that as' it so was due to lis dignity to have
pyrotechnie display at least equal 10
those given~by. his brother princes. l was
in Calcutta at the time, attending 70 a
government display, and the mahara5ahs
agent in that city made3it worth my while
to take the long, toilsome journey 10 RAJ
putana by train and bullock cart 10 give
the show. e1-- 10
when I arrived at the palace. hot and
dusty was conducted to the marble court
yard, where the Inaharajah was sittins
with several of his friends and admirers.
most of them old whtte-bearded 1elioWs
like himself. Coffee, cigarettes and sher-
bet were handed around and his highness
politely restrained his eagerness to see the
fireworks while he asked me many eour-
teous questions about my health ana my
trip and how liked India.
But when at last he permitted himself
to ask for the fireworks and they were un-
packed before him. he was as pleased anu
eager as a child. Nothing would do FOR
him but they must be let Off at once-rlgDt
there in the small marble courtyard.
II explained to him that some OF the
pieces were very big and explosive, and the
courtyard was very small, and suggested
that we had better go into big field Wnere
there would be no danger. But he wouldn t
hear of it. The nearer they were to tho
fireworks the better they would see them.
he argued. The old boy would have liked
to set the pieces off himself could see 1t
in his eye-but luckily he felt 1t wouldn t
be consistent with his princely dignity.
MY interpreter, Bengal babu, advised
me to let the crowd down easily, as he
heard that not one of them had ever seen
fireworks before. So l started by sending
off a few harmless rockets. which didn't
make much noise when they exploded.
The audience sat around on cushions.
with true oriental calm, just like so many
carved images, until they saw showers OF
colored stars coming down from the
heavens over their heads. Then they jump
ed up and wanted to bolt but managed to
quiet their fears with the help Of the inter-
prefer.
after I had got them broken in. as I
thought, fished out the gem Of my display
an enormous pin-wheel. The sight of the
immense whizzing circle Of fire shooting out
balls of colored flame in every direction was
too much for the nerves OF the Rajputs.
The mahara5ah. though almost scared to
death by what he imagined to be black
magic, scorned to fly. The blood OF a
thousand generations of fighting ancestors
came to his help, and he stood his ground
like hero. But the maharajah's courtiers
fled In all directions, uttering yells Of ter
ror as they scampered away.
II went up to the blazing pin-wheel and
stood within foot or two Of 1t. just out Of
range Of the sparks. I knew was perfect
~ safe: but the maharajah didn't. He must
| have thought me either the greatest of
heroes or the worst of wizards. Then the
interpreter explained to him that there was
no danger that I could chain the fires all
right, and he watched the rest of the show
as gleefully as boy, solemnly exclaiming.
wan! wah' at each fine pyrQtechnic ef-
feet. But the courtiers wouldn't come back
and the old boy had the show to himself
Astonishing the Chinese.
when I was in China" the fireworks
man went on. Il was astonished to find how
little the people knew about pyrotechny be-
You'd their own Chinese crackers, of which
over a million boxes are imported every
year into the United States They can
| make these crackers much more cheaply
than they could be produced in America,
despite the heavy tariff of cents per
pound weight. But set pieces. rockets and
such like, the Chinese know practically
nothing, and their attempts to make them
are crude in the extreme.
"A Chinese cracker maker, living near
Hong Kong. challenged me once to COM
pete with him in q fireworks display and a
friendly mandarin was called in to act as
Judge. My Chinese opponent set off lot of
gigantic crackers, and made a terrifying
noise. but the mandarin had been used to
that from infancy and wasn't at all i'm
pressed My show, however, astounded
him; although it was really a mean eX-
hibit. for 1 wasn't going to waste my best
pices on a private competition. 1 got the
award easily enough.
THE japanese are not expert in night
| fireworks, but they lead the world in day
| fireworks, of which they are extremely
| fond. / have seen some wonderful displays
during several visits to Japan. They send
up aerial pieces which explode and display
in the air perfect models of full-rigged
ships, temples, men, beasts and birds. They
| can even make these beasts and birds fight
| in the air. We have not yet been able to
| initiate them IN this country with much
| success On the other hand, they are be-
| ginning to take our night fireworks and
analyze them and produce similar pieces.
ooh, yes" concluded the fireworks man,
| I've had plenty of other adventures.
| was the only man saved In a wreck off Cape
| Hatteras, many years ago. But 1 haven't
| time to tell you any more travellers tales. -