The Grit-advocate., 1904-07-01

The making of fireworks has prog
ressed rapidly in America and we are
not now dependent upon China and
Japan for our firecrackers, our red
lights and our noisemaking. nerve
destroying devices.
Time was when few roman candles
and some skyrockets furnished the
larger portion OF the fireworks for the
celebration of the Fourth of July IN
the smaller towns, but modern patri-
otism does not stop at that.
Nearly every citizen OF a town will
lay out considerable money for his
supply OF fireworks, and it is not in
frequent that private family will
spend from $50 to $75 in order to
make a pig illumination on the ma
tion's birthday. Set pieces. such as
were formerly much priced at cele-
brations in the average towns are
now quite often seen on the lawns of
private individuals. for the American
workmen have learned how to make
them, and that means that they are
to be obtained more cheaply.
The day when the small boy and
his big brother had to pay ten cents
bunch for crackers has long passed
by. Machinery has been invented to
mold the paper cylinders and load
them with powder at the rate of 600
and more a minute They can be
manufactured at about two cents
hundred in large quantities and retail
at a profit at five cents.
The combination of powder and
various chemicals which the fireworks
man has succeeded in mixing allows
program to be given at night which
can be kept up for three or four hours
if desired, with something different
almost every mirute. One can get
up family celebration on the curb
stone in front of the house which will
include not only rockets and roman
candles, but pinwheels. mines, bombs.
splitting devils and other things which
are apt to wriggle around among the
spectators. and the entire cost will
not be over So
From this figure the prices range
all the way up to a carload of set
pieces containing ton of powder
and costing $4,000. In some of the
''ocoia'C blSplnso At lHS lSSolt 10 iSdl
New York and other large cities pa
per, powder and chemicals are turned
into sparks. flame and smoke at the
rate Of $4,000 an hour-more than the
highest priced opera singer in the
world charges for her services.
The rocket which whiZZes into the
air and breaks into a stream of pend
ants or is turned into a single star
amid the "Ohs!" and "Ahs!" of the
spectators is still used. but it has
been wonderfully changed in recent
years. 1t stil whirrs upward in its
aerial flight. leaving trail of sparks
behind, but at the end of the journey
may burst into golden shower re-
sembling some familiar flower.
Perhaps from the center falls rain
of red, white and blue balls floating
gracefully Downward until they al.
most touch the earth. Others form a
cluster of long, delicate lines some
what similar to a rainfall on a sum.
mer day and thus they are named.
The rain comes down, however, at a
rate Of from SIS to $50 fall-much
more costly than the natural shower.
The most interesting feature 20 the
boy is the rocket which sends a
group of fiery serpents down among
the crowd. This year a number of
new ideas in rockets have been origi-
mated, one Of which is called the jew
eled streamer-really very beauti-
full piece.
The columns Of sparks burst into
golden spray, from which issue
three balls of various colors, each ball
discharging what are called pendants.
They remain in the air fully minute.
Another new idea is called the dia.
mond chain, which consists OF dozen
or more links. each containing star.
A novelty is a compartment which
contains either one large or several
small balloons in the form Of ami
mails, clowns and other comic feat
ures. BY an ingenious contrivance
hot air is forced into the paper by
The First stars and Stripes.