The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-07-26
DESIGNS IN FIREWORK
Special Devices For Celebrating
the Fourth.
MANY IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCKETS

AkAA 4 AAAA4 ASV v AxA4N A0 AN L.
More Colors Used In All OF the De-
Greatly Improved-Meteor Candle
and Co1ored BOmbshells- Electric
Niagara Waterfall a Novelty In
Fountains.
Fireworks will be more than v a
feature of this years Fourth Of July,
and of course there are new explosives
to enthuse tue patriot, says the Chica-
go Tribune. The countries all over the
world contribute to his nations cele-
bration Of it's declaration of %independ-
ence Great numbers of the fireworks
designs made abroad have combina-
lions Of Americas national colors and
of "Old Glory" and some Of the Japa-
nese lanterns recently received by a
large firm in Chicago show designs Of
the American and English flags inter-
twined.
1t is Japan, too, which sends us the
daylight fireworks. They are intended
for use In pleasure parks and similar
places and are especially attractive to
women and children. These devices
are fired from mortars placed on the
ground. The shell rises several hun
dred feet in the air, where 1t explodes
and throws out immense figures Of fish,
birds, animals, flowers, pearls, stream
ers, globes, suns, moons, colored float
ing clouds and representations of thun-
derstorms.
These figures and shapes are bril-
liantly colored in such a way as to give
the effect Of interior illumination,
though visible only in the daytime.
They may be seen until they have
waited out Of range Of vision by the
wind. The difference between these
and the Japanese balloons of animals
and comic figures is that the latter are
made to ascend by hot air, while the
others are sent up from mortars with
gunpowder. The balloons, however,
are greatly improved this year, with
new devices for heating the air and to
prevent them catching fire.
Water fireworks, which have been
seen for several years, have this year
been greatly improved. These are de-
signed to make displays on the surface
of the water, upon which they are
thrown from a boat or dock after hav-
ling been properly lighted. In a few
moments they begin to burn and show
= many combinations Of colors in mo-
ton. Some of the designs have de-
scriptive names indicative Of what
they look like, such as diving devils,
flying fish, water volcanoes, sea SER
penis and jeweled fountains.
All the stock fireworks, such as rock
cts, candles, bombshells and fountains,
show new features. This is particular
ly true of rockets. One important i'm
provement in this piece consists in
three wooden legs, which come at
tached to the rocket and which upon
the removal of a combining band open
out like a tripod, which can be stood
upon the ground when ready to light.
Among new designs in rockets may
be mentioned the telescope repeating
rocket, which when it has reached a
certain height sends out four more
rockets that take slightly diverging
paths, each disclosing clusters Of col
ored stars or serpents, and the golden
cloud rocket, which at the highest
point of it's fight distributes through
out a large area a golden cloud com
posed Of fine particles of fire, which
hang suspended in the air for some
time like a mist.
M. oa1~.ol Yc~o~1cD AwoAu Wnn1| of
at the highest point Of its flight hangs
out several floating batteries and foun.
tains that remain nearly stationary In
the air, projecting streams of vari.
ously colored stars and meteors in al
directions, while the colored triple bou.
Quet rocket from the point OF its great
est altitude displays a bouquet of many
colored stars surrounded by q golden
rain, all Of which changes after
short descent to a second and then .tt
a third bouquet, in which there is com
plete alteration of the colors. The new
mammoth balloon rocket at a height
Of 600 feet hangs out W balloons
from each of which depends a sigma
car that changes color as 1t burns. AL
the rockets this year have more colOr'
in them than formerly.
In Roman candles the principal new
thing is the meteor candle, the continu
GUS stream Of fire from which is stud
ded with larger balls, so that it looks
like a strand Of beads with larger bril-
liants at regular intervals. Many new
designs are to be found in coloret
bOmbshells.
Among the fountains a new one thi'
year is the electric Niagara waterfall
which is particularly large and In
posing. The dragon nest, also new
is set upon the ground and fired like
fountain. 1t sends out first a numbe
of stars which during their fight sep