The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-27
RIMMEO IN FIRE.
Topeka VIII See Such a Display
Thursday as VIII Surprise Them

At the meeting of the Republican
Flambeau club Thursday night. the de-
tails were arranged for the big fire
works display to be given Thursday
night of Semi Centennial week. The
display will be given from the state
house dome, and promises to be as i'm
pressive as was the display given at
the time of the return of the Twentieth
Kansas from the Philippines.
Captain H A. Benner and Lieuten-
ants Frank White and 7. S. Williams
Will be in general charge Of the work
The firing squads are divided as fol-
lows;
Lantern of dome, 20 men with roman
candles, batteries and red fire.. under
J. H. Taylor.
First balcony u men constituting
the pinwheeI brigade. These men are
under Chas. Houghton, and will devote
their attention to firing 18-inch pin
wheels, with red fire for variety
Second balcony, L men constituting
the rocket squad, under the direction
of Frank Gahagan. This squad will
also be in charge of the giant torches
The supply of rockets is extensive, and
includes none of less than pounds
weight.
the bomb squad, under the charge OF
0. K. Swayze, the veteran hrer-
The display will start about 9 o'clock
with the discharge of six blank bombs
from the mortars. The trouble viii at
Anybody who knows the reputation OF
the Topeka Flambeau club as expert
handlers of fireworks, and the posi-
bilities of the state house dome for
such a display, will understand that
there will be something doing
The committee which had in charge
! the selection of fireworks made spe-
cialty of its bombs display THESE ter
rife missiles. which are hurled from a
mortar battery hundreds of feet into
( the air. and there explode into millions
/ of serpents and floating stars, are the
most expensive kind OF fireworks made
Each bomb costs from 50 to $50.
Veteran Oscar Swayze, the captain
major of the bomb FIRE. is so much
of an expert in the bomb line tnat ne
could give pointers to Herr MOST OF
any other anarchist. Swayze knows
I bombs from the ground up, and that
I saying a good deal because they some
times go up 1000 feet. The last time
Swayze conducted a bomb display he
had one fool assistant who did not un-
derstand his business The fool assist
ant got his wires crossed somehow,
and to save him from total annihila-
ton. Swayze rushed in and pretty
nearly got his mead blown of by a
stray bomb. Sixteen inches was Durn-
ed off from each end of his long weep
! ing-willow moustache, and it has never
grown back as it was before. That
/ shows that Swayze is a patriot, and IS
willing to risk his life for the amuse-
ment Of his fellow cOuntrymen-
1 There will be no set pieces" at this
fireworks display Set pieces are the
big frames with gunpowder strung on
/ them. which never work properly They
are horribly expensive, and with the
price of one set piece it is possible TO
4 buv a drayIoad of roman candles. one
of the half dozen set pieces purchased
at the time of the Twentieth Kansas
display cost $3.50. 80
If is estimated that the display will
last 40 minutes. 1t will terminate as Il
began. with the discharge of six blank
bombs from the mortars-