Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-12-16

POSITIONS are maze IN many cOlOrS.
Roman candles belong to the fixed
fire class and are also called fusees.
We all know the straight, slender CYL
inder or cartridge of the ordinary ro-
man candle. It is packed as follows:
First there is put in it a charge Of fine
gunpowder, and above this is placed a
''star." These are simply balls Of some
special composition containing metallic
filings, according to the color desired,
made up with gum and spirits Of wine.
Stars and charges alternate until the
cylinder is full. Each star ball Is dried
and busted with gunpowder before
packing. The first charge of gunpow-
der in exploding starts the stellar pro-
cession until one after another they
blaze individually and vanish like fall
ing stars. Next in order to the fixed
fires come rotating fireworks namely,
wheels, fire wheels, bisecting wheels,
plural wheels, caprice wheels and
spiral wheels, all more or less COM
pick.
The colors Of fireworks are matter
of chemistry; the no less important mo-
tons that display the beauty Of these
colors to the best advantage are mat
ter Of mechanics. The man who is a
first class pyrotechnist is versed in both
sciences.
The ordinary pinwheel is simple ex-
ample Of rotating fireworks. 1t is a
long case packed with fire compost
ton and wound round disk of wood.
The outer end of the spiral is primed
with an explosive material. When it
is lighted it 'kicks," just as gun does
when the powder explodes in the car
fridge, and round and round flies the
wheel, sending out flashes and showers
of colored or golden fire.
Some of the most dazzling and glori-
GUS effects in pyrotechnical displays
are produced by rotating fireworks, for
there seems to be no limit to the va
riety Of arrangement Of cases and COM
positions to produce multiple motions
and transformation scenes In color in
this class Of fireworks.
A third class comprises the ascending
fireworks. Skyrockets belong to this
class and may be simple or very elab-
crate, according to their garniture Of
stars, sparks, spirals, serpents or show
ers of gold or silver rain.
A skyrocket consists of two parts-a
body and a head made separately and
afterward attached to the body. The
body is a straight cylinder of heavy
pasted paper closed at the lower end
so as to leave only very narrow open
ing for the escape Of the Ere. A cen
trail hollow bore extends three-quarters
Of the way up the body, and all about
this is packed the special explosive
composition, the downward recoi Of
which sends the rocket rushing swift
ly upward, guided and balanced by the
light stick of willow wood. The head,
a paper cylinder with conical top,
holds the special composition which is
to form stars, serpents, spirals or what
not. A fuse in the top Of the body ex-
plodes when the rocket reaches it's ut
most height and sets off this compost
ton, the varying color, form and mo-
ton of which excite the "Ohs!' and
"Ahsg' of the admiring crowds.
. The great spectacular displays CON-
bine the several classes-fixed, rotat-
ing and ascending fireworks.
Temples, trees, ships, portraits, fig
ures Of men, beasts and birds, flowers,
shields, and 30 forth, are represented
BY suitable frameworks of wood either
wound with coarse cotton rovings
about two inches In diameter, impreg-
mated with certain compositions and
wet with spirits. or else they have at
tached to them lances or cases of car
fridge paper filed with various COM
positions, the whole placed In commu-
nication by conduits oil small paper
cartridges. Youths Companion.