Long Valley advocate. (Lardo, Idaho) 1904-1907, 1907-07-11
1T HAS DEVELOPED INTO A BIG
AMERICAN INDUSTRY.
And 1t Has All Been Worked Out
from the Ancient Chinese Fire
cracker - How They
Are Made.

OA1A1OOC III vi 6ShCl W ok VI
vast proportions in the United States.
Also from the humble and compare
tive harmless cracker, the product has
been developed along the most com.
pick yet scientific lines until the mas
ter of ceremonies at full f1edged mod
ern fireworks exhibit must needs be
man with a comprehensive knowl-
edge of the explosives he is handling
The Chinaman, having invented
gunpOwder few thousand years be-
fore it came into use in the western
world, invented the firecracker so long
ago that the incident of it's birth has
been lost in the shuttle of history. but
curlously enough, the Chinaman in
tnlS respect has stood at the initial
point of development, as he has in all
else that pertains to his life He still
makes good firecrackers, but they are
OF the same model and power as he
mas used for hundreds of years. The
American, having stolen the idea. pro-
ceeded to develop it along lines truly
indicative of the American character
-nAmboyant, pyrotechnic and loud.
The Chinese cracker 10 a small affair
considerably more so than the crack
er to buy which the small bow tOiled
IN the gray dawn carrying water to
the elephant, but at Chinese New
Years and other festival times a
string of their f1recrackers suspended
from the end of a bamboo pole will
one of them-and |
there will be no ''sizzlers" nor blanks |
found in the string Which goes to |
SHOW that the handmade Chinese |
artlcle is still honestly made and that |
western methods of cheap machine |
manufacture have not invaded the
cradle of the firecracker.
But as all things American have de-
veloped @, to prodigious proportions
leaving IN the past the memory of sim
pHclty, so the firecracker of history
each year finds a smaller place in the
of America. Instead
mere nave come the rocket, the bomb.
the set piece and the appliances for
pouring forth torrents and volcanoes
OIL multl-colored fire. 1t is the manu-
Lacture OF these goods that has grown
10 such size and commercial conse-
luence
Inc preliminary in the manufacture
u nearly all fireworks is the makine
il the case. The quality of paper
varies from the commonest straw
BOARD to the finest bank note naner
Eases for skyrockets require a fine
craze OF paper called rope board. The
PAPER is first pasted and then rolled
'ver mandrel The drying nrocess
axes four or five days and the case
men IS ready for for charging They
dry from TWO to 20 inches in length I
nd from one-quarter of an inch to two
nches IN diameter. The loading of
Kyrockets, up to the last four or five
ears, mas been done by hand, but the
lachlne now takes the place of the Z
ana loader. A spindle placed in the
enter or the case causes a cavity as
ne material is packed in around if r
ne materials are scooped in. ham.
lered down until it is of rock-like
ardness and then the spindle is With 4
rawn. When the rocket is fired the
rye surface of material in the spin-
lie cavity catches fire at once. cans. '
u tremendous pressure of gas
hlcn pours o1t of the spindle cavity A
iuslng the rocket to shoot skyward.
ne colored stars, which go in the v
cad of the rocket or bomb. are COM
'sed as follows: Red, nitrate of ba-
ia, chloride of potash and shellac:
cen, nitrate of baryta; yellow. oxil- y
e OF soda. Purple and blue are com v
'sed OF various preparations of con-
II, while the making of the other VI