Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-07-02
MAKING FIREWORKS.
1T HAS DEVELOPED. INTO A BIG
AMERICAN INDUSTRY.
And It Has All Been Worked Out
from the Ancient Chinese Fire.
cracker - How They
Are Made.

The manufacture of fireworks has
developed from an imitation Of the
Chinese firecracker to an Industry of
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 fedged mod
ern fireworks exhibit must needs be
man with a comprehensive knowl-
edge of the explosives he is handling.
The Chinaman, having invented
gunpowder a few thousand years be-
fore it came into use in the western
world, invented the firecracker so long
ago that the incident of its birth has
been lost in the shuttle of history, but,
curiously enough, the Chinaman In
this 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
has used for hundreds of years. The
American, having stolen the idea, pro-
ceeded to develop it along lines truly
Indicative of the American character
-famboyant, pyrotechnic and loud.
The Chinese cracker is a small affair,
considerably more so than the crack
er to buy which the small boy toiled
in the gray dawn carrying water to
the elephant, but at Chinese New
Years, and other festival times a
string of their firecrackers suspended
from the end of a bamboo pole will
explode-every one of them-and
there will be no "sizzlers" nor blanks
found in the string. Which goes to
show that the handmade Chinese
article 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
plicity so the firecracker of history
each year finds smaller place in the
demonstrations of America. Instead
there have come the rocket, the bomb,
the set piece and the appliances for
pouring forth torrents and volcanoes
of multi-colored fire. It is the manu-
facture of these goods that has grown
to such size and commercial conse-
quence.
The preliminary in the manufacture
OF nearly all fireworks is the making
of the case. The quality of paper
varies from the commonest straw
board to the finest bank note paper.
Cases for sliyrockets require fine
grade of paper called rope board. The
paper is first pasted and then rolled
over a mandrel. The drying process
takes four or FIVE days and the case
then is ready for for charging They
vary from two to 20 inches in length
and from one-quarter of an inch to two
inches in diameter The loading of
skyrockets, up to the last four or fiye
| years, has been done by hand, hut the
machine now takes the place of the
hand loader. A spindle placed In the
center of the case causes cavity as
the material is packed in around 1t.
The materials are scooped in, ham
mered down until it is of rock-like
hardness and then the spindle is with
drawn. When the rocket is fired the
large surface of material in the spin
die cavity catches fire at once, caus-
ing tremendous pressure of gas
which pours out of the spindle cavity.
causing the rocket to shoot skyward.
The colored stars, which so IN tho
head of the rocket or bomb, are com.
a AL pAI MI <,e LII
ryta, chloride of potash and shellac.
green, nitrate of baryta; yellow, oSif.,
ate of soda. Purple and blue are cons
posed of various preparations OF cop.
per. while the making of the other,
tints are trade secrets.
The Roman candle rs charged as,
follows: Sets of cases are placed on
pins and there is scooped in first
quantity of clay, which prevents the
explosive composition from burning
the hand; then a charge of gunpow-
Ger, and on top of this are placed the
colored stars in the proper sequence
of color. On top of this comes com.
position called fuse, which makes the
intervals between the discharge OF the
stars After the fuse hammers are.
brought down to pack the material,
the operation being repeated as often
as required. The candles contain from
| two to IS stars. The finishing con-
sists of covering the candle and pro.
yiding a quick match for easy sgnt.
| ton
Quick match, one OF The important
| features of fireworks manufacture, is
| made from specially prepared wick
| soaked In solution of gunpowder. At
the proper time 1t is wound off ON
frames and just before it is dried it is
sifted over with very fine powder in
order to make it extra quick In action.
1t is then cut in lengths of about six
|. feet and worked into what is known
as match paper, after which it is
| placed in manila paper cases, and
| Joined together. Fire at one end of
quick match leaps to the other and al
most as quickly as would electricity.
Thequick match is fitted out on what
are known as lances, or rods OF banf-
| boo. For set pieces the design Is
| sketched by an artist and then scaled
so 1t can be enlarged to any SIZE The
regulation set piece frame is 10xS
| feet and is divided into squares a foot
l large. The design is outlined tn rat
tan. pegs are driven into the rattan
and on these pegs are fastened the
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