The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1908-06-10

Although he earned his living by in
venting useful things like automatic
plows that would pillow whole field in
the night time While the farmer lay in
bed asleep, and automatic fish poles
that would bait their own hooks and
throw out their own lines and pull in
thelr own fish and take them off and
palt the hooks over again, still Uncle
DICK was ready at minutes notice to
drop all that sort of thing and invent
something to give boy pleasure. And
you will agree that nephew who has
an uncle like that has treasure.
Jimmy Broderick knew this and he
took great care of Uncle Dick, carrying
an umbrella for him when it rained and
watching to see that he ate his meals
regularly, for like all great inventors,
Uncle Dick could not take care of him
self very well.
What would you like for the Fourth
OF July, Jimmy?" asked Uncle Dick
about a week before that important
day.
Il would like most of all to have
great big sky rocket" said Jimmy.
You shall have one,' said his uncle,
and Immediately went into his inven-
tory shop, which is the funny name
that he gave to the little room where
he invented things.
The telephone bell rang good deal
that daF. On the very next morning a
big truck arrived from the city with
two big casks on it. They were painted
red and marked Danger! Powder!" in
big letters. There were also huge rolls
OF thick pasteboard, each sheet big
enough to make the whole side of
house. and there were so many of
them that the horses could hardly DULL
them.
Uncle Dick rubbed his hands and
chuckled like anything when he saw
the material.
You shall certainly have sky
rocket" said he to Jimmy. And the
best of 1T is that the greater part of
the country for hundreds of miles
around will have one, too"
Jimmy was very curious and still
more puzzled, but he knew that Uncle
Dick did not like to explain his inven-
tions beforehand, so he asked no ques-
lions, but merely kept his eyes open
and did not go out of sight of the in
ventory shop all morning.
Before noon a great gang of men ar
rived, and under Uncle Dicks orders
they began to carry all the material to
the pasture, where they deposited it
around huge old dead pine tree that
stood smooth and straight reaching
into the air fully so feet without
branch to break it except on the very
top, and that was soon gone, too. for
Uncle Dick sent men up there and
they Topped it of so that then the
tree stood sleek and smooth like a
mast.
Then the sheets of pasteboard were,
laid on the ground and rolled into
great cylinder 80 feet long and at least
ten feet in diameter.
AS soon as sheet was rolled into
shape the men tied it tightly with
yards on yards of rope and then an
other sheet was rolled around the first
and more rope tied around that and
SO on until all the pastebeard had been
used up, and that was such lot that
1t took the men all day with the hardest
kind Of work.
The next day they opened the casks
OF powder and began to load it in and
in, hour after hour, until the last grain
was pounded in good and hard, and
Jimmy's Uncle Dick said:
SO! There's 500 pounds Of powder
in there. That ought to make her fly"
But how about the stick?' thought
Jimmy. He did not say it, knowing
how easy it is to spoil an inventors
ideas. by interrupting him with friv-
olous conversation.
He was to learn very soon how about
the stick, for as soon as the mighty
cylinder was all finished, Uncle Dick
had derrick rugged, and up went the
big thing until 1t dangled alongside of
the dead pine tree near the dizzy ton
Of it.
Then mighty cables were sent up
and the men dashed the loaded paste
board cylinder to the tree until it was
completely hidden by ropes.
Now for the fuse" said Uncle Dick.
He set the men to work untwistine
ropes until they had more than 800
feet all unraveled Uncle Dick went
up the derrick and put the end Of the
unraveled rope into the bottom part OF
the rocket. Then he poured kerosene
OIL all over it and rubbed gunpowder
into II.
So" he said, coming down hand
over hand. Now she's finished, all ex.
cept her looks"
He got great load of shingles and
quit little conical tower nearly as |
tall as a house, This was painted red
and when it was hoisted to the top Of !
the tree and set on the rocket it looked ,
beautiful.
That afternoon Uncle Dick sent out
invitations both by mail and by mes.
senger to places as far away as 200
miles, saying:
Jimmy Broderick respectfully in
vites you to his Uncle Dicks farm to /
see him set OF the biggest skyrocket
In the world on the evening of the
Fourth ~ I,,l,,