The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1910-07-01

ment is such that when the paper disk, winch -
the parachute, is thrown out of the receptacle
1t instantly expands and drifts slowly doWn"alu'
while the ignited stars, dangling along the strings
beneath make an exceedingly pretty display.
The methods adopted in the case of parachute
rockets is exactly the same the parachute ana
its attachments being packed into the mead OF
the rocket rocket Of course, consists or TWO
parts, the lower portion being pasteboard CYL
inder, made especially thick, containing the ex-
plosive that makes the thing go up, while the
upper compartment Is simply receptacle 10 nold
stars, parachute golden rain stuff, or Whatever
Is to be liberated when the projectile has reached
its highest point IN the air.
What is called mine" Is big cylinder OF
pasteboard, which may be four or five feet high
and which Is attached to square wooden base
in order that 1t may be stood up. Inside of the
cylinder is put propelng charge Of the slow
explosive and on top of it paper bag filled with
stars At the top Is an ordinary roman candle,
which serves as sort Of spout When the
roman candle is lighted 1t shoots few fiery balls
successfully In the customary manner, and then,
the explosive inside having been reached, the
whole affair explodes, throwing multitude Of
stars in all directions
Comparatively new are the socalled bat
teries" Of roman candles, which, in proportion to
the number of candles going of simultaneously,
produce brilliant display. "Gerbs" are cylln'
ders filled with iron filings, which are thrown
out In an incandescent state by the slow burning
explosive. They are intended to be tackled upon
a fence or to some such place, at height of six
feet
tits fact worth mentioning incidentally that
all of the marine night signals. which are carried
on every vessel, are made by the fireworks con-
Germs. The Brooklyn factory supplied those used
on the yachts during the recent race across
the Atlantic They are made on the same prin-
ciple as "bengola" lights, familiar pyrotechnic
toy, but with wooden handle. Such contri-
vance is pasteboard tube divided into compart.
ments, usually three In number, containing In
fammable compositions of different colors. o.
casionally stars are added. Inasmuch as the
coors-green, white and red-may be arranged
In various ways, one can talk across the sea by
the help of these lights on the darkest night
In the tiny houses already described all the
filling of roman candles is done. For this pur
pose machinery is used and it is always a posi-
bility that spark might ignite the gunpowder
and composition, of which considerable quaint
ties have to be kept Immediately at hand. But
these explosives and also the stars (which take
the form of fiery balls as they are elected from
the candles) are slowed in cubbyhoes protected
by swinging metal shutters Each time the lone
workman helps himself to stars or powder he |:
obliged to push aside the shutter, which fall:
again in place the instant that he has obtained
what he wants The cubbyholes open to the out
side by windows, so that If there were an expo
sion the fame would be thrown outward from
the bgilding and not into 1t.