The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-09-14

var purposes before this war. Italy.
with its many festas or feast days
no fiesta being complete without Are
works-produced immense quantities
Of pyrotechnics for exhibition pur-
poses. Many Of the foremen in
Americas fireworks plants are Ital-
ians.
1t must not be supposed that the
American army neglected pyrotech.
MICS up to the time that this country
entered the war. Its signal corps, It's
engineers and its ordnance. all had de-
rc!oped signaling and illuminating
devices. All American devices were
acrificed-scrapped. II you like-when
It was decided to brigade Yankee
troops with the French, and It was
obviously necessary for our signals
and -illuminants to conform with those
Of the French army.
Rockets Red Glare"
The rockets red glare" Of our
National Anthem informs all who
think when they sing it that Francis
Scott Key witnessed the fireworks Of
war in action when the British In
1914 attacked Fort McHenry. There
was living at that time one James
Cutbush, 4. S., L. s. a.. professor Of
chemistry and mlneralogy in the
United States Military Academy at
West Point. At his death his widow,
Clara F. Cutbush, published In Phila-
delph!a a work by her husband, on.
titled "A System Of Pyrotechny, De-
signed for Exhibition and for War.
Adapted to the Military and Naval
Officer. the Man OF Science and tho
Artficer."
This work-a very. fat volume pub.
lished in 1926 and dedicated to the
corps Of cadets Of the United States
Military Academy--is proof positive
that wars a hundred and more years
ago weren't what one might call gen.
teel. A lance at Professor Cutbush's
table Of contents reveals:
Carcasses and fire balls; incendiar1
balls to be thrown from cannon or by
hand: smoke balls: stink balls: poi.
soned balls; red-hot balls; pitched
tourteaux and fasc,nes; laundering
barrels: stink fire lances; American
turtles: torpedoes; signal and war
and numbering marrons-these arc .
few, very few. OF the pyrotechnics
that engaged Professor Cutbush.
find, In ~l1ippIng back Of Professor
Cutbush. description OF pyrotech.
nic--a set piece with whirllng wheels
and fountains OF fire-in the Roman
circus, written by Claudlan in the
fourth century. I find also many
books on fireworks appearing in the
first half of tie seventeenth century,
the most important OF these being
THE Great Art Of Artillery" by
SIemienowitz, a Polander and cheva-
ier Of Lithuania, a work considered
Of such Importance that II was OF.
dered translated into English by the
British Board Of >rdnance nearly
eighty years after it first appeared.
War rockets, It seems. were invented
hv the Chinese. TIE JrientaIs used
fireworks TO instil fear In their foes.
Ancient Pyrotechnics
The most curious Of nil works on
nvrotechnics is one gathered and set
forth" by Peter Whitehorne. i'm.
printed at London. by T. East. for I.
Wight, in 1858. this being the third
edition Of q work published originally
IN 1862. I quote the title.page:
"Certaine wales for the ordering Of
souidious In battelray. and setting Of
battailes. after diuers fashions with
their manner Of marching: and also
figures of certalne new plates for
fertilization Of townes: and more
oucr, how to make saltpeter. goun-
rouder and diuers sores of fireworkes
or wilde fire. with other thingcs ap-
+ pcrtayning TO the wares"
7 wonder what one Of Master Peter
Whitehurne's "souidlours." many OF
them probably buried In the very
ground Of France or Flanders that
now echoes to the tramp Of Yankee
feet, would say IT, waking from his
sleep Of nigh five centuries. he should
hear a De Huvilnnd plane hummIng
In the night and suddenly witness
earth and sky lighted BY one Of our