The Washington herald., 1922-07-04
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TUESDAY, JULY 4. lszz.
SCIENCE AUGMENTs
July 4 CELEBRATIONe.

SCIENCE AUGMENrs
JULY q DELIBERATIONS.
The celebration Of the FOURTH Of
July is not what IL was years aro-
More modern methods are used. Ths
scientist and the technician has done
his share in devising ways Of ex-
pressing Fourth OF July Joy
Today ne on July 4 for many
years, the Declaration Of Indspend-
enee will be read at many places.
But today the radio telephone win
carry the message Of the old famous
document ss well as the orstoricai
fireworks 90 many who could or
would not attend a hot celebration
Instead Of bonfres on the tops Of
hills. We have spsrkiers. Instead Of
old muzzle leaders that deafen and
/ take minutes 20 load. the youngster
Of today has q mfilion-shot toy
/ pistol that belches forth harmless
but fierce appearing sparks.
In the colored fires and sparkiers
of todsy's celebrations a great VA
riety Of the chemists materials are
used. The sparks of the sparklers
are tiny bits Of iron or steel that
shoot out into space when they be-
come heated. Magnesium, one Of the
! lightest Of our metals. which is the
stun that fashlight powders are
made of. provides the bright light Of
the sparklers and the flares.
| Celebrating youngsters are armed
with safe pistols. loaded so as TO
FIRE a fabulous number OF times A
mixture of a rare metal cerium,
with about one-nfth iron. when
struck by pulling the trigger sends
a stream OF harmless sparks out Of
the tin barrel Though this is a new
toy. IL operates the same as the
cigar lighter or gas lighter that
father or mother use.
Different kinds OF metals provide
the color Of fireworks. The sodium
that common table salt contains
gives an intense yellow hame. and
the metal strontium IL responsible
for most Of the red light Barium
salts or the metal itself give green
light. as does copper and its salts
such as copper sulphate. commonly
known as blue vitriol This latter
compound. by the way, 10 the stun
thst is sprinkled on the winters
iogfre TO produce green flames.
Pyrotechnic displays are much
older than this country and Inde-
pendence Day. The Chinese are
thought 70 have used nre displays
in very ancient times. while it is
certain that fireworks were used in
the Roman circuses. By the Six
teenth century court functions in
J Europe were often celebrated by
fireworks displays. and later every
great national celebration had its
special fireworks.
While the nrst pyrotechnics prob
ably consisted OF bonhres. soon en-
tertainers and the players OF those
days began TO devise flames and FIRE
exhibitions. In modern days the
fireworks makers have profted by
the knowledge that the chemists
and other scientists have produced.
Black gunpowder. the explosive
that reigned suprem. until the more
complex and powerful smokeless
variety supplanted Il, is the basis OF
: fireworks that make q noise The
: frecrackers that are fast being out
lawed are nothing but little paper
or pasteboard bombshells- About
: the only way in which the modern
? chemist has aided in their manu-
| facture is by providing q better and
, cheaper crimson dye 20 color their
' wrappers.
, Gunpowder is made up OF about
|. rs parts OF saltpeter. Is parts Of
|, charcoal and 10 parts OF sulphur,
Sa&tpeter is potassium nitrate, and
in black powder IL furnishes the
finely y-powdered charcoal with AT
immediate source Of oxygen Wher
the carbon OF this charcoal and tbs
oxygen unite they explode, much %
the delight Of the small boy. and
D ~ n o. hG NJ -
: as a regulator Of the rate Of burn.
ing. as well as contributing TO th'
combustion
Thanks TO safe and sane celeora
{ tions OF the Fourth medical scienc,
p does not have to contribute to tn,
festivities OF the day az much as &
once did