Year: 1878

the Atr--.Vtrds. Bs.nasa. Dragons, and


Finss that C"ase Oas OF Them


japanese night fireworks are Of two
kinds, ground displays, and rockets.
Day fire works are exclusively OF the
latter kind, for obvious ressons. Effect
can only be produced by them in the
air and at distance, and as many Of
them consist of mere or less sombre
imagery traced in smoke or cloud, a clear
blue SKY is the best background tor their
disclosure. The full success Of this,
again, is dependent, not only upon a
clear atmosphere, but also on perfectly
calm weather o. the gentlest of zephyrs.
The morning OF our visit exemplihed
this; the heavens were a. lead in color,
and brisk breeze was blowing of the
land. Notwithstanding this, the pro-
prietor courteously insisted upon
sending up couple of his magic cases,
as unlike the foreign rocket as can well
be conceived. Out of one of these burt
clouds OF variegated hue, with fantastic
accessories, but which were blurred and
smothered by the murk behind. From
the other emerged tricolor flag, which
was seizsd d by the wind and borne rapidly
far out into the bay, "mere waftage of
the air." Night and day rockets--we
must use this word for want OF a better
--are neither of them seli-propelling.
They are shot perpendicularly into the
air from mortsrs imbedded into soil at
right angles to the horizon. Perfect
accuracy OF fight is thus insured, a result
hardly attaiDable with the western stick
and self.propulsion system. The ordi-
nance is made OF wood--very often mere
pine, though camphor-wood is preferred


Every mortar is composed OF two pieces,
each like half o. one of the metal mortars
in use among our armies, supposiug the
instruments to be split downward
from the msuth to the breech A
,ouch.hol is bored ia the lower
extremity of one OF these half tubes,
and the two are then selidly and tightly
bound together with bamboo strip, just
10 buckets and tubes are coopernd, con


tinuously from end to end. The engine
is then complete. 1t only remains to
plant the solid portion of the butt firmly
in the ground, and all is ready for action,
These toy mortars are of various sizes,
from foot or Is inches to feet in
length, and with diameter, within the
tube, OF from u to 6 inches. A good
one will bear 700 or 800 discharges The
extreme ordinary range is 200 yards,
though a higher elevation can be at.
tanned by affixing wings to the missile.
This latter is sometimes of spherical but
more generally OF cylindrical form. In
the latter case the bursting charge is
contained in a globe at the bottom of
the cylinder. Suppose one of these
about to be discharged. A mortar OF
suitable size is sponged out, a charge Of
powder is dropped into the muzzle,
quick fuse is put into the
touch-hole. II you have looked
closely at the projectile you have seen
at the fiat extremity two little loops of
twine, the of which may have puzzled
you 1t l. now apparent. The operator
passes through them, from side, a piece
of stout cord, with the aid OF which he
lets the fre.work carefully down till it
touches the charge, and then withdraws
the cord. A ire-stick is applied to the
fuse, and instantly the contents OF the
gun are hurled straight into the air.
Now, as we said above, the bursting
charge is in the globular portion OF the
bomb, and this part is lowest in the gun
so that its time fuse, communicating with
the detonants, may ignite with the dis
charge. But the whole case is 30 weigh
ted that, ss soon rs it leaves the muzzle,
top and bottom are reversed, with the
result that the fuse burns, and the ex-
plosions take place upward, the wisdom
of which arrangement will be at once
apparent There is practically no end, /,
excepting the period of descent OF the case
or its component parts, to the number of
surprises" which could be put into one
rocket, in which both for night and day
exhibitions the system followed is the
same. Explosive charge, compartment,
dragon or stars; explosive charge, flag,
or luminous crysenthena; explosive
charge, ETC., to the end of the chapter


We will now tell as much as we dare, or


it would be fair to say, of what Mr.:
Hirayams puts inside his missiles. And
we frankly confess that, compared with


what we do not know, what we do know
of the matter is very little indeed.
Certain questions could neither have been
properly asked or wiseIy answered.


Moreover, if his own artist keeps him in
| the dark as to many OF their opera.


tions, what could be expected of him
or them toward stranger. The
brighter and more expensive of the
! figures emitted from smoke or cloud
are made OF silk; by far the greater
number, however, are formed of very
soft, light, but singularly cohesive paper.


In the case OF dragons, tigers, fish, birds,
and such like, the material is cut, sewn
and psinted in the form and colors of
the object intended to be represented.


But this is not enough. 1t is necessary
that the image shall assume its proper
posture in the air, when released from
the space in which it is folded and
packed as lightly as possible; that it
shall not float lightly, and descend but
gradually. To insure this requires, as
may be imagined, great nicely OF adjust
ment of the flimsy texture. Small
lsaden weights are disposed here
and there about the figure, and
small circular holes are cut in
carefully determined spots on the belly,
back, legs and head for the admission
and exit Of the air which keeps it in
fated. Flsgs and banners, pictures and
screens, are in one piece; their folds are
opened, and they themselves are kept
continually in visible position to the
eye in the fight aud descent, by small
weights, rs above, but only on that edge
which should be downward. All Of the
simple, and many of the more elaborate,
cloud effects are produced by colored
earths of fine consistency, judiciously
dispased othera ara thu rasutt cf tho