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Apparatus, Saltpetre 1 lb. and a half, brimstone 6 oz. meal-powMaterials, der 14 oz. and glass-dust 14 oz.

&c. of Fie

works.

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Cones or spiral wheels.

45 Crowns or globes.

46

Saltpetre 6 oz. brimstone 2 lb. antimony 4 oz. and camphor 2 oz.

I. Saltpetre 1 lb. 10 oz. brimstone 8 oz. and mealpowder 1 lb. 6 oz. II. Saltpetre 1 lb. and a half, brimstone 8 oz. and meal-powder 1 lb. 8 oz.

Meal-powder 1 lb. 8 oz. saltpetre 12 oz. and char

coal 2 oz.

I. Saltpetre 5 lb. brimstone 1 lb. meal-powder 1 lb. and a half, and glass-dust 1 lb. II. Saltpetre 5 lb. 8 oz. fuze balloon brimstone 2 lb. meal-powder 1 lb. 8 oz. and glass-dust

Air

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1 lb. 8 oz.

Serpents for I. Saltpetre 2 lb. brimstone 3 lb. antimony 1 lb. II. pots des Saltpetre 3 lb. sulphur 2 lb. meal powder 1 lb. antimony half a lb. glass-dust 4 oz. brass-dust 1 oz.

brin.

49

Fire pumps.

N. B. These compositions, driven 14 inch in a 1 oz. case, will burn one minute, which is much longer time than an equal quantity of any composition yet known white flame. will last.

49 A slow

50

Amber lights.

Other lights.

52

A red fire.

53

A common fire.

54

For stars different colours.

Meal-powder 9 oz. amber 3 oz. This charge may be drove in small cases, for illuminations.

Saltpetre 3 lb. brimstone 1 lb. meal-powder 1 lb. antimony 10 oz. All these must be mixed with the oil of spike.

Meal-powder 3 lb. charcoal 12 oz. and saw dust 8 oz. Saltpetre 3 lb. charcoal 10 oz. and brimstone 2 oz. I. Meal-powder 4 oz. salt petre 2 oz. brimstone 2 oz. steel-dust 1 oz. and a half, and camphor, white amber, anof timony, and mercury-sublimate, of each oz. II. Rochepetre 10 oz. brimstone, charcoal, antimony, meal-powder, and camphor, of each oz. moistened with oil of turpentine. These compositions are made into stars, by being worked to a paste with aqua vitæ, in which has been dissolved some gum-tragacanth; and after you have rolled them in powder, make a hole through the middle of each, and string them on quick-match, leaving about 2 inches between each. III. Saltpetre 8 oz. brimstone 2 oz. yellow amber 1 oz. antimony 1 oz. and powder 3 oz. ÍV. Brimstone 2 oz. saltpetre 6 oz. olibanum or frankincense in drops 4 oz.; mastick, and mercury-sublimate, of each 4 oz. meal-powder 5 oz. white amber, yellow amber, and camphor, of each 1 oz. antimony and orpiment half an oz. each. V. Saltpetre 1 lb. brimstone half a lb. and meal-powder 8 oz. moistened with petrolio-oil VI. Powder half a lb. brimstone and saltpetre, of each 4 oz. VII. Saltpetre 4 oz. brimstone 2 oz. and meal-powder 1 oz.

Stars that carry tails of sparks.-I. Brimstone 6 oz. crude antimony 2 oz. salt petre, 4 oz. and rosin 4 oz. II. Saltpetre, rosin, and charcoal, of cach 2 oz. brimstone 1 oz. and pitch 1 oz.

These compositions are sometimes melted in an earthen pan, and mixed with chopped cotton-match, before they are rolled into stars; but will do as well if wetted, and worked up in the usual manner.

Stars that yield some sparks.-I. Camphor 2 oz. saltpetre 1 oz. meal-powder 1 oz. II. Saltpetre 1 oz. ditto melted half an oz. and camphor 2 oz. When you would make stars of either of these compositions, you must wet them with gum-water, or weak spirits, in which has been dissolved some gum-arabic, or gum-tragacanth, that the whole may have the consistence of a pretty thick liquid having thus done, take 1 oz. of lint, and stir it

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As variety of fires adds greatly to a collection of Cons works, it is necessary that every artist should know the diced in different effect of each ingredient. For which reason, ent comp we shall here explain the colours they produce of them-sitions. selves; and likewise how to make them retain the same when mixed with other bodies: as for example, sulphur gives a blue, camphor a white or pale colour, saltpetre a clear white-yellow, amber a colour inclining to yellow, sal-ammoniac a green, antimony a reddish, rosin a copper colour, and Greek pitch a kind of bronze, or between red and yellow. All these ingredients are such as show themselves in a flame, viz.

White flame.-Saltpetre, sulphur, meal-powder, and camphor; the saltpetre must be the chief part.

Blue flame.-Meal-powder, saltpetre, and sulphur vivum; sulphur must be the chief: or meal-powder, saltpetre, brimstone, spirit of wine, and oil of spike; but let the powder be the principal part.

Flame inclining to red.-Saltpetre, sulphur, antimony, and Greek-pitch; saltpetre the chief.

By the above method may be made various colours of fire, as the practitioner pleases; for, by making a few trials, he may cause any ingredient to be predominant in colour.

tion for

The set colours of fire produced by sparks are di-Sparking vided into four sorts, viz. the black, white, gray, and compos red. The black charges are composed of two ingredi-chua ents, which are meal-powder and charcoal; the white of case three, viz. saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal; the gray of four, viz. meal-powder, saltpetre, brimstone, and charcoal; and the red of three, viz. meal-powder, charcoal, and saw-dust.

There are, besides these four regular or set charges, two others, which are distinguished by the names of compound and brilliant charges; the compound being made of many ingredients, such as meal-powder, saltpetre, brimstone, charcoal, saw-dust, sea-coal, antimony, glass-dust, brass-dust, steel filings, cast-iron, tanner's dust, &c. or any thing that will yield sparks; all which must be managed with discretion. The brilliant fires are composed of meal-powder, saltpetre, brimstone, and steel-dust; or with meal-powder and steel-filings only.

The beauty of fire-works depends much on the comOf mixing positions being well mixed; therefore great care must the coupo» be taken in this part of the work, particularly for the sitions composition for sky-rockets. When there are four or five pounds of ingredients to be mixed, which is a sufficient quantity at a time (for a larger proportion will not do

. of Fire. Works.

paratus, so well), first put the different ingredients together; aterials, then work them with your hands, till you think they are pretty well incorporated: after which put them into a lawn sieve with a receiver and top to it; and if, after it is fitted, any remains that will not pass through the sieve, grind it again till fine enough; and if it be twice sifted, it will not be amiss; but the compositions for wheels and common works are not so material, and need not be so fine. But in all fixed works, from which the fire is to play regularly, the ingredients must be very fine, and great care taken in mixing them well together; and in all compositions in which are iron filings, the hands must not touch; nor will any works which have iron or steel in their charge keep long in damp weather, unless properly prepared, according to the former directions.

55

tton

ck-j

teh.

59

1g fire›rks.

Cotton quick-match is generally made of such cotton as is put in candles, of several sizes, from one to six threads thick, according to the pipe for which it is designed; which pipe must be large enough for the match, when made, to be pushed in easily without breaking. Having doubled the cotton into as many threads as is proper, coil it very lightly into a flat-bottomed copper or earthen pan; then put in the saltpetre and the liquor, and boil them about twenty minutes; after which coil it again into another pan, as in fig.. and pour on it what liquor remains; then put in some meal powder, and press it down with the hand till it is quite wet; afterwards place the pan before the wooden frame (fig. 18.) which must ⚫ be suspended by a point in the centre of each end; and place yourself before the pan, tying the upper end of the cotton to the end of one of the sides of the frame. When every thing is ready, an assistant must turn the frame round, while the cotton passes through the hand, holding it very lightly, and at the same time keeping the hand full of the wet powder; but if the powder should be too wet to stick to the cotton, more must be added, so as to keep a continual supply till the match is all wound up; it may be wound as close on the frame as you please, so that it may not stick together; when the frame is full, take it off the points, and sift dry mealpowder on both sides the match, till it seem quite dry in winter the match will be a fortnight before it is fit for use; when it is thoroughly dry, cut it along the outside of one of the sides of the frame, and tie it up in skains for use.

:

N. B. The match must be wound tight on the frames.

The ingredients for the match, are, cotton 1 lb. 12 oz. saltpetre 1 lb. spirit of wine 2 quarts, water 3 quarts, isinglass 3 gills, and meal powder 10 lb. To dissolve 4 oz. of isinglass, take 3 pints of water.

uch paDissolve in spirit of wine or vinegar, a little saltfor cap- petre; then take some purple or blue paper, and wet it with this liquor, and when dry it will be fit for use; when this paper is to be pasted on any fire works, take care that the paste does not touch that part which is to burn. The method of using this paper is by cutting it into slips, long enough to go once round the mouth of a serpent, cracker, &c. When these slips are pasted on, leave a little above the mouth of the case not pasted; then prime the case with meal-powder, and twist the paper to a point.

60 ste for present

We are indebted to the Chinese for the contrivance objects of a paste which may be employed for representing aniVOL. XVII. Part II.

fire.

mals and other objects in fire. To prepare this paste, Apparatus, take sulphur reduced to a very fine powder, or flowers Materials, of sulphur, and having formed it into a paste with starch, &c. of Firecover with it the figure you are desirous of representing on fire: it is here to be observed, that the figure must first be coated over with clay, to prevent it from being

burnt.

When the figure has been covered with this paste, besprinkle it while still moist with pulverized gunpowder; and when the whole is perfectly dry, arrange some small matches on the principal parts of it, that the fire may be speedily communicated to it on all sides.

The same paste may be employed on figures of clay, to form devices and various designs. Thus, for example, festoons, garlands, and other ornaments, the flowers of which might be imitated by fire of different colours, could be formed on the frieze of a piece of architecture covered with plaster. The Chinese imitate grapes exceedingly well, by mixing pounded sulphur with the pulp of the jujube, instead of flour paste.

Works.

61

easily burnt

It is usual to paint the frames or stands of large fire- Method of works of some dark colour, but this renders them very preserving combustible. It would be better to wash them with the fire-works from being following composition, which will both give them a proper colour, and render them less combustible. Take by acciequal parts of brick-dust, coal-ashes, and iron-filings, dent. and mix them with a double size while hot. With this wash over the frames, &c. and when dry repeat the washing.

CHAP. II. Of the principal varieties of Fire-Works, and the most approved Methods of constructing them.

62

ARTIFICIAL fire-works differ from each other very Division of much in point of simplicity of construction. Some re- fire-works. quire very little dexterity in the preparation ; and are either employed as appendages to works of greater importance, or, if used by themselves, are confined to the sports of schoolboys. Of this nature are squibs, serpents, crackers, stars, sparks, marrons, saucissons, pin wheels, leaders, and gerbes or Roman candles. Others are very complex in their structure, require considerable address and ingenuity, and form the amusement of fashionable circles on occasion of public rejoicings or private festivity: Such are rockets, of various kinds, wheels, suns, globes, balloons, pyramids, &c. We shall first describe the more simple kinds, and then give an account of the method of constructing those of a more complex na

ture.

SECT. I. Of Simple Fire-Works.

63

As in the subsequent directions for fire-works, we Leaders. shall have frequent occasion to mention pipes of communication commonly called leaders, by which the several parts of a compound fire work are connected with each other, it will be proper to show how these are constructed. Leaders consist of small tubes of paper of different lengths, according to the distance to which they must extend; and these tubes are filled with a combustible composition that will not burn too fast.

The best paper for leaders is that called elephant ; which is cut into long slips 2 or 3 inches broad, so that they may go 3 or 4 times round the former, but not more when they are very thick, they are too strong 3 Z for

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tion.

Varieties for the paper which fastens them to the works, and will of Construc-sometimes fly off without leading the fire. The formers for these leaders are made from 2 to 6-16ths of an inch diameter; but 4-16ths is the size generally used. The formers are made of smooth brass wire when used, rub them over with grease, or keep them wet with paste, to prevent their sticking to the paper, which must be pasted all over. In rolling pipes, make use of a rolling-board, but use it lightly: having rolled a pipe, draw out the former with one hand, holding the pipe as light as possible with the other; for if it press against the former, it will stick and tear the

64

Serpents.

paper.

N. B. Make the leaders of different lengths, or in clothing works many will be wasted. Leaders for marron batteries must be made of strong cartridge paper.

Joining and placing leaders is a very essential part of fire-works, as it is on the leaders that the performance of all complex works depends; for which reason the method of conducting pipes of communication shall be here explained in as plain a manner as possible. Your works being ready to be clothed, proceed thus: Cut your pipes of a sufficient length to reach from one case to the other; then put in the quick-match, which must always be made to go in very easy: when the match is in, cut it off within about an inch of the end of the pipe, and let it project as much at the other end: then fasten the pipe to the mouth of each case with a pin, and put the loose ends of the match into the mouths of the cases, with a little meal-powder: this done to all the cases, paste over the mouth of each two or three bits of paper. The preceding method is used for large cases, and the following for small, and for illuminations: First thread a long pipe; then lay it on the tops of the cases, and cut a bit off the under side, over the mouth of each case, so that the match may appear; then pin the pipe to every other case; but before you put on the pipes, put a little meal-powder in the mouth of each case. If the cases thus clothed are port-fires or illuminated works, cover the mouth of each case with a single paper; but if they are choked cases, situated so that a number of sparks from other works may fall on them before they are fired, secure them with three or four papers, which must be pasted on very smooth, that there may be no ereases for the sparks to lodge in, which often set fire to the works before their time. Avoid as much as possible placing the leaders too near, or one across the other so as to touch, as it may happen that the flash of one will fire the other; therefore if your works should be so formed that the leaders must cross or touch, be sure to make them very strong, and secure at the joints, and at every opening.

When a great length of pipe is required, it must be made by joining several pipes in this manner: Having put on one length of match as many pipes as it will hold, paste paper over every joint; but, if a still greater length is required, more pipes must be joined, by cutting about an inch off one side of each pipe near the end, and laying the quick-match together, and tying them fast with small twine; after which, cover the joining with pasted paper.

One of the simplest fire-works is what is called a serpent, which consists of a cylindrical paper case, about 4 or 5 inches long, and not made very thick. AC,

tion.

fig. 19. represents the usual form of the serpent, except Varieties that in general they have not the contraction in the of Construc middle, represented in this figure. The name serpent has been given to this fire-work, either from the hissing noise which it makes when fired, or from the zigzag or undulating direction in which it moves, when properly constructed. The case or cartridge is rolled round a cylindrical stick, rather larger than a goose quill, and provided at one end with a narrow appendage, such as that used for rockets, fig. 3. by means of which it is choked at one end. This case is filled about half way with some of the compositions described for making small rockets, see N° 30, rammed moderately hard in the proper mould, and then it is either choked in the middle, or some obstructing body, such as a small piece of paper, is introduced, and the remainder of the case is filled with grained or corn powder. Lastly, this other extremity is well secured with twine, and commonly dipt into melted pitch; a little moistened meal powder is introduced into the extremity next the choak, and a piece of touch-paper being properly fastened on this end, the serpent is complete.

44

65

Crackers are composed of a pretty long paper case, Cracken, filled with the proper composition, as will be described immediately, and folded up in such a manner as, when fired, to make successive reports at short intervals. To construct these crackers, cut some cartridge paper into pieces 3 inches broad, and one foot long; one edge of each fold down lengthwise about of an inch broad; then fold the double edge down of an inch, and turn the single edge back half over the double fold; then open it and lay all along the channel, which is formed by the folding of the paper, some meal-powder; then fold it over and over till all the paper is doubled up, rubbing it down every turn; this done, bend it backwards and forwards, 2 inches and a half, or thereabouts, at a time, as oft as the paper will allow; then hold all these folds flat and close, and with a small pinching cord give one turn round the middle of the cracker, and pinch it close; then bind it with a packthread as tight as possible; then in the place where it was pinched, prime one end of it, and cap it with touch-paper. When these crackers are fired, they will give a report at every turn of the paper: if you would have a great number of reports, the paper must be cut longer, or join them after they are made; but if they are made very long before they are pinched, you must have a piece of wood with a groove in it, deep enough to let in half the cracker; this will hold it straight while it is pinching. Fig. 20. represents a cracker complete.

Plate

CCCCLU 66

Stars are small balls, prepared of a composition which Stars. emits a brilliant, radiating light, and are much employed in the construction of rockets, Roman candles, and similar fire-works. They are made of various sizes, but generally about as large as a musket bullet. Compositions for stars have been described in N° 31. and 54. The ingredients must be thoroughly incorporated, and in forming the ball, unless the paste is sufficiently glutinous, it must be wrapped up in a piece of paper, or linen rag, tied closely round with pack thread, and a hole must be pierced through its middle for the insertion of a piece of match. These stars, when lighted, will exhibit a most beautiful appearance; for the fire, as it issues from the two ends of the hole in the middle, will extend to

struction.

Varieties a great distance, and thus make the fiery ball appear of Con- much larger. Strung stars. First take some thin paper, and cut it into pieces of one inch and a half square, or thereabouts; then on each piece lay as much dry star-composition as the paper will easily contain; then twist up the paper as tight as possible; when done, rub some paste on your hands, and roll the stars between them; then set them to dry the stars being thus made, get some flax or fine tow, and roll a little of it over each star; then paste the band and roll the stars as before, and set them again to dry; when they are quite dry, with a piercer make a hole through the middle of each, into which run a cotton quick-match, long enough to hold 10 or 12 stars at 3 or 4 inches distance: but any number of stars may be strung together by joining the match.

Tailed stars. These are called tailed stars, because there are a great number of sparks issuing from them, which represent a tail like that of a comet. Of these there are two sorts; which are rolled, and driven when rolled, they must be moistened with a liquor made of half a pint of spirit of wine and half a gill of thin size, of this as much as will wet the composition enough to make it roll easy; when they are rolled, sift meal powder over them, and set them to dry.

When tailed stars are driven, the composition must be moistened with spirit of wine only, and not made so wet as for rolling: I and 2 oz. cases, rolled dry, are best for this purpose: and when they are filled, unroll the case within 3 or 4 rounds of the charge, and all that are unrolled cut off; then paste down the loose edge: 2 or 3 days after the cases are filled, cut them in pieces 5 or 6 8ths of an inch in length: then melt some wax, and dip one end of each piece into it, so as to cover the composition: the other end must be rubbed with mealpowder wetted with spirit of wine.

Driven stars. Cases for driven stars are rolled with paste, but are made of paper very thin. Before they are filled, damp the composition with spirit of wine that has had some camphor dissolved in it: ram them indifferently hard, so that the case be not broken or sacked; to prevent which, they should fit tight in the mould. They are driven in cases of several sizes, from 8 drams to 4 oz. When they are filled in half ounce cases, cut them in pieces of three fourths of an inch long; if 1 oz. cases, cut them in pieces of 1 inch; if 2 oz. cases, cut them in pieces of 1 and one fourth inch long; and if 4 oz. cases, cut them in pieces of 1 inch and a half long having cut the stars of a proper size, prime both ends with wet meal-powder. These stars are seldom put in rockets, they being chiefly intended for air-balloons, and driven in cases, to prevent the composition from being broken by the force of the blowing powder in the shell.

Rolling stars are commonly made about the size of a musket ball; though they are rolled of several sizes, from the bigness of a pistol ball to 1 inch diameter; and sometimes very small, but are then called sparks. Great care must be taken in making stars, first, that the several ingredients are reduced to a fine powder; secondly, that the composition may be well worked and mixed. Before beginning to roll, take about a pound of composition, and wet it with the following liquid, enough to make it stick together and roll easy: Spirit of wines quart, in which dissolve one fourth

of an ounce of isinglass. If a great quantity of compo- Varieties sition be wetted at once, the spirit will evaporate, and of Conleave it dry, before it is rolled into stars having rolled struction. up one proportion, shake the stars in meal-powder, and set them to dry, which they will do in 3 or 4 days; but if they should be wanted for immediate use, dry them in an earthen pan over a slow heat, or in an oven. It is very difficult to make the stars all of an equal size when the composition is taken up promiscuously with the fingers; but by the following method they may be made very exactly. When the mixture is moistened properly, roll it on a flat smooth stone and cut it into square pieces, making each square large enough for the stars intended. There is another method used by some to make stars, which is by rolling the composition in long pieces, and then cutting off the star, so that each star will be of a cylindrical form: but this method is not so good as the former; for, to make the composition roll this way, it must be made very wet, which makes the stars heavy, as well as weakens them. All stars must be kept as much from air as possible, otherwise they will grow weak and bad.

67

Sparks differ from stars, only in their size and dura- Sparks. tion, as they are made smaller than stars, and are sooner extinguished. The following is the most approved method of making them. Having put into an earthen vessel an ounce of mealed gunpowder, 3 oz. of powdered saltpetre, and 4 oz. of camphor, reduced to powder by rubbing it in a mortar with a little spirit of wine; pour over this mixture some weak gum water, or some weak brandy, in which some gum dragant has been dissolved, till the composition acquires the consistence of thick soup. Then take some lint or caddice, which has been boiled in brandy, vinegar, or with saltpetre, and afterwards dried and unravelled, and throw into the composition as much of it as is necessary to absorb the whole, taking care to stir it well. This matter is to be formed into small balls of about the size of a pea, which being dried in the air, are to be sprinkled with meal gunpowder, that they may more readily take fire.

Another method of making sparks is, to take some saw dust of any wood that burns readily, such as fir, and boil it in water that has been saturated with saltpetre. When it has been boiled for some time, the vessel is to be removed from the fire, and the solution of nitre poured off, so as to leave the saw dust at the bottom. The saw dust thus impregnated with nitre, is then to be poured on a table, and, while moist, to be sprinkled with powdered sulphur, to which a little bruised gunpowder has been added; and when the whole is well mixed, and of a proper consistence, sparks are to be made of it as before.

Marroons are small boxes made either of paper or pasteboard, and of a roundish or cubical form, so prepared as when fired to make a loud and sudden report. They are usually employed either as appendages to other fire-works, or a great many of them are so arranged, as to explode successively at certain intervals.

Formers for marroons are from three fourths of an inch to one and a half diameter; but the paper for the cases twice the diameter of the former broad, and long enough to go three times rond. When you have rolled a case, paste down the edge and tie one end close; then with the former drive it down to take away the wrin

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68 Murroons.

Varieties kles, and make it flat at bottom; then fill the case with of Con- corn-powder one diameter and one fourth high, and fold struction. down the rest of the case tight on the powder. The marroon being thus made, wax some strong pack-thread with shoemakers wax this thread wind up in a ball, then unwind two or three yards of it, and that part which is near the ball make fast to a hook; then take a marroon, and stand as far from the hook as the packthread will reach, and wind it lengthwise round the marroon as close as possible, till it will hold no more that way; then turn it, and wind the packthread on the short way, then lengthwise again, and so on till the paper is all covered; then make fast the end of the packthread, and beat down both ends of the marroon to bring it in shape. The method of firing marroons is by making a hole at one end with an awl, and putting in a piece of quick-match; then taking a piece of strong paper, in which wrap up the marroon with two leaders, which must be put down to the vent, and the paper tied tight round them with small twine: these leaders are bent on each side, and their loose ends tied to the other marroons, and are nailed in the middle to the rail of the stand, as in fig. 21. The use of winding the packthread in a ball is, that it may be let out as wanted, according to the quantity the marroon may require ; and that it may not be tied in knots, which would spoil the marroon. These oblong marroons are, by the French, called Saucissons, as they are supposed to resemble a saussage.

Fig. 21.

69 Marroon Batteries of Marroons.—These, if well managed, will batteries. keep time to a march, or a slow piece of music. Marroon batteries are made of several stands, with a number of cross rails for the marroons; which are regulated by leaders, by cutting them of different lengths, and nailing them tight, or loose, according to the time of the music. In marroon batteries you must use the large and small marroons, and the nails for the pipes must have flat heads.

70 Pin-wheels.

The proper marroon boxes are made of strong paste board, cut as represented in fig. 22. so as to fold up in the form of a cube, one side of which is to be left uncemented till the box be filled. The cavity being filled with gun powder, strong paper is to be pasted over the box in various directions, and the whole is to be wrapped round with strong pack-thread dipt in glue. Lastly, a hole is to be made in the corner of the box, and a piece of match introduced, by which it may be fired.

Sometimes it is required to render marroons luminous, or to prepare them in such a way, that they shall emit a brilliant light before they burst. To effect this, they are to be covered on the outside with one of the compositions directed for stars, and then rolled in bruised gunpowder.

For Pin-Wheels.-First roll some paper pipes about 14 inches long each; these pipes must not be made thick of paper, two or three rounds of elephant paper being sufficient. When the pipes are thoroughly dried, you must have a tin tube 12 inches long, to fit easy into the pipes; at one end of this tube fix a small conical cup, called a funnel; then bend one end of one of the pipes, and put the funnel in at the other as far as it will reach, and fill the cup with composition: then draw out the funnel by a little at a time, shaking it up and down, and it will fill the pipe as it comes out.

Having filled some pipes, have some small circular Varieties blocks made about one inch diameter and half an inch of Conthick: round one of these blocks wind and paste a pipe, struction. and to the end of this pipe join another; which must be done by twisting the end of one pipe to a point, and putting it into the end of the other with a little paste: in this manner join four or five pipes, winding them one upon the other so as to form a spiral line. Having wound on your pipes, paste two slips of paper across them to hold them together: besides these slips of paper, the pipes must be pasted together.

There is another method of making these wheels, viz. by winding on the pipes without paste, and sticking them together with sealing-wax at every half turn; so that when they are fired, the end will fall loose every time the fire passes the wax, by which means the circle of fire will be considerably increased. The formers for these pipes are made from one and a half to 4-16ths of an inch diameter; and the composition for them is as follows: Meal-powder 8 oz. saltpetre 2 oz. and sulphur I; among these ingredients may be mixed a little steelfilings or the dust of cast iron: this composition should be very dry, and not made too fine, or it will stick in the funnel. These wheels may be fired on a large pin, and held in the hand with safety.

71

There is a pleasing decoration frequently added to Shower of rockets, called a shower of fire, rain, or rain fall, and it fire or rain, is called gold or silver rain, according as its colour is more or less intense. It consists of several small cases filled with a brilliant composition, such as the following variety of Chinese fire, viz. meal powder I pound, flower of sulphur 2 oz. and iron sand of the first order, 5 oz.

Gold and silver rain compositions are rammed in cases that are pinched quite close at one end; if rolled dry, 4 or 5 rounds of paper will be strong enough; but if they are pasted, 3 rounds will do; and the thin sort of cartridge-paper is best for those small cases, in rolling which you must not turn down the inside edge as in other cases, for a double edge would be too thick for so small a bore. The moulds for rain-falls should be made of brass, and turned very smooth in the inside; or the cases, which are so very thin, would tear in coming out; for the charge must be rammed in tight; and the better the case fits the mould, the more driving it will bear. These moulds have no nipple, but instead of it they are made flat. As it would be very tedious and troublesome to shake the composition out of such small ladles as are used for these cases, it will be necessary to have a funnel made of thin tin, to fit on the top of the case, by the help of which they may be filled very fast. For single rain-falls for 4 oz. rockets, let the diameter of the former be 2-16ths of an inch, and the length of the case 2 inches; for 8 oz. rockets, 4-16ths and 2 diameters of the rocket long; for I ib. rockets, 5-16ths, and 2 diameters of the rocket long; for 2 lb. rockets, 5-16ths, and 3 inches and a half long; for 4 lb. rockets, 6-16ths, and 4 inches and a half long; and for 6-pounders, 7-16ths diameter, and 5 inches long. Of double rain-falls there are two sorts. For example, some appear first like a star, and then the rain; and some appear first like rain, and then like a star. When you would have stars first, you must fill the cases, within half an inch of the top, with rain-composition, and the remainder with star-composition; but when you in

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