PYROTECHNV. 



Rain* 



Of Saucis- 



<?nd of the case, on opposite aides, a seinidiameti-r in 

 breadth. They require no priming, if t-are be taken 

 tli.it the liolt-s are tree. Hut if they are to be thrown 

 out of cases that do not contain much exploding pow- 

 der, it will he safest to insert a bit of quick-match into 

 the upper hole, or that most distant from the charge. 



A bounce may also be combined with this simple 

 scroll, but it is then necessary to give it at least a di- 

 ameter more in length ; and the middle of the case, 

 for the length of a diameter or more, must be filled 

 with gunpowder alone. 



Rains. 



This is a kind of ornament mentioned in all the 

 books of pyrotechny, but the effect is so very little 

 different from that of a serpent, that it scarcely re- 

 quires notice. The cases for these are not choked ; 

 whence the difference in the burning is, that they do 

 not serpentize as the choked cases do. In sky rockets, 

 they thus descend in straight lines to the ground when 

 discharged. Hence it is that they are less useful for 

 fixed fireworks, as they are apt to fall to the ground 

 before they are expended. 



They must be driven hard in moulds, and need not 

 be above four diameters in length. But, as when used 

 for ornamenting sky rockets, it is desirable that they 

 should carry their fire all the way to the ground, they 

 may be timed so as to burn all the while they are fall- 

 ing. This is easily done ; because the time of descent 

 of the rocket stick, or of these ornaments, is as near- 

 ly as possible the same as that of the ascent ; or, for a 

 pound rocket, about twelve seconds. 



In making these, the fire may be varied; so that one 

 part of the case is filled with a brilliant composition, 

 and the others with a white or blue light. The artist 

 also has it in his power to vary the effects, by causing 

 either the one or the other of these to burn first. They 

 may also be provided with a bounce at the end, in which 

 case they come under the following division. 



Of Saucissons. 



These, improperly enough named, are compounded 

 of a brilliant fire and a bounce, and arc of use only for 

 discharges out of mortars or pots fixed on the ground. 

 They may be made two ways, either in choked or open 

 cases. The cases may be about four inches, or from 

 four to six inches, or even more in length, and the dia- 

 meters from three-eighths to one-half of an inch. The 

 cases must also be strong, and they require to be driven 

 in moulds. If they are to be choked, the brilliant 

 composition must be driven in first, and so as to fill half 

 the case. The case is then to be choked above it upon 

 a small wire, so as to leave the least possible open- 

 ing of communication to the powder with which the 

 remainder of the case is to be filled. This must be 



large a part of the case, and the powder may be allowed 

 proportionally more room. 



Of Illumination and other LigfUt. 



These are very important in all fireworka, at well 

 on account of their intrinsic beauty, and of the variety 

 they afford among other fires, aa because of the num- 

 ber of uses to which they are applied. Aa they burn 

 very slowly, they may be made to lat a long time by 

 using long cases; or what is better, by firing different 

 bhort ones in succession. 



One of the chief uses of these lighta in fireworka on 

 the large scale, is to illuminate transparencies, aa we 

 formerly noticed in treating of thia department of py- 

 rotechny. When they are to be used for thia purpose, 

 a sufficient number of cases calculated to burn out the 

 whole duration of the firework, however long that 

 may be, must be arranged on a proper board, well 

 secured, with a leader, passing in succession from the 

 end of the preceding to the beginning of the following 

 one. For such purposes, if it is the front of a piece 

 of architecture that is to be lighted, the caaea also 

 should reach from three or four to aix or eight inches 

 in diameter. In other works, they are proportioned 

 to the sizes of the pictures, as in illuminated guns, or 

 coats of arms, or crowns, and other emblems common- 

 ly used in public exhibitions. For small Chinese 

 transparencies, as lanthorns, dragons, and such like ob- 

 jects, they are very small. 



They are often used to terminate buildings, or other 

 large complicated exhibitions of fireworks, when they 

 may surmount turrets or columns. Thus also they 

 are introduced into a variety of complicated fireworks 

 that will be described hereafter ; and in these cases, 

 they are exposed to view. These are always neces- 

 sarily of a large size. We have already mentioned 

 their uses in sky-rockets, and they may be floated on 

 the water so as to become a kind of water-rocket. 



With respect to those larger kinds of lights, differ- 

 ent compositions are found in books of pyrotechny. But 

 the only three worth preserving are those formed 

 with orpiment, with zinc, and with antimony. Re- 

 ceipts for all these will be found in our table of com- 

 positions ; but we have introduced into this article, 

 for the reader's convenience, those which we think 

 may supersede all other contrivances of this nature, 

 namely, the zinc light and the antimonial one, the 

 former being of a bright white, and the other a beau- 

 tiful pale blue. No particular attention is required 

 as to the cases, as it is sufficient if they are barely 

 thick and strong enough to retain the composition. It 

 is rather an advantage that the case and composition 

 should burn together, as the white of the light is thus 

 better displayed. 



The smaller illumination lights, commonly called 

 speckies, are even of more consequence than the 



Or illumi- 

 nation and 



pressed down but not rammed hard ; and the end of large, as no complicated ornamental firework can be 

 the case must then be turned in with glue, or else made without them. It is by means of these that 

 choked quite close upon a cylinder of paper. If they crowns, inscriptions, and figures of all kinds are made, 

 are to be open in the mouth, which must be done if By these also, all the architectural lines in a piece ot 

 they are to burn a blue or white instead of a brilliant architecture in fireworks are defined. Entablatures 

 light, the powder may be introduced first, and then 

 i hoked to a small priming hole as before. The case is 

 then to be returned into the mould, and the composi- 

 tion rammed in hard. In this way, there is no danger 



of bruising the powder, as the choke protects it from 

 the force of the rammer. If the composition is to be 

 a white or slow one of any kind, it need not occupy so 



and basements, columns, windows, and door-ways, are 

 produced by lines of these lights, which must be dis- 

 posed at distances, varying from six inches to a foot, 

 according to the expence which is admissible, and the 

 effect which it is intended to produce. In the same 

 way spirals are formed, together with cones, globes, 

 pyramids, and other mathematical figures. Thus also 



