ROCKET 



the tail end, thus giving the 

 rocket a rotary motion and render- 

 ing a stick unnecessary. Rockets 

 were often effective, but owing 

 to the improvement of artillery 

 they have been little used since the 

 Napoleonic wars. 



An ordinary rocket consists of a 

 stout cardboard case, closed at one 

 end, and with a restricted orifice 

 at the other, which is fastened to a 



6658 



in addition to a rope, to throw over 

 barbed wire entanglements with 

 the object of pulling them out of 

 position. 



A sectional view 

 of a war rocket is 

 shown in Fig. 1. A 

 is the steel outer 

 casing, B the heavy 

 cast - iron or ex- 

 plosive head, C the 



.- ri 



stick. The case is 

 more or less com- 

 pletely filled with 

 gunpowder, tight- 

 ly rammed, and 

 formed with a con- 

 ical hole for the 

 greater part of its 

 length, a short 

 piece of quick- 

 match being pro- 

 vided to ignite it. 

 The powder used 

 is gunpowder of 

 variable composi- 

 tion, and frequent- 

 ly the charcoal is 



Rocket. Sectional diagrams of war rockets and appliances. 

 See text 



not very finely ground, and the 

 mixture not very well incorporated, 

 as thereby the rocket, leaves a 

 greater shower of sparks in its trail. 

 Generally a clay plug is placed 

 above the powder, and in the head of 

 the rocket is a small charge of gun- 

 powder, and one or more coloured 

 stars, a piece of quick-match com- 

 municating ignition from the main 

 charge through the plug. When 

 the rocket attains its maximum 

 height the powder in the head ex- 

 plodes, blowing open the case and 

 allowing the stars which have 

 ignited to fall in a shower. In 

 sound rockets the star composition 

 is replaced by a high explosive, 

 such as tonite, which is detonated. 

 Rockets with a charge of magne- 

 sium powder composition in the 

 head were at one time used for 

 illuminating an enemy's position 

 at night, but have now been largely 

 superseded by star shell. Large 

 rockets are employed for throwing 

 life-lines over ships wrecked near 

 the cpast. 



It has been proposed to use 

 similar rockets, carrying grapnels 



tail piece, D the protecting cap for 

 the latter. The case is filled with 

 compressed gunpowder, E, contain- 

 ing a conical cavity ; F is a vent 

 for the escape of the products of 

 combustion. Fig. 2 is a view of 

 the tail of the rocket with the pro- 

 tecting cap removed, A, B, C, D 

 having the same significance as in 

 Fig. 1. 



Fig. 3 shows a side and rear view 

 of the launching apparatus of a 

 war rocket ; X is a channel in which 

 the rocket is placed, Y a sliding 

 support and clip which enables the 

 angle of fire to be adjusted. 



A common rocket is shown in 

 Fig. 4. A is the paper case, B 

 choked end to provide restricted 

 outlet of products of combustion, 

 C the rocket stick, D compressed 

 gunpowder with conical control 

 hole, E quick-match for lighting, 

 F perforated plug, and G stars. 



Rocket apparatus placed ready for action, show! T rocket, with thin line which 

 it carries to the ship in distress 



ROCKFORD 



See Ammunition ; Explosives ; 

 Fire Brigade ; Fireworks ; Illumi- 

 nating Shell ; Rocket Apparatus ; 

 Star Shell. 



Rocket, THE. Name of a steam 

 locomotive built by George Ste- 

 phenson (q.v.). This engine, in 

 Oct., 1829, won the prize of 500 

 offered for the most efficient loco- 

 motive by the directors of the 

 Liverpool and Manchester Rly., of 

 which Stephenson was the engineer. 

 Three other engines were entered 

 for the competition, the only 

 serious rival to the Rocket being 

 Braithwaite's Novelty. The tests 

 took place over a level 2 m. stretch 

 of line, and the Rocket proved 

 infinitely superior in speed and 

 reliability, covering 12 m. in 53 

 minutes on the opening day of the 

 trials. After doing good service for 

 many years, the old engine was 

 withdrawn, and at last found a 

 home, together with the equally 

 famous Puffing Billy, 1813, in 

 South Kensington Museum, 

 London, where it is still to be seen. 

 See Locomotive ; Railway. 



Rocket Apparatus. Contriv- 

 ance consisting of rocket and tube, 

 by means of which a thin line is 

 thrown to a vessel wrecked near the 

 shore, the range being about 100 

 yds., and connexion is thus estab- 

 lished. By means of the thin line 

 a hawser is hauled to the ship in 

 distress and made fast to the shore, 

 and the rescue is carried out by 

 means of a sling or breeches buoy, 

 which is hauled backwards and 

 forwards along it. The apparatus 

 is very mobile, everything being 

 kept in readiness at each station 

 in a light cart or wagon. In 1855 

 the British government took over 

 the system of rocket apparatus 

 formerly maintained by the Royal 

 National Life - Boat Institution. 

 There are some 350 rocket appar- 

 atus stations round the coasts of 

 the British Isles, under the direc- 

 tion of the board of trade, and since 

 1870 nearly 12,000 lives have been 

 saved from shipwreck by means 

 of this contrivance. See Fire 

 Brigade; Life-boat. 



Rock Ferry. Watering-place of 

 Cheshire, a suburb of Birkenhead. 

 It stands on the estuary of the 

 Mersey and is served by the Birken- 

 head Rly. There is also regular 

 steamer connexion with Liverpool. 

 See Birkenhead. 



Rock Fish. Popular name for 

 certain species of wrasse (q.v.), a 

 large group of fishes which occur 

 among rocks and coral reefs. 

 Several species are found round 

 the British coasts. 



Rockford. Cfty of Illinois, 

 U.S.A., the co. seat of Winnebago 

 co. It stands on Rock river, 84 m. 

 by rly. W.N.W. of Chicago, on the 



