Artificial fire-works

by Robert Jones

Mortars thus prepared are called a nest of serpents, as represented by [Fig. 31]. When you would fire these mortars, light the fire-pump C, which when consumed will communicate to all the mortars at once, by means of the leaders. For mortars of six, eight, or ten inches diameter, the serpents should be made in one and two ounce cases, six or seven inches long, and fired by a leader, brought out of the mouth of the mortar, and turned down the outside, and the end of it covered with paper, to prevent the sparks of the other works from setting it on fire. For a six inch mortar, let the quantity of powder for firing be two ounces; for an eight inch, two ounces and three quarters; and for a ten inch, three ounces and three quarters; care must be taken in these as well as small mortars, not to put the serpents in too tight, for fear of bursting the mortars. These sort of mortars may be loaded with stars, crackers, &c.

If the mortars, when loaded, are to be sent any distance, or liable to be much moved, the firing powder should be secured from getting amongst the serpents, which would endanger the mortars, as well as hurt their performance; to prevent which, load your mortars after this manner; first put in the firing powder and spread it equally about; then cut a round piece of blue touch-paper, equal to the exterior diameter of the mortar, and draw on it a circle, equal to the interior diameter of the mortar, and notch it all round as far as that circle; then paste that part which is notched, and put it down the mortar close to the powder, and stick the pasted edge to the mortar; this will keep the powder always smooth at bottom, so that it may be moved or carried any where, without receiving any damage. The large single mortars are called pots des aigrettes.

The Manner of making, loading, and firing of Pots des Brins.

These pots are made of paste-board, and must be rolled pretty thick; they are usually made three or four inches diameter, and four diameters long, and pinched with a neck at one end, like common cases; a number of these are placed on a plank in the following manmer: having fixed on a plank, two rows of wooden pegs, cut, in the bottom of the plank, a groove the whole length under each row of pegs; then, through the centre of each peg, bore a hole down to the groove at bottom, and on every peg fix and glue a pot, whose mouth must fit tight on the peg; thro’ all the holes run a quick-match, one end of which must go into the pot, and the other into the groove, which must have a match laid in it from end to end, and covered with paper, so that when lighted at one end, it may discharge the whole almost instantaneously: in all the pots put about one ounce of meal and corn powder; then in some put stars, and others rains, snakes, serpents, crackers, &c. when they are all loaded, paste paper over their mouths. Two or three hundred of these pots being fired together, make a very pretty show, by affording so great a variety of fires. [Fig. 32], is a range of pots des brins, with the leader A, by which they are fired.

Of Pots des Saucissons.

Saucissons are generally fired out of large mortars without chambers, the same as those for aigrettes, only somewhat stronger: saucissons are made of one and two ounce cases, five or six inches long, and choaked in the same manner as serpents; half the number which the mortar contains, must be drove one diameter and a half with composition, and the other half two diameters, so that when fired they may give two volleys of reports; but if the mortars be very strong, and will bear a sufficient charge, to throw the saucissons very high, you may make three volleys of reports, by dividing the number of cases into three parts, and making a difference in the height of the charge: after they are filled, pinch and tie them at top of the charge, almost close; only leaving a small vent to communicate the fire to the upper part of the case, which must be filled with corn powder very near the top; then pinch the end quite close, and tie it; after this is done, bind the case very tight with waxed pack-thread, from the choak at top of the composition, to the end of the case; this will make the case very strong in that part, and cause the report to be very loud: saucissons should be rolled a little thicker of paper than the common proportion. When they are to be put in the mortar, they must be primed in their mouths, and fired by a case of brilliant fire, fixed in their center.

The charge for these sort of mortars should be one sixth, or one eighth, more than for pots des aigrettes of the same diameter.

To fix one Rocket on the Top of another.

When sky rockets are thus managed, they are called towering rockets, on account of their mounting so very high. Towering rockets are made after this manner; fix on a pound rocket a head without a collar; then take a four ounce rocket, which may be headed or bounced, and rub the mouth of it with meal powder wetted with spirit of wine, when done put it in the head of the large rocket with its mouth downwards; but before you put it in, stick a bit quick-match in the hole in the clay of the pound rocket, which match should be long enough to go a little way up the bore of the small rocket, in order to fire it, when the large one is burnt out; the four ounce rocket being too small to fill the head of the other, roll round it as much tow as will make it stand upright in the center of the head: the rocket being thus fixed, paste a single paper round the opening of the top of the head of the large rocket. The large rocket must have only half a diameter of charge rammed above the piercer, for if filled to the usual height, it would turn before the small one takes fire, and entirely destroy the intended effect; when one rocket is headed with another, there will be no occasion for any blowing powder; for the force with which it lets off, will be sufficient to disingage it from the head of the first fired rocket. The sticks for these sort of rockets, must be a little longer than for those headed with stars, rains, &c.

Of Caduceus Rockets.