Artificial fire-works

by Robert Jones

Before you tie on the cases cut the upper part of all their ends, except the last, a little shelving, that the fire from one, may play over the other, without being obstructed by the case. Wheel cases, have no clay drove in their ends nor pinched, but are always left open, only the last, or those which are not to lead fire, which must be well secured.

Of Mines for the Water.

For these sort of mines you must have a bowl, with a wheel on it, made in the same manner, as the water wheel, only in the middle of the wheel must be a hole, of the same diameter you design to have the mine; those mines are nothing more than a tin pot, with a strong bottom, and a little more than two diameters in length; your mine must be fixed in the hole in the wheel, with its bottom resting on the bowl; then loaded with serpents, crackers, stars, small water rockets, &c. In the same manner as pots des aigrettes, but in their center, fix a case of Chinese fire, or a small gerbe, which must be lighted at the beginning of the last case on the wheel. These sort of wheels are to be cloathed as usual.

Of Fire Globes for the Water.

Bowls for water globes, must be very large, and the wheels on them of a decagon form, on each side of which nail a piece of wood four inches long, and on the outside of each piece cut a groove, wide enough to receive about one fourth of the thickness of a four ounce case; these pieces of wood must be nailed, in the middle of each face of the wheel, and fixed in an oblique direction, so that the fire from the cases may incline upwards; the wheel being thus prepared, tie in each groove a four ounce case, fill’d with a grey charge, then carry a leader from the tail of one case to the mouth of the other.

Globes for these wheels, are made of two tin hoops, with their edges outwards, fixed one within the other, at right angles. The diameter of these hoops must be somewhat less than that of the wheel. Having made a globe, drive in the center of a wheel, an iron spindle, which must stand perpendicular, and its length, four or six inches more than the diameter of the globe.

This spindle serves for an axis, on which the globe is fixed, which, when done, must stand four or six inches from the wheel; round one side of each hoop, must be soldered, little bits of tin, two inches and a half distance from each other, which pieces must be two inches in length each, and only fastened at one end, the other ends being left loose, to turn round the small port fires and hold them on: these port fires must be made of such a length, as will last out the cases on the wheel. You are to observe that there need not be any port fires, at the bottom of the globe within four inches of the spindle, for if there were, they would have no effect, but only burn the wheel; all the port fires, must be placed perpendicular from the center of the globe, with their mouths outwards; and must all be cloathed with leaders, so as all to take fire with the second case of the wheel; which cases must burn two at a time, one opposite the other. When two cases of a wheel begin together, two will end together; therefore the two opposite end cases, must have their ends pinched and secured from fire. The method of firing wheels of this sort, is, by carrying a leader from the mouth, of one of the first cases, to that of the other, which leader being burnt through the middle, will give fire to both at the same time.

Of Odoriferous Water Ballóóns.

These sort of Ballóóns, are made in the same manner, as air Ballóóns, but very thin of paper, and in diameter one inch and three quarters, with a vent of half an inch diameter. The shells being made, and quite dry, fill them with any of the following compositions, which must be rammed in tight: these sort of Ballóóns, must be fired at the vent, and put into a bowl of water. Odoriferous works, are generally fired in rooms.

Composition I.