Artificial fire-works

by Robert Jones

Of water Squibs.

Water squibs, are generally made of one ounce serpent cases, seven or eight inches long, filled two thirds with charge, and the remainder bounced; the common method of firing them, is thus: Take a water wheel, with a tin mortar in its center, which load with squibs, after the usual method, but the powder in the mortar, must be no more than will just throw the squibs out, (easily into the water), you may place the cases on the wheel, either obliquely, or horizontally; and on the top of the wheel, round the mortar, fix six cases of brilliant fire, perpendicular to the wheel; these cases, must be fired, at the beginning of the last case of the wheels and the mortar, at the conclusion of the same.

To represent a sea fight with small ships, and to prepare a fire-ship for the same.

Having procured four, or five, small ships, of two, or three feet in lenghth, (or as many as you design to fight) make a number of small reports, which are to serve for guns. Of these, range as many as you please, on each side of the upper decks; then at the head and stern of each ship, fix a two ounce case, eight inches long, filled with a slow port-fire receipt, but take care to place it, in such a manner, that the fire may fall in the water, and not burn the rigging; in these cases, bore holes at unequal distances, from one another, but make as many in each case, as half the number of reports, so that one case may fire the guns, on one side, and the other those on the opposite. The method of firing the guns, is, by carrying a leader, from the holes in the cases, to the reports on the decks; you must make these leaders very small, and be careful in calculating the burning of the slow fire, in the regulating cases, that more than two guns, be not fired at a time. When you would have a broad-side given, let a leader be carried to a cracker, placed on the outside of the ship, which cracker must be tied loose, or the reports will be too slow; in all the ships put artificial guns, at the port holes.

Having filled, and bored holes, in two port fires, for regulating the guns, in one ship; make all the rest exactly the same; then when you begin the engagement, light one ship first, and set it a sailing, and so on with the rest, sending them out singly, which will make them fire regularly, at different times, without confusion, for the time between the firing of each gun, will be equal to that of lighting the slow fires.

The fire ship, may be of any size, and need not be very good, for it is always lost in the action. To prepare a ship for this purpose, make a port fire equal in size, with them in the other ships, and place it at the stern; in every port, place a large port fire, filled with a very strong composition, and painted in imitation of a gun, and let them all be fired at once by a leader from the slow fire, within two, or three diameters of its bottom; all along both sides, on the top of the upper deck, lay star composition about half an inch in thickness, and one in breadth, which must be wetted with thin size, then primed with meal powder, and secured from fire, by pasting paper over it; in the place where you lay this composition, drive some little tacks with flat heads, in order to hold it fast to the deck, this must be fired just after the sham guns, and when burning will shew a flame all round the ship; at the head take up the decks, and put in a tin mortar loaded with crackers, which mortar must be fired by a pipe, from the end of the slow fire; the firing of this mortar will sink the ship, and make a pretty conclusion. The regulating port fire of this ship, must be lighted at the same time, with the first fighting ship.

Having prepared all the ships for fighting; we shall next proceed with the management of them, when on the water. At one end of the pond, just under the surface of the water, fix two running blocks, at what distance you chuse the ships should fight; and at the other end of the pond, opposite to each of these blocks, under the water, fix a double block; then on the land, by each of the double blocks, place two small windlass’s; round one of them, turn one end of a small cord, and the other end, put through one of the blocks; then carry it through the single one, at the opposite end of the pond, and bring it back through the double block, again, and, round the other windlass; to this cord, near the double block, tie as many small strings, as half the number of the ships, at what distance you think proper, but these strings, must not be more than two feet in length each; the loose end of each of these cords, make fast, to a ship, just under her bow-sprit; but if tied to the keel, or too near the water, it will overset the ship. Half the ships, being thus prepared, near the other double block, fix two more windlass’s, to which fasten a cord, and to it tie the other half of the ships, as before directed: when you fire the ships, pull in the cord, with one of the windlass’s, in order to get all the ships together; and when you have set fire to the first, turn that windlass, which draws them out, and so on with the rest, till they are all out, in the middle of the pond; then by turning the other windlass, you will draw them back again, by which method you may make them change sides, and tack about, backwards and forwards, at pleasure. For the fire-ship, fix the blocks and windlass’s, betwixt the others, so that when she sails out, she will be between the other ships: you must not let this ship, advance, till the guns, at her ports take fire.

To fire Sky Rockets under water.

To fire sky rockets, under water, you must have stands made as usual, only the rails must be placed flat, instead of edge ways, and have holes in them for the rocket sticks to go through; for if they were hung upon hooks, the motion of the water, would throw them off; the stands being made, if the pond is deep enough, sink them at the sides, so deep, that when the rockets are in, their heads, may just appear above the surface of the water; to the mouth of each rocket, fix a leader, which put through the hole with the stick; then a little above the water, must be a board, supported by the stand, and placed along one side of the rockets, then the ends of the leaders, are turned up through holes made in this board, exactly opposite the rockets. By this means, you may fire them singly, or all at once. Rockets may be fired by this method, in the middle of a pond, by a Neptune, a swan, a water wheel, or any thing else you chuse.

To represent Neptune in his Chariot.