Artificial fire-works

by Robert Jones

Cut some cartridge paper, into pieces, three inches and a half broad, and one foot long; one edge of each of these pieces, fold down lengthwise about three quarters of an inch broad; then fold the double edge down a quarter of an inch, and turn the single edge back half over the double fold; then open it, and lay all along the channel which is formed, by the folding of the paper, some meal powder, then fold it over and over, till all the paper is doubled up, rubbing it down every turn; this being done, bend it backwards and forwards, two inches and a half, or thereabouts, at a time, as often as the paper will allow; then hold all these folds flat and close, and with a small pinching cord, give one turn round the middle of the cracker, and pinch it close, then bind it with pack-thread, as tight as you can then in the place where it was pinched, prime one end of it, and cap it with touch paper. When these crackers are fired they will give a report, at every turn of the paper: if you would have a great number of bounces, you must cut the paper longer, or join them after they are made; but if they are made very long before they are pinched, you must have a piece of wood, with a groove in it, deep enough to let in half the cracker, this will hold it straight, while it is pinching. [Fig. 36.] represents a cracker compleat.

Of Single Reports.

Cases for reports are generally rolled on one and two ounce formers, and are seldom made larger, but on particular occasions; they are made from two, to four inches long, and very thick of paper; having rolled a case, pinch one end quite close, and drive it down, then fill the case with corn powder, only leaving room to pinch it at top, but before you pinch it, put in a piece of paper at top of the powder: Reports are fired, by a vent, bored in the middle, or at one end, just as required.

Of Marrons.

Formers for marrons, are from three quarters of an inch, to one and a half diameter; cut the paper for the cases, twice the diameter of the former broad, and long enough to go three times round; when you have rolled a case, paste down the edge, and tie one end close, then with the former drive it down to take away the wrinkles and make it flat at bottom, then fill the case with corn powder one diameter and a quarter high, and fold down the rest of the case tight on the powder; the marron being thus made, wax some strong pack-thread, with shoemakers wax; this thread wind up in a ball, then unwind two, or three yards of it, and that part which is near the ball, make fast to a hook; then take a marron, and stand as far from the hook as the pack-thread will reach, and wind it lengthwise round marron, as close as you can, till it will hold no more that way; then turn it, and wind the pack-thread on the short way, then lengthwise again, and so on till the paper is all covered; then make fast the end of the pack-thread, and beat down both ends of the marron, to bring it in shape. The method of firing marrons, is by making a hole at one end with an awl and putting in a piece of quick-match, then take a piece of strong paper, in which wrap up the marron, with two leaders, which must be put down to the vent, and the paper tied tight round them with small twine; these leaders are bent on each side, and their loose ends tied to other marrons, and are nailed in the middle to the rail of the stand, as may be seen by [Fig. 37.] The use of winding the pack-thread in a ball, is, that you may let it out as you want it, according to the quantity, the marron may require; and that it may not be tied in knots, which would spoil the marron.

Of Marron Batteries.

Those batteries, if well managed, will keep time to a march, or a slow piece of musick. Marron batteries are made of several stands, with a number of cross rails, for the marrons, which are regulated by leaders, by cutting them of different lengths, and nailing them tight, or loose, according to the time of the musick. In marron batteries you must use the large and small sort of marrons, and the nails for the pipes, must have flat heads.

Of Line Rockets.

Line rockets are made and drove in the same manner as sky rockets, but have no heads, and the cases must be cut close to the clay; they are sometmies made with six, or seven changes, but in general not more than four, or five; the method of managing those rockets, is as follows; first have a piece of light wood, the length of one of the rockets, turned round about two inches and a half diameter, with a hole through the middle lengthwise, large enough for the line to go easily through; if you design four changes, have four grooves cut in the swivel, one opposite the other, to lay the rockets in.

The mouths of the rockets being rubbed with wet meal powder, lay them in the grooves, head to tail, and tie them fast; from the tail of the first rocket, carry a leader to the mouth of the second, and from the second to the third, and so on to as many as there are on the swivel, making every leader very secure, but in fixing these pipes take care, that the quick-match does not enter the bores of the rockets; the rockets being fixed on the swivel, and ready to be fired, have a line of a hundred yards in length, stretched and fixed up tight, at any height from the ground, but be sure to place it horizontal; this length of line will do for rockets of half a pound, but if larger, the line must be longer, before you put up the line, put one end of it through the swivel, and when you fire the line rocket, let the mouth of that rocket which you fire first, face that end of the line where you stand, then the first rocket will carry the rest to the other end of the line, and the second will bring them back again, and so they will run out and in according to the number of rockets: at each end of the line, there must be a piece of flat wood, for the rocket to strike against, or its force would cut the line. Let the line be well soaped, and the hole in the swivel very smooth.