Of the Fire-Tree.
To make a fire-tree, as shewn by [fig. 44.] you must first have a piece of wood six feet in length, and three inches square, then at E, nine inches from the top, make a hole in the front, and in each side, or instead of holes you may fix short pegs, to fit the inside of the cases. At F, nine inches from E, fix three more pegs; at G, one foot nine inches from F, fix three pegs; at H, nine inches from G, at I, nine inches from H, fix three pegs, inclining downwards, but all the other pegs, must incline upwards, in order that the cases may have the same inclination as you see in the figure; then at top place a four inch mortar, loaded with stars, rains, or crackers. In the middle of this mortar, place a case filled with any sort of charge, but let it be fired with the other cases: a brilliant charge will do for all the cases, but the mortar may be made of any diameter, and the tree of any size, and on it any number of cases, provided they are placed in the manner described.
Of Chinese Fountains.
To make a Chinese fountain, you must have a perpendicular piece of wood, seven feet in length, and two inches and a half square. Sixteen inches from the top; fix on the front, a cross piece, one inch thick, and two and a half broad, with the broad side upwards; below this, fix three more pieces, of the same width and thickness, at sixteen inches distance from each other; let the bottom rail be five feet in length, and the others of such a length, as to allow the fire pumps to stand in the middle of the intervals of each other. The pyramid being thus made, fix in the holes made in the bottom rail, five fire pumps, at equal distances; on the second rail place four pumps; on the third, three; on the fourth, two; and on the top of the post, one; but place them all to incline a little forwards, that when they throw out the stars, they may not strike against the cross rails; having fixed your fire pumps, cloath them with leaders, so that they may all be fired together, see [fig. 45.]
Of Illuminated Globes with Horizontal Wheels.
The hoops for these sort of globes, may be made of wood, tin, or iron wire, about two feet diameter; for a single globe take two hoops, and fasten them together, one within the other at right angles; then have a horizontal wheel made, whose diameter must be a little wider than the globe, and its nave six inches long, on the top of which the globe is fixed, so as to stand three or four inches from the wheel; on this wheel you may put any number of cases, fill’d with what charge you like, but let two of them burn at a time; they may be placed horizontally or to incline downwards just as you chuse. Now when the wheel is cloathed, fix on the hoops as many illuminations as will stand within two inches and a half of one another; these you fasten on the hoops, with small iron binding wire, and when they are all on, put on your pipes of communication, which must be so managed, as to light them all with the second or third case on the wheel; the spindle on which the globe is to run must go through the block of the wheel, up to the inside of the top of the globe, where must be fix’d a bit of brass or iron, with a hole in it to receive the point of the spindle, on which the whole weight of the wheel is to bear, as is shewn by [fig. 46.] which represents a globe on its spindle. By this method may be made a crown, which is done by having the hoops bent in the form of a crown. Sometimes globes and crowns, are ordered so as to stand still, and the wheel only to turn round; but when you would have the globe or crown to stand still, and the wheel to run by itself, the block of the wheel must not be so long, nor the spindle any longer than to just raise the globe a little above the wheel; and the wheel cases, and the illumination must begin together.
Of the Dodecaedron.
This piece is called a dodecaedron, because it nearly represents a twelve sided figure, and is made thus. First have a ball turned out of some hard wood, fourteen inches diameter, when done, divide its surface into fourteen equal parts, from which bore holes, one inch and a half diameter, perpendicular to the center, so that they may all meet exactly in the middle; then let there be turned in the inside of each hole a female screw, and to all the holes but one, must be made a round spoke, five feet in length, with four inches of the screw at one end, to fit the holes; then in the screw end of all the spokes, bore a hole, five inches up, which must be bored slanting, so as to come out at one side, a little above the screw; from which cut a small groove along the spoke, within six inches of the other end, where you make another hole through to the other side of the spoke; in this end fix a spindle, on which put a small wheel, of three, or four sides, each side six or seven inches in length; these sides must have grooves cut in them large enough to receive a two or four ounce case; when these wheels are cloathed, put them on the spindles, and at the end of each spindle, put a nut to keep the wheel from falling off; the wheels being thus fixed, carry a pipe from the mouth of the first case on each wheel, through the hole in the side of the spoke, and from thence along the groove and through the other hole, so as to hang out at the screw end, about an inch. The spokes being all prepared in this manner, you must have a post, on which you intend to fire the work, with an iron screw in the top of it, to fit one of the holes, in the ball; on this screw fix the ball, then in the top hole of the ball, put a little meal powder, and some loose quick match; then screw in all the spokes, and in one side of the ball bore a hole, in which put a leader, and secure it at the end, and your work will be ready to be fired. By this leader the powder and match in the center is fired, which will light the match at the ends of the spokes, all at once, whereby all the wheels will be lighted at one and the same time; there may be an addition to this piece, by fixing a small globe, on each wheel, or one on the top wheel only. A grey charge will be proper for the wheel cases.
Of the Yew Tree of Brilliant Fire.
A yew tree of fire is represented by [fig. 47.] as it appears when burning; first, let A be an upright piece of wood, four feet in length, two inches broad and one thick; at top of this piece, on the flat side, fix a hoop, fourteen inches diameter, and round its edge and front place illuminations, and in the center a five pointed star; then at E, which is one foot and a half from the edge of the hoop, place two cases of brilliant fire, one on each side; these cases should be one foot in length each; below these, fix two more cases of the same size, and at such a distance that their mouths may almost meet them at top; then, close to the ends of these cases, fix two more of the same sort of cases; these must stand parallel to them at E. The cases being thus fixed, cloath them with leaders; so that they, with the illuminations and star at top, may all take fire together.