Author Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1867 edition. Excerpt:...the surface. Revolving suns are wheels upon whose circumference rockets of different styles are fixed, and which communicate by conduits, so that one is lighted up in succession after another. The composition of their common fire is, for sizes below of an inch: gunpowder meal, 16: charcoal, not too fine, 3. For larger sizes: gunpowder, 20; charcoal, not too fine, 4. For fiery radiations: gunpowder, 16; yellow micaceous sand, 2 or 3. For mixed radiations: gunpowder, 16: pitcoal, 1; yellow sand, 1 or 2. The waving or double Catherine wheels, are two suns turning upon the same axis in opposite directions. The fusees are fixed obliquely and not tangentially to their peripheries. The wheel spokes are charged with a great number of fusees; two of the four wings revolve in one direction, and the other two in the opposite; but always in a vertical plane. The girandoles, caprices, spirals, and some others have on the contrary a horizontal rotation. The fire-worker may diversify their effects greatly by the arrangement and colour of the jets of flame. Let us take for an example the globe of light. Imagine a large sphere turning freely upon its axis, along with a hollow hemisphere, which revolves also upon a vertical axis passing through its under pole. If the two pieces be covered with coloured lances or cordage, a fixed luminous globe will be formed, but if horizontal fusees be added upon the hemisphere, and vertical fusees upon the sphere, the first will have a relative horizontal movement, the second a vertical movement, which, being combined with the first, will cause it to describe a species of curve, whose effect will be an agreeable contrast with the regular movement of the hemisphere. Upon the surface of a revolving sun, smaller suns might...