Chapter XX: Suggestions for Fourth of July

As most boys probably know, the first Fourth of July celebration took place in 1775, following the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. When the old bell rang forth the result of the meeting of the Continental Congress, citizens gathered in the streets and displayed their great joy by shouting, beating drums, and firing muskets. The news spread very rapidly, and great rejoicing reigned everywhere. It soon became a custom to celebrate annually this famous event, and it should be every boy's privilege to have a rollicking good time upon this day, making as much noise as he pleases.

When the average boy has bought a few sky-rockets, Roman-candles, and cannon-crackers, for the Fourth, he generally finds, to his sorrow, that he has run out of pocket money. It is then that he is very apt to want to try his hand at making pyrotechnics. There are many publications which describe how amateurs may manufacture Roman-candles, sky-rockets, nigger-chasers, and such pieces, but it is hoped that no boy will venture to carry out any such experiments, for, with the greatest of care, unforeseen accidents will occur which may result disastrously to him. At the same time, there is no economy in it, for the apparatus and materials will generally cost him more than to buy the fireworks ready made. This is also true of colored lights, for which there are many simple formulæ, but none of which can be made up as cheaply as the powders can be bought already prepared.

There are, however, many things a boy can make for the Fourth that are perfectly harmless, such as fire-cracker cannons and home-made set-pieces, besides different schemes for firing crackers and fireworks that he can carry out. The suggestions offered on the following pages will be found interesting, and they will probably suggest other ideas to the inventive boy.

The store toy cannon and cap-pistol are exceedingly dangerous for boys to use, and were all cities to pass laws forbidding their sale, as in the case of a great many of the larger cities, thousands of young lives would be saved from the terrible accidents resulting annually from celebrating with these toys.

In Fig. 287 is shown

=A Fire-cracker Cannon= with which a boy can have a great deal of fun and at the same time with no danger of injury. Cut the two gun-stocks similar in shape to Fig. 288, and the two wheels four inches in diameter (Fig. 289), after which bore holes in the gun-stocks at _A_, and in the centres of the wheels, through which to run the axle. Procure a baking-powder can and make a couple of holes in the sides for the axle to run through (Fig. 290), and one in the bottom of the can the size of a fire-cracker fuse. Cut a conical piece of wood about two inches long and nail it to the outside of the can cover as shown in Fig. 291.

When the various pieces have been thus prepared, place them together as shown in Fig. 287, and slip a piece of heavy wire through the holes made in them, and bend over the ends of the wire to hold the wheels in place.

=To fire the Cannon=, place a cracker in the can with the fuse projecting through the hole in the bottom, and fit the cover over the can. Then light the fuse. The exploding cracker will force off the cover, which is the projectile, and hurl it a considerable distance in the direction the cannon has been pointed.

=A Toy Mortar= may be made similarly, with the exception of the carriage or mortar-bed. Figures 292 and 293 show the details for this, which is different from a regular mortar, one end being enclosed for an ammunition box. Make a cover for the ammunition box to prevent sparks from igniting the packages of crackers, using pieces of leather for hinges. As shown in the section drawing (Fig. 293), the mortar-bed is mounted upon a small board, being held in place by means of a short screw, which makes it possible to swing the mortar around in any position desired.

These cannons and mortars will furnish sport not only for the Fourth, but for any other day of the year, as they can be used by a crowd of boys in

=Mimic Battles=, with paper soldiers. The boys should divide into armies, and construct their fortifications about twenty feet apart, planting the guns upon the works and placing the paper soldiers behind. All paper soldiers knocked over are out of the game, and the side first completely killing the enemy's garrison is, of course, the winner of the day. These battles are always very exciting, especially toward the end, when there are but a few warriors remaining. In order that the projectiles may fit all the cans, it is necessary to have them all of the same size.

=Another Toy Cannon= that is simple to make is shown in Fig. 294. For this, buy a short piece of glass tubing at a drug-store and have the druggist seal one end of it. Then secure a good-sized cork and cut a hole through the side large enough for the tube to run through (see _A_ in Fig. 294). Cut out a pair of wooden wheels about three inches in diameter, and fasten them to the ends of the cork with a pin or small nail. Make the cannon shafts four inches long, point one end of each and stick them into the cork at _B_ and _C_. The open end of the tube should be at _D_ and the sealed end at _E_.

=To fire the Cannon=, slip a match into the open end of the tube with the head toward _E_, and hold a lighted match at the closed end. As soon as the heat ignites the phosphorus, the match will shoot out of the open end of the tube.

=Firing Fireworks from Kites= presents a novel feature for a Fourth of July celebration, the aërial display making a very pretty spectacle, and the boy who sets off his fireworks in this manner will have something different from the rest of the neighborhood.

Figure 295 shows the manner in which a Roman-candle can be attached to a kite-string. A piece of punk about an inch and one-half long should be bound to the fuse of the candle, and as the fuse is rather short it is necessary to cut through the paper bound around it, and set the punk into the end of the candle, as shown in the drawing. Attach a piece of twine two feet long to the other end of the candle, and then, after getting your kite up, attach the end of this string to the kite-string and light the punk, being very careful in doing so not to ignite the fuse of the Roman-candle. After attaching the candle and lighting the punk, let out the kite-string as rapidly as possible, so that by the time the punk has burned down to the fuse end, the Roman-candle will be well up in the air. As soon as the candle begins to explode, shake the kite-string so as to make the balls shoot into the sky in different directions.

=A Pack of Fire-crackers= with a piece of punk attached to the fuses may also be suspended from a kite-string and fired in mid-air.

FIG. 297.

Schemes for Attaching Lanterns to Kite-strings.]

Other fireworks may be set off similarly, and colored lights produce a fine effect.

=Nigger-chasers= shot into the air by means of a cross-bow, such as is described in Chapter XVII, present another novelty.

=Japanese Lanterns= hung from kite-strings are also a pretty sight, and, while they give somewhat the same appearance as fire-balloons, they are lasting and can be saved for another year.

After procuring a number of lanterns of different shapes and sizes, fasten candles securely in them so that there is no possibility of them igniting the paper. Figures 296 and 297 show two ways in which the lanterns may be attached one below the other. The first method (Fig. 296) consists of pins stuck through the bottoms of the lanterns and bent over into hooks, while in the second (Fig. 297) a small hole is made in the bottom of one lantern and the wire handle of another is slipped through this hole and looped over a burnt match.

Before sending up the kite with these lanterns, make a number of small loops in the kite-string where you wish to hang the lanterns, and provide the handle of each series of lanterns with a pin-hook, as shown in Fig. 297. Then, when everything is in readiness, have one of your friends hook the lanterns to the loops while you attend to letting out the kite-string. Of course the smaller the lanterns are the greater number you can hitch in place, and if you use a team of kites you will find that they will carry a number of strings of lanterns.

=A Shooting-torch=, such as is shown in Fig. 298, is a scheme that is simple to carry out. It consists of a stick about eighteen inches long, with fire-crackers bound around it with wire, and the fuses twisted together, as shown in the illustration. It is fired in the same way as a Roman-candle.

After firing all of your fireworks, you should have

=A Final Set-piece= with which to close the exhibition. A good scheme for such a piece is shown in Fig. 299. Mark out the letters upon a board, and, with a quarter-inch bit, bore holes about one half-inch apart along the outlines of each letter. Then cut enough sticks of punk two inches long to fit all of the holes, and put them to soak in kerosene. The oil makes the punk burn much brighter than it would in its dry state. When the punk is thoroughly soaked, stick the pieces in the holes. A candle will be found most convenient for lighting the punk.

Nail the board to a tree or post, and place several cannon-crackers in holes bored near the bottom of the board. After allowing the punk to burn for a short time, light the cannon-crackers and blow up the set-piece as a grand finish.