To Produce Beautiful Fire-works In Miniature
Put half a drachm of solid phosphorus into a large pint Florence
flask; holding it slanting, that the phosphorus may not break the
glass. Pour upon it a gill and a half of water, and place the whole
over a tea-kettle lamp, or any common tin lamp, filled with spirit of
wine. Light the wick, which should be almost half an inch from the
flask; and as soon as the water is heated, streams of fire will issue
from the water b
adhere to the sides of the glass representing stars; and will
frequently display brilliant rays. These appearances will continue at
times till the water begins to simmer, when immediately a curious
aurora borealis begins, and gradually ascends, till it collects to a
pointed flame; when it has continued half a minute, blow out the flame
of the lamp, and the point that was formed will rush down, forming
beautiful illuminated clouds of fire, rolling over each other for some
time, which disappearing, a splendid hemisphere of stars presents
itself: after waiting a minute or two, light the lamp again, and
nearly the same phenomenon will be displayed as from the beginning.
Let the repetition of lighting and blowing out the lamp be made for
three or four times at least, that the stars may be increased. After
the third or fourth time of blowing out the lamp, in a few minutes
after the internal surface of the flask is dry, many of the stars will
shoot with great splendour, from side to side, and some of them will
fire off with brilliant rays; these appearances will continue several
minutes. What remains in the flask will serve for the same experiment
several times, and without adding any more water. Care should be
taken, after the operation is over, to lay the flask and water in a
cool, secure place.
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