Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
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Source: July 1984 Volume 22 Number 3, Pages 103–104

Sky Rockets at Devon

from the Daily Local News

Page 103

In the large assemblage of people congregated at Devon last evening to witness the magnificent pyrotechnic display, given under Mr. Coffin's management, the genial good owner of the famous Devon Inn, were Congressman Darlington, Sheriff Hooper and wife, D. Smith Talbott and wife, and a few others from this borough. The display was made by Mr. Jackson, the fiery programme being as follows:

Illustration of boardwalk with Jackson's Centennial lights in crimson and emerald.

Discharge of signal rockets, filling the air with groups of every hue.

Great blazing sun of the most intense brightness.

Fusilade of bombshells, exploding in the heavens into thousands of meteoric stars.

An immense tree of golden foliage.

Grand flight of rockets, with floating stars.

Bouquet flora, comprising in its rich combinations all the colored and brilliant fires known to the pyric art.

Pyric fountain, welling up a stream of liquid lire.

Harliquinade of rockets, bursting into myriads of streams, stars, and fiery serpents.

Star of America, illuminated with the national colors of red, white and blue.

Page 104

Discharge of bombshells bursting into gems of rich beauty.

Badge of Honor, sparkling with precious gems and jets of coruscating fire.

Parachute rockets, releasing in their flight to the heavens floating stars.

Star of Washington, commencing with a moss rose bud encircled in a fretwork of jessamine conscations, opening suddenly into a beautiful Star of Washington.

Falls of Niagara, whose mighty waters upon this occasion, by the Pyric Art, was changed into a cascade of liquid fire.

Devon in Arms, commencing with rotating fires of ruby sapphire and jessamine, when suddenly bursts forth in fire the Arms of Devon Inn, followed by the uprising of a grand pyric bouquet, forming in the heavens an immense floral cloud.

The entertainment was pleasingly interspersed with choice musical renditions by the well-known popular German orchestra of Philadelphia. The West Chester party returned home at a late hour.