Posted on 07/04/2012 10:50:54 PM PDT by cabojoe
Those watching the Big Bay Boom in San Diego's Glorietta Bay witnessed what was either an accidental fireworks display -- or a very disappointing fireworks show.
Port District authorities said a "technical difficulty" resulted in all the fireworks going off at once.
"We sincerely apologize for the technical glitch that affected the #BigBayBoom. Event producers are currently investigating the cause," read a Tweet from the Port of San Diego.
The Port hires the company Garden State Fireworks to operate the fireworks show. A spokesperson with the company confirmed that there was a technical issue in the show, but officials are still trying to determine what happened.
About 5 minutes before the show was supposed to start, a sudden burst of fireworks shot into the air near the bay. Throughout downtown San Diego, a large rumble could be felt just before 9 p.m. on Wednesday night.
It appeared that hundreds of fireworks were set off at the same time. The explosions lasted a few seconds.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcsandiego.com ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuJHfkXEI-o
shows all three barges of fireworks -- exploding in 29 seconds...
I heard of the story in the Seattle area where the fireworks company had all of the stuff stored in a container at an auto-salvage yard waiting to be picked up.
Except the salvage yard guy decided he wanted to shoot his new rifle. And also decided to use the container as his backstop. Two small towns ended up without fireworks, and the salvage guy ended up with one big (yet short) one.
I was figuring that it was controlled by a computer running Windowssomethingoranother, and it encountered the red, white, and blue screen of death.
I’ll bet the system was hacked by a mischievous alumnus from the California Institute of Technology. They would always figure out a way to play havoc with the scoreboard at the Rose Bowl.
Ping to self to show Mrs. Liberty later.
I don’t believe the story in Seattle. To my knowledge, neither brass not lead emit sparks upon brisk contact with steel, and I don’t think a tracer round could have penetrated the cargo container.
Steel jacketed? I’m not very knowledgeable about ammo so could be all wet.
Steel-jacketed ammo exists, but it’s not popular. It’s too hard. I’ve never seen it, but I’ve never looked.
Thanks for the link. Fiasco is a great word for it!
Concussion. Rapid compression of gunpowder. Rapid compression and heating of magnesium, aluminum, PHOSPHOROUS.
Then... there is this.
Try using several pounds of gunpowder as a target, and see what happens.
Concussion. Rapid compression of gunpowder. Rapid compression and heating of magnesium, aluminum, PHOSPHOROUS.
Then... there is this.
Try using several pounds of gunpowder as a target, and see what happens.
I dunno if concussion sets off black powder. Maybe they were using C4 as fireworks?
I have my doubts because the “forest service” says a dozen or so wildfires in AZ over the past few years were started by firearms, and I’d like to know exactly how that happens.
Looks like I was wrong. Whew!!! http://www.ombac.org/over_the_line/emerson/emerson_2010/2010_Ms.%20Emerson.htm
Maybe they just don’t do it on Fiesta Island anymore or something.
Something similar happened to a boyhood friend.
We were sitting on my front porch and lighting firecrackers and throwing them out into the driveway. A stray spark went into his paper bag full of fireworks, and his fun was over in a few minutes.
OH. Well... what they meant was Mexican gangs with firearms, and cigars, blunts, meth pipes, lots of lighters, a few grenades.
The Sinaloa Cartel now owns the lower half of Arizona. Obama and Calderon sealed the deal a ways back.
If you believe the cowboy movies and Hollywood in general, it does.
I would agree that concussion might not be enough, for black powder. I've never tried it myself.
However, this fireworks 'package' contained a whole bunch of 'other' flammable and highly explosive chemical substances.
Aluminum - Aluminum is used to produce silver and white flames and sparks. It is a common component of sparklers.
Antimony - Antimony is used to create firework glitter effects.
Barium - Barium is used to create green colors in fireworks, and it can also help stabilize other volatile elements.
Calcium - Calcium is used to deepen firework colors. Calcium salts produce orange fireworks.
Carbon - Carbon is one of the main components of black powder, which is used as a propellent in fireworks. Carbon provides the fuel for a firework. Common forms include carbon black, sugar, or starch.
Chlorine - Chlorine is an important component of many oxidizers in fireworks. Several of the metal salts that produce colors contain chlorine.
Copper - Copper compounds produce blue colors in fireworks.
Iron - Iron is used to produce sparks. The heat of the metal determines the color of the sparks.
Lithium - Lithium is a metal that is used to impart a red color to fireworks. Lithium carbonate, in particular, is a common colorant.
Magnesium - Magnesium burns a very bright white, so it is used to add white sparks or improve the overall brilliance of a firework.
Oxygen - Fireworks include oxidizers, which are substances that produce oxygen in order for burning to occur. The oxidizers are usually nitrates, chlorates, or perchlorates. Sometimes the same substance is used to provide oxygen and color.
Phosphorus - Phosphorus burns spontaneously in air and is also responsible for some glow-in-the-dark effects. It may be a component of a firework's fuel.
Potassium - Potassium helps to oxidize firework mixtures. Potassium nitrate, potassium chlorate, and potassium perchlorate are all important oxidizers.
Sodium - Sodium imparts a gold or yellow color to fireworks, however, the color may be so bright that it masks less intense colors.
Sulfur - Sulfur is a component of black powder. It is found in a firework's propellant/fuel.
Strontium - Strontium salts impart a red color to fireworks. Strontium compounds are also important for stabilizing fireworks mixtures.
Titanium - Titanium metal can be burned as powder or flakes to produce silver sparks.
Zinc - Zinc is used to create smoke effects for fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices.
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