> Hyatt later reflected on some of the (celluloid, i.e.nitro-cellulose) balls’ flaws, recalling, “A lighted cigar applied would at once result in a serious flame and occasionally the violent contact of the balls would produce a mild explosion like a percussion guncap.” He received “a letter from a billiard saloon proprietor in Colorado, mentioning this fact and saying that he did not care so much about it but that instantly every man in the room pulled a gun.”

Depicted in brilliant "Connections" series by James Burke [1].

Scrub to 29:12 [1] https://archive.org/details/james-burke-connections_s01e09