Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-09-17
Smelling the City Of Charleston.

The reason why General Gilmore
did not continue his bombardment of
Charleston with the "Greek fire 1"
shells, was because the shells sent
were ignited on the percussion princi-
pie and being discharged from a gun
elevated at an angle of thiry-eight
degrees. took their fight at the same
angle, with longitudinal rotary mo-
ton, base downward. and therefore
struck base downward instead of up
on the percussion end, and did not ex-
plode. Only two are known to have
exploded-one which fell into ware
house and another which fell in the
street. This peculiar motion and de-
scent of the shell was a new discove.
ry in artillery practice, then for the
first time made, and the ordnance de-
partment was not furnished with
remedy for the unlocked for contin-
gency. To this fact alone Charleston
owes the delay of the hour of it's doom.
Time fuses, which will set matters
all right, were at once sent for, and
have doubtless, arrived at Morris Is.
land before this, fifteen hundred were
ordered for the bombardment of that
nest of treason. The gun from which
the shells were first fired was 200
FOUNDER PARROT, which can throw a
shell no less than seven miles, when
aimed at an angle Of forty.five de-
grees. The first shells went over
Charleston, the gun being aimed at
too sharp an angle. Our readers will
be pleased to learn that Gen. Gill.
more has no less than thirty Parrott
guns mounted, that will throw shells
plump into Charleston. Also that the
use of Greek FIRE shells to lombard
that rebel stronghold was personally
ordered by President Lincoln.
The Greek FIRE burns for twenty
minutes. 1t will burn on water
as well as on land, and each shell
covers surface ofone hundred square
feet with fame. The shell bursts in.
to about one hundred and twenty pie
ces, or ten times as many as the ordi-
nary shell. Of course the effect OF
these shells will be to set Charleston
in flames, which nothing can subdue.
In addition to the Greek fire shells,
large quantity Of improved shrapnel
shells, made by the inventor of the
Greek fire shell, and containing from,
five hundred to one thousand bullets
each, have been sent to Morris Island,
to be transferred thence into the re.
beliious city in q manner not very
pleasing to the enemy. These shells
are fired with time fuses, and arc very
destructive of life. The celebrated
800 pound Parrot gun which General
Gilmore has, weighs 1000 pounds.
1t took 1000 men nine nights to get
the monster into position, the drag
teams breaking down seven nights in
succession, the enemy Smelling the
party all the while, and men being
killed nightly. Nothing was done
with it by day, the gun being covered
with bushes TO conceal it from the
enemy's fire. The diameter Of the
bore is ten inches, the charge of pow
der 25 pounds, and the shell that goes
out Of it as high as -four barrel,
weighs three hundred pounds, and
contains II pounds of powder, The
execution of one of these shells on
Sumpter is considered equal to three
200 pound shells. But two Of these
immense rife guns have been made,
although twenty more have been or
dered for the navy.