The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1863-09-26
WHY THE SMELLING OF THE CITY
OF CHARLESTON WAS DISCON-
TINUED.

A gentleman of much Intelligence, re
Gently from Morris Island, where he had
unusual facilities for observation and gath
erng information, has communicated to US
a variety Of interesting facts connected W ith
the siege of Charleston, which throw much
light upon the state of affairs there. H
informs US that the reason why Gen. Gil
more did not continue his bombardment of
Charleston with the ''Greek FIRE" shells
was because the shells sent were gnited on
the percussion. principle, and being dis
charged from aGgun elevated at an angle of
thirty light degrees, took their flight at the
same angle, with longitudinal rotary mo
ton, base downward, and therefore struck
base downward instead of on the percus
sion end. and did not explode. Only TWO
are known to havs expoded-one which fell
into warehouse and another which fell in
the street. This peculiar motion and de-
scent of the shell was a new discovery il
artillery practice then for the rst time
made, and the Ordnance Department was
not furnished with a remedy for the uu-
looked Tor contingency. To this fact alone
Charleston owes the delay of the hour of its
doom. E... ~ . .o -
Time fuses, which will set matters all
right, were at once sent for, aud have
doubtless arrived al Morris, Island before
this. AID very likely Charleston is at this
moment experiencing the dreadful effects OF
a shower of Greek fire. shells. fifteen
hundred of which baye been ordered for
the bombardment OF that nest of treason
THE gun from which the shells were first
fired was a 2O0-pounder PaIrott, which can
throw a shell no less than seven miles when
e.
aimed at an angle of forty-fve degrees.
The first shells went over Charleston, the
gun being aimed at 100 sharp an angle. Oar
readers will be pleased to learn that Gen.
Gilmore has no less than thirty Parrot
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 Lin
coin The Greek fire burns for twenty
minutes 1t will burn on the water as well
as on land, and each she'll covers a surface
of one hundred square feet with fame,
The shell bursts IN o about l9o pieces, or
ten times as many as. the ordinary shell
OF course the effect of these shells will be-
to set Charleston in flames which nothing
can subside. es,s-.~,- .-s.,.,s4.
n In addition to the. Greek FIRE shells a
large quantity of improved shrapnel shells,t
made by the inventor of the Greek fire
shell. aud containing from~iye hundred To-
one thousand bullets each. have been sent
to Morris Island, TO be transferred thence
into the rebellious city in manner not
very pleasing to the enemy. These shells
are fred with t;me1fuses. and are very de-
structive of life The celebrated 800 pound
PARROT gun, which General Gilmore has,
weighs $1,000 poun Is. It took two thou
sand men nine nights to get the monster into
position, the drag teams breaking down
seven nights in succession, the enemy she'll
ing the party all the while. and men being
killed nightly. Nothing was done with Il
/ by day, the gun being covered by bushes to
conceal it from the, enemy's fire. The di
ameter of the bore is ten inches, the charge
of powder twenty-five pounds. and the shell
i1bat goes-eut of it as high as "a -four barrel,
weighs 800 pounds. and contains seventeen
pounds of mortar powder. The execution
J of one of these shells on Sumter is consid-
cred equal to three goo pound shells. But
two7of these immense rihed guns have been
made. although twenty more have been or
! dered tor the army Hgos a sl
Gen. Gilmore at first had only one, but
another has just been sent to him. The
S0o-p FOUNDER, when it exploded, was In
charge of an infantry captain who had
! never fired q cannon hefora In bIs l;f. H.