The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1863-09-10
More Concerning the Siege.

More concerning the siege.
Why the shelling of the city ,cas discontinued
The monster shells fired from the 300
Mound Parrot-Tnemendous preparation.
tor Bombardme,st suit{ Greek Fire.
From the BostoE Journal.l
A gentleman Of much intelligence, re.
Gently from Morris Island, where he had
unusual facilities for observation and gath,
ering information, has communicated to us
a variety of interesting facts connected with
the siege of Charleston, which throw much
ligh on the state of affairs there. He in
forms US that the reason why General Gil
more did not continue his bombardment OF
Charleston with the "Greek fire" shells was
because the shells sent were ignited on the
percussion principle, and being discharged
a gun elevated at an angle of thirty-eight
degrees, took their fight at the same angle,
with longitudinal rotary motion, base
downward, and therefore struck base down
ward instead of upon the percussion end,
and did not explode. Only two are known
to have exploded-one which fell into a
warehouse, and another which fell in a
street. This peculiar motion and descent OF
the she'll was a new discovery in artillery
practice, then for the first time ln-de, and
the ordnance department was not furnished
with remedy for the unlocked for con
tingency. ~
To this fact alone Charleston owes the
delay of the hour of its doom. Time fuses,
which will set lmatters all right, were at
ence sent for, and have doubtless arrived at
Morris Irand bef re this, and very likely
Charleston is ut is moment experiencing
the dreadful elects of shower of "Greek-
fire. shells, fifteen hundred Of which have
been ordered for the bombardment OF that
nest of treason. The gun from which the
shells were first fred was 2OO-pounder
Parrott, which can throw she'll no less
than seuen miles, when aimed at an angle OF
forty five degrees. The first shells went
over Charleston, the gun being aimed at
too sharp an angle. Our readers will be
pleased to learn that General Gilmore has
no less than thirty Parrott@ guns mounted
that will throw shells plump into Charles
ton. Also, that the use Of Greek ire shells
to lombard that rebel stronghold was per
sonally ordered by President Lincoln. The
Greek fire burns for twenty minutes. twill
burn on the water as well as on land, and
each shell covers O surface of one hundred
square feet with fame. The shell bursts
into about one hundred and thirty pieces,
or ten times as many as the ordinary shell.
OF course the effect of these shells VIII 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 hre she'll
and containing from FIVE hundred to one
bullets each, have been sent TO
Morris Island, to be transferred thence III
to the rebellious city in manner not very
pleasing to the enemy. These shells are
fred with time fuses and are very destruc'
tive of life. The celebrated 3OO-pound Par
rot gun which General Gilmore has weighs
twenty.seyen thousand pounds 1t took
two thousand men nine nights to get the
monster into position, the drag teams break
ing down seven nights in succession, the
enemy shelling 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 enehy's
fire. The diameter Of the bore Is ten inch
es, the charge of powder twenty five pounds,
and the shell that goes out OF 1t as high as a
-four barrel, weighs three hundred pounds,
and contains seventeen pounds OF mortar
puwder. Tue execution of one OF these
shells on Sumter Is considered equal 10
three 2OO-p und shells But two oil these
immense rihed guns have been made, al
though twenty more have been ordered for
the army. None have been ordered for the
navy. General Gilmore at first had only
one but another has ust been sent to hun.
The 300-pouuder, when it exploded, was
in Charge Of an infantry captain, who mad
never fired cannon before IN his llie he
was cautioned that some accident Would
happen if he was not very careful. On the
twentv-ffth round the shell, containing
seventeen pounds of powder, was filled, the
nercussion fuse was screwed malt way
down and could not be got any further,
when the Captain said "Let 1t 20 at that!
The consequence was that when discharged
the fire communicated down by the thread
to the she'll, causing the latter TO explode
before it left the gun, and breaking OIL ~
inches of the muzzle The gun was repair
ed and got ready for use again in two days.
1t burst on Friday at II o'clock, and was
firing on Sunday as well as ever. These
guns have been fired with forty pounds OF
powder, and sent ball through nine inches
of wrought iron plates and two feet OF oak
timber, by which the iron was backed. 1t
has also sent ball through twenty-slx feet
of earth. The larger gun having rlhe
bore is made the steadier and truer bali
or shell is sent-indeed, the accuracy OF a
rifle is attained. Mr. r. X. Parrott, the in
ventor of these guns, commenced making
them in 1856, at his own expense, contInu-
ing his experiments without aid from the
government till the rebellion broke out.
He then began 70 make lO-pounders, and
has nuw advanced from that small beginning
to 300-pounders.
He is now engaged in 500 Founder, and
if successful will try 1000 0-pounder. Over
TWENTY-FIVE hundred of these guns lave been
made by Mr. Parrott, who furnishes them
at less cost than the government can make
them at its own foundries, indeed supplying