Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-01-16
Greek Fire.

The knowledge possessed Of this ancient
material of war is gathered by Gibbon in
the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Chap. y. The subject il also ably treated
by DIR. MCCULLOUGH in Vol. XIV. Of the
Quarterly Journal of Science The Greek
Fire WAS most advantagcousIy employed III
the defense of ConstantnopIc during the
two scges Of the SaraceHs Of 4 D. 6G3-
673 and 1IG-7lS. The secret Of It's pre-
paration and use was derived iro.l a native
Of Hcliopoiis of Syria. or ac-ording to
CedrpnUS. Of Egypt who deserted to the
service ofthc Emperor 1t appears to have
been 4 compound Of bitumcn, sulphur, and
pitch, and to have been poured from caldronS.
or projected in fire balls. or on arrows oria-
vcIinc around which was flax twisted satu-
rated with the infamabc compound. 1t
was vomitcd through long tubes from the
mouths Of hdcouS figures. which were set
in the prows Of frc-ships. These were
themselves consumed. as they sent fire and
destruction among the gaIIcys of the enemy.
For 100 wears its secret was successfully
preserved by the Romans Of the East the
vengeance Of heaven being imprecated upon
whomsocvcr should divulgo this composition.
which the people were taught to believe was
mystcriously revealed by an angel to the
first and greatest of the Con tantines The
Nahammedans finally obtained the secret.
and in the holy wars Of SYRIA and Egypt
turned the art against the Christians Join
Vile in his W>oric dc ST. L0WS describes the
fire rs coming through the air like winged
long-tailrd dragon. about the thickness of
ho@Shcad with the report of thunder and
the velocity of lightning, producing 50 much
light from the quantity of fire it threw out
that one might see in the camp as if it had
been day-a description not inapplicabIc TO
the rocket. lis use was continued until the
middle Of the Fourteenth century, when it
gave place to the more efficient compound of
somewhat similar nature then invented.
The name Of Greek Fire has been applied to
compounds that burn on the surface under
the water An infamablc liquor of this
character is said to have been discovered in
l775 by a goldsmith of Paris. named Du-
pre- who WAS not. however, permitted to
make It's character known. The photo .
graphcr VI. Ncipce de st. Victor has cxpcr-
imcntcd by request of the French Minister
of war upon the property of hcnzole to
burn upon water. and Of igniting if 4 bit of
potassium or Of phosphcret Of calcium be
contained in it. He found that if glass
vessel containing 800 OF, mines of benzolc +
and half grammc of potassium were bro
ken ON the surface of the water, the benzolc
would immediately oversprcada considerable .
surface bursting at the same time into flame
4 mixture of thrcc parts of benzoe and one
of suIphurct Of carbon being put into a hand
grenade previously heated by immersion in
boiling water produced disaTangement of
vapor which could he igntcd and would
continue to burn from Jet till the whole
was consumed. Phosphorus in solution in
creaseS its power Of setting fire to other OBJ
iccts Oil of petroleum may be substituted
for the hcnzole. 1t was thought that this
might be used in naval warfare as the an
cicnt Greek Fire was employed. The sub
iect is fully treated by Scotfern in his work
'Proiectic weapons OF war and Explosive
(London, lS5S,l in which he
also names several liquid mixtures that >pon-
tancouSIy ignite and may be used for the
same purposes as Greek Fire. \ solution of
PHOSPHORUS in >ulphuret Of carbon thrown
in a glass grenade was found, in experiment
conducted at Wooiwich, to ignite soon after
the liquid was scattered Chloride OF sui
phur may be substituted for the sulphuret
IT lnrhnn tic i,rntinr, mi l-,.or 1,lncn nitn