Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-12-29
A"HELL-BURNER !"

During the war of the rebellion General
Butler attempted the destruction of. Fort
Fisher, on the North Carolina coast, by
fire shin, which was filled with powder
and floated as near as possible to the fort
before exploded. The project failed, and
caused considerable unfavOrable comment
at the time. In connection with, an arti-
Gle in the CHRONICLE on the bridge of
Prince Parma, over the river Scheldt, in
1856, it may be interesting to refer to the
fire ship sent out from the beseged city of
Antwerp to destroy that bridge and the
army stationed ON it charged with its de
tense. As an evidence of the skill of the
sixteenth century, as compared with that
of our own day IN similar efforts, it is par
ticularly interesting. 3S. +
We have stated heretofore the object of,
Parma in bridging the Scheldt to have.
been the reduction Of the city of Antwerp:
Within the beleaguered city was an Ital-
ian named Gianibelli, man of wonderful
genius. AS soon as it was demonstrated
that the wonderful bridge would really he
a success he conceived the idea of prepar-
ing a fire ship or floating mine, which
floating down the stream in the night
should lodge against the bridge and then
explode and shiver it to atoms. For this
purpose he prepared two vessels, described
as follows in Motley's history of the Unit
ed Netherlands.
In the hold of each vessel, along the
whole length was laid down solid floor
ing of brick and mortar one foot thick and
five feet wide. Upon this was built
chamber of marble mason work.
forty feet long, three and half
feet broad, as many high and
with side walls five feet in thickness.
This was the crater. 1t was filled with
seven thousand pounds of gunpowder, of
kind superior to anything known, and
prepared by Gianibelli himself. It was
covered with roof six feet in thickness
formed of blue tombstones placed edge
wise. Over this crater rose hollow cone
or pyramid, made of heavy marble slabs
and filled with mill-stones, cannon balls,
blocks of marble, chain-shOt, iron hooks,
plough coulters, and every dangerous
missile that could be imagined The
spaces between the mine and the ships
sides were filled with paving stones, iron
bound stakes, harpoons and other pro-
jectiles.
Over this "hell-burner" was built light
deck, upon which fire was to be built to
make it look like an ordinary fire ship. n
slow match was prepared to explode the
mine at the'proper moment. Two of these
internal machines were thus prepared to
be sent down the river on the bridge with
a fleet of ordinary. fire ships of the same
general appearance.
The intelligent reader can see at once
what internal machines they were. But
lers fire ship, if we recollect right, was
simply powder magazine. 1t had no such
vault or mine constructed to confne the
powder, and give force to the explosion.
At given signal the fire fleet was sent out
from Antwerp on its work Of destruction.
The ordinary fire ships ran ashore or
against distractions proposed to catch
them, but one of the "hell-burners" struck
Parma's bridge, upon which thousands
were gathered watching it, just as it was
intended, and at the desired moment ex-
ploded. The effect is thus described:
3 1.-THE ship disappeared, together with the
block house against which she had struck,
with all its garrison, while large portion
of the bridge with all the troops stationed
upon it had vanished into the air. The
Scheldt yawned to its lowest depth. The
earth shook as with the throb of volcano.