Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-03-20

ton would be of little value. We must
remember that the use of firearms rem
dered the old-fashioned engines, by
means of which the liquid was propelled,
no longer available, since those who
worked the engines could no longer
venture near enough to the enemy. 1t
was to this cause, we suspect, rather
than to any want of efficiency in the
compound itself, that the discontinue
ance of the use of Greek fire should be
ascribed. The time has not yet come
TO making gunpowder itself useful
adjunct to the employment of liquid
lame.
1t is not so clear. however. that tie
Ancient Greek fire was much more effi-
cient than that which has recently come
into use. Still, the in uiry into the
nature of its composition is not without
interest.
The Prnness Anna Commend states
that Greek fire was compounded of sui
phur, resin and oil. 1t may be we'll to
dwell on is pc ut, since many writers
have 5een disposed to consi er naphtha,
or liquid bitumen, to have been the
principa ingred ent OF the Greek fire.
Possibly, however. the 0 mentioned by
Anna Commend may have been naphtha,
and not. as one would be disposed to
in err. any of the ordinary vegetable or
mineral oils; for the use of naphtha in
lamps is of great antiquity.
Gibbon writes: "Naphtha was
m ngled, l know not in what proper
tons. with sulphur and with the pitch
that is extracted from evergreen frs
that is, resin-in forming Greek fire. y
1t is moot point whether Friar
Bacon ever discovered the true compo-
sition of the liquid fire. Many SUI posed
that he concealed real ignorance on
the subject. when he supplied an appar
emily unmeaning answer to the ques
ons addressed to him. Others. how
ever, assert that wo of the components
of Greek fire were, as Bacon sad, sui
phur and salt eter, and that the third
is to BIZ detected in the logOgriph-
"Luru vopo vir Can utriet." We leave
this anagram to the ingenuity of our
readers, mentioning, in passing, that it
contains the apropos words, '.urit
voraciter,' but that the extraction of
these words leaves us only the combina-
ton "lupovun," from which it will not
be found easy to form a word. Posi-
bly, there is mistake in transcription
to add to the anagrammatic difficulty.
Many others have tried to elucidate
the question. Friar Bungay, Charles
du Frene, Ducange and Joinville-a
host, in fact, of commentators, histo-
rians and antiquarians--have all had
something TO say more or less to the pur-
pose. But the satisfactory solution of
the problem has not yet been obtained,
nor perhaps is it likely to be.
1t has been well remarked by writer
on the subject, that '.gunpowder blew
the ancient Greek fire out of the field"
But du ing the American war of 1850
65, it was shown that gunpowder might
be used to blow modern Greek fire into
cities. Whether the example will ever
become a recognized military precedent
is uncertain. But it has been shown that
Greek fire may be flung into a city by
means of suitably prepared shell, and
that its destructive properties may thus
be made available when the beseiging
force is four miles or more from the
central parts of the city. Charleston
was certainly not destroyed by General
Gillmore's fire shells; in fact, there are
difficulties connected with the construc-
ton of such shells, which, though far
from being insuperable, were not Who'll
ly mastered by the artillerists under
Gilmore. But that an immense amount
of damage was effected is shown by the
fact that General Beauregard hurled
from the mouth of his cannon denun-
Citations against Gilmore for employing
"she most villainous compound ever
used in war"
That Greek fire will one day To en-
ployed as a fearfully destructive agent
in warfare seems scarcely probable. Yet,
so far from looking forward with dis
may to the prospect OF such an applica-
ton for its properties, we may rather,
perhaps, consider the prospect As favor
able to the interests of peace. We may
apply to this case the remarks applied
by Fuller to the use of cannon Though
some may say that the finding of such
hath Leen the losing of many
mems lives, yet twill appear that wars
are now fought with more expedition,
and that Victory standeth not so long a
neuter. before she expresses herself on
one side or the other "-H'noULedJe.