The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-26
THE FIRE OF THE E
MAYBE THAT'S THE SECRET OF
ADMIRAL CAMARA'S OHEMLST.

cNeu In MEDIEVAL Times ny creek EIre-
Secrets or Ita Manufacture Rnd Use-auE-
Eestions from an Early Moorish Expert.
1t may DO quito true that Admiral Camara
carries with him on hla cruise a chemist who
pretonds to have a secret and infallible method
OF destroying American warships with fluid
fire and penetrating stencil, but 1t 10 not al ell
likely that the Admiral himself is under any
dolusion as to the destructive powers Of his
chcmist's chemistry. II any such chemical at
tachmont goes with the CNmara fleet, ho may
DO quite safely set down as a mere theatrical
property employed by the Spanish Government
to influence the Spanish masses through tho
press. and to restore the popular belief in the
ability of the Spanish Navy to wipe up the
seven seas with ours. Tho Spanish, as n people,
are quite medieval enough to believe implicitly
in the terrible power Of the FtIego Grfego over
modern warships, and nobody doubts the readi.
ness Of Spanish ohlcisldom 10 fool tho Spanish
masses to the top OF their bent.
Greek fire as n destructive agent of almost
supcrhuman power began about tho middle of
the eighth century to acquire a hold upon the
popular imagination of Europe, and has not
even yet quite released that hold. There are
also special historical reasons why the Spanish
imagination should be more strongly affected
in this respect than others. The traditions of
Callinicus and Constantine Pogonatus we're
somewhat interrupted when the infdel, for
NHS NV ""o hAob
used, finally prevailed against the imperial in
heritors Of tho secret. But in Spain 1t was the
infdel who used this uncRnny weapon against
the Christian hosts. and, in spite OF all. tho
Christians finally triumphed, 80 that in that
country. where tradition seems to be the only
thing not tainted with decay, the tradition Of
the Fucgo Griego used by the Moors in several
sicgcs Of the thirteenth century is likely to have
survived fresh and vigorous.
Aruh fro indpp1 would hp n 0ttar mama n tho
thing is to be called by Its origin. Callinicus Of
IleliopolIs. who brought it to Constantinople,
destroyed the hostile Saracen fleet with it at
CyZicus in A. u. 763. and communicated the
secret of It's composition and use to his i'm
perial employer, Constantine Pogonatus, was
II Syrian dcSerter. Besides, he was by no
means The discoverer of Greek fire, but only a
posscssor of rare, though not unique, kno wi
edge which had been developed through sue
cessive generations OF Arabs up 10 his time,
and was to be still further developed among
them in after times, until. about 700 years later,
it should issue in what popular history has
chosen to call the invention of gunpowder.
he persistent story of Schwartz and his acct
dental discovery of the explosive force Of gun.
powder may have n basis of fact. Schwartz
may, like other e~Xperimonters, have caused an
accidental explosion In his laboratory, but ex-
plosiyes. including gunpowder, were certainly
known in Europe before his time and used in
war. In short, it has been very plausibly shown
by l,einaud and Fave that Greek fire was
only q general term for a dozen or more diff
ferent chemical compositions, enc of which
was a primitive but genuine form or our COM
mon black Fourth OF July gunpowder.
After the achievement of Callinicus at Cy-
zicus had spread the terror of the Greek fire,
the secret became part of the apparatus Of
government of the byzantine Empcrors, and
hence tho popular name. Anna Commend. n
princess and chronicler of the dynasty which
held the byzantine throne in the eleventh and
twelfth centuries gives the Official and os-
tensible story of tho origin of Greek fire in tho
brief statement that the secret of 1t was shown
and revealed by an angel to the great and holy
first Christian Emperor Constantine and she
bound to guard and transmit the nowle 90
parently forgets that in an earlier chapter she
has tnronto,'sIv lola IN. bisto-v ~ Canir;o,s
and his bargain with Constantine III.
The second conspicuous appearance of one
1886, when the Greeks-or observation-disclosures
dnscrihod os horin- cor,air trhos with YrhJch
uescfipea a. naFans certain tnoes WIN Mnich
mics, and the Russians with one accord leaped
into the Rnsnnr"s n"d aSam fr ,nair Itres
though they must have seen that they were
leaning ont of floating irving mans into floating
fire. Seyt. the Byzantinc Enperor Alexis. who
WINS cbout contcmporary with William The CON.
oueror' used similar means when no was at war
with the Pisans. Anna Comnena tells in Ian.
erape Glowing with family bride how the shins
of her ancestor Alexis we're filled with head
of wild beasts which were made 10 "yomit forth
self.movinV drr " that is fir, that could he sent
in any direction and would continue To- move in
TINT direction, A IL was hciicved in those
DAYS that fire helonged to Tho snherc Of the snn
and Of ita own nature ALWAYS tended inward
to that sphere, this phenomenon must have i'm
" ~
III. sIIsnenkion Of The law of pravitStion Would
impress Us nowadays. The demoraiiZinc infer
cnra vas +hot this lind ~ nrs vas the ire ~
he'll itself md The Pisans cnuId hardly he Az.
. pected TO keep cool in its presence.
Twn centTries later the NosieTns vere usin1
This sort ri fire. aSainst the Crns.SerS TThsS
q Sire de- Joinviiie, who was with St. Louis Of
0 Fran In Epvnt In i04s tells how the JIniec.
a tiIes in,nresSeS him as heina ..Iita a oreSt
( dragon 1ying through the air." ThesSire heard
/ the insniTinT Fonrfb NJ iuiy .sisssfonm nRnt
, 81 90 oil tbat' Hrbannyor ,hoy t6ro n, Great,