The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-31

In his laboratory. but explosives, in
GLIDING guupuwder. We're certainly
known in Europe before his time and
used in war. In short. IL has been very
pIausibly shown 10y Reinaud and Fave
that Greek fire was only "a general term
for a dozen or more different chemical
compositions. one of which was a prim-
hive but genuine form OF our common
black Fourth OF July RunpJwder.
After the achievement of Callinicus
at Cyzicus had spread the terror ~ the
Greek fire. the secret became part OF
the apparatus uf government or the by-
Zantine rmperors. and hence the pupu
lar name. Anna Cumnena, a princess
and chrunlclpr OF the dynasty which
held The Byzantine throne In the I'm
and 18th centuries. gives the official
and ostensible story Of the origin Of
Greek fire IN the brief statement that
the secret OF 81 was shown and re
vealed 10y an angel To the great and
holy first Christian emperor. C%onstan-
tine" and she tells how the successors
of Constantine were bound to guard
and transmit the knowledge on peru Of
disaster TO their empire. She apparent
Is foTgets that In an earlier chapirr
she has ingeni0usly told the history OF
Callinicus and his bargain with Con
stantine Ill.
The second conspicuous appearance of
hlNf - WI VI hhA''h tA H'
tory was in 936. when the Greeks-or
MISUNDERSTANDING ~CunstantinOple
against a Russian fleet, are described
as having certain tubes with which they
cast liquid fire upon the ships Of their
enemies. and the Russians with one ac-
cord leaped INTO the Bospofus and swan
for their lives, though they must have
seen that they We're ieaping out of itoat-
ing frying pans into floating lire. Next,
the Byzantine Emperor Alexis, who
was abut contemporary With william
/ tine COuquerUr, used similar means
when he was at war with the pisans.
Anna Commons tells In language glow
ing with family pride how the ships OF
her ancestor Alexis We're htted with
heads of wild beasts which were made
TO vomit forth self-moviug IRE, that
is. fire h could be- sent IA any dl-
rection and would continue 10 move ~
that direction. A. % was believed ~
those DAYS .hat fire belonged 20 the
sphere of the sun. and OF its " ma.
ture always tended upward To thai
sphere, this phenomenon must nave nm
pressed the behulders ma as an eNhi,
billion Of the suspension of the law al
grayitatiOu would impress us nowadays
The demOralizing inference was tina
this kind Of fire was the fire OF mel
itself. and the PisaHs could hardly b,
expected To keep cool In its presence
Two centuries later the MpsleUiS N"l'
using this sort Of nre against the cru
gaders. The Sieur de ~Joinviile, who wa
AIth ~. Louis uf France In Egypt n
IZ4s. tells now the projrcJiles impresse,
him as being like a great dragon fly.
ing through the air The Sire hedrt
the inspiring Fourth Of july slss
boom" but aid not kn0W 10, Of course
lie 81 i counsel you all that, when
ever they throw Greek IRE a. Us eaCi
" u throw himself uu elbows and knee
and cry mercy unto the Lord. In whom
Is all power" And yet de J~olnvillr wa
a brave man. 10 ever there Wds one. /
Is a pity that the ship sent ~ the rele
81 Acre with Greek fire In bottles an
200 most harmful serpents was cap
tIred BY the English besiegers. II NOul
have been interesting 10 know whethe
Richard Occur de Lion. who was con
Quoting the siege. would have stood mr.
any better than his French brother d
arms Of a later generation. What seem
ra have scared the medieval fighter eve
more than che Internal seif-moyin
character OF the Greek FIRE. was It's an
qucnchableuess. A. late a. the lst