Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-12-23
WEAPONS or WAR
Deadly Devices Used by Warriors
In Ancient Times.
THE JAVELlNS OF CAESAR.

They Turned the Tide Of Battle In Ono
Of His Gallo Campaigns-The Fa-
NOUS Greek Wet Fire and the First
Use Of Gunpowder and Cannon.
Reviewing the history of warfare
among civilized nations" says Geo
graphic Society Bulletin. "one Of the
earliest engines of destruction whose
fame has been perpetuated on the
pages of legendary epic was the great
wooden horse which the crafty Ulysses
left on the plains of Ilium and which
the TroJans believed to be an offering
sacred to the goddess Athena. Coun
seled by the false Simon, the Trojans
razed their walls in order that the
gift of the Greeks might be brought
into the city After nighfall tie war
riOrs hidden inside the wooden animal
crept out. threw open the gates Of the
city and admitted their companions
thus bringing about the destruction Of
the city Of PriAm aud wreaking venge
ance upon the people who had shell
tered Paris and the fair but false
Helen of Troy.
An engine Of war which emerges
from the cloud Of legead and takes
It's place among historical aCtuahties
was that employed 10y Alexander the
Great In his seven months siege of
the famous PhoenIcian metropolis,
Tyre This ancient city was strongly
situated on an island. aud as there
were no long range cataputs in the
fourth century before the Christian
era. Alexander conceived the plan %
building n mole or causcway from the
mainland to the island This engi-
neering enterprise was hampered by
tue Tyrians. who launched blazing
ships against the asSailants as they
sunk piles to hold In place the rock
and debris that formed roadway
over which the army was to march
Ia order to protect his construction
corps Alexander devised an engine
OF war. great towers covered with
green hides. These were set up IA
shields against the floating flames of
the enemy, ana the result was one of
the memorable victories In AleXan
der's conquest of the eastern world
'One of the simplest and yet one of
the most effective inventions Of an.
Client times was the javclm with
point of soft iron employed by julius
Caesar In one of his Gallc wars The
Roman legionaries hurled these weHp-
ons against the shields Of their enc
mics. The iron head penetrated the
outer coverings Of bulls hide but fiat
tened ont against the hard wood or
metal back of the shield and thus
became hooked 10 tbs protector The
shanks Of the dangling jayclIns 80
impedcd the movements of the bar
barian soldiers that they were forced
either 10 throw away their shields ana
tight uncovered against the Romans
or else stop long enough IA fatal de-
lay IN their advance t. discncumber
themselves from this unique weapon.
which may property Ice called the
dnmdum plum, the proEenitor of the
soft nose r dumdum bullets of today
Greek fire Is a term which has been
II succession of centuries going rs far
back as ~ r. C.. when at the siege Of
Deltum caldron nlcd with sulphur
pitch and charcoal was placed against
the walls of the city. ieuited and the
flames intensified 10y bellows attach
ed to a hollow tree trunk The most
famous of the Greek fires, however
was that invented by the architect
Ccllinicus during the reign OF ConStau
tine pogonatus. This particular engine
OF destruction was known as wet fire
on account Of Its property Of bursting
into flame when wetted Thrown from
slphons. II Fell upon the ships Of the
Saracens. causing them To- burst into
flames, and thus ConStantinoplc was
saved TO the Byzantine cmperors for
the time being (66S 4. Ia.
probably more farrcachinC IN Its
effect than any other engine Of war
was the Introduction Of gunpowder ON
the battlefield. 1t was one OF he most
potent factors contributing TO the over
throw OF the great feudal system for
Il destroyed the superiority Of the ar
mOred knight over the yeoman foot sol
der and, as Carlyle rightly said. II
made ali men OF the same height Fol
lowing the use OF gunpowder In small.
arms came the invention and develop
ment of the cannon weapon which
WAS employed with destructive effect
against the walls Of Constantinonle
when this historic city dualy fen into
the hands of the Mohammedans IN
1853
The aeroplane. the Zeppelin and the
submarine have been developed grad
uslly In times Of peace preparatory Tor
war and are the products OF many
minds. Not so the ironclad Merrimac
and the turreted Monitor. which ap
peared suddenly and almost Simu}ta
neously on the horizon OF naval war
fare during the American war"
When Niagara Falls Went Dry.
Niagara falls has on occasion run dry
In fact this phenomenon has occurred