Incendiaries to be put into bombs or shells, are sometimes in rolls in the form of a sausage, which continue to burn after the shell has burst. They infallibly set fire to whatever combustible substance they touch. When thus made they are from .88 parts of an inch, to an inch in diameter, and from 3 to 4 inches long. Carcass composition is generally used. It is run into cylinders, which are pierced in the middle, and the hole is filled with the composition of bomb fuse. They are also furnished with cotton matches.
Composition of Fire Stone.
| PARTS OF | |||||||
| Sulphur. | Salt- | Meal | Powder | Char- | |||
| petre. | Powder. | in grain | coal. | ||||
| Composition | frequently | made use of, | 16 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Do | do | do | 28 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Do for | particular | purposes, | 9¼ | 16⅞ | 0 | 0 | ⅞ |
| Do | do | do | 11 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Do | do | (spirits of | } | ||||
| turpentine, | 12 oz.) | and | } 6 | 1 | 4 | ||
Fire stone may be considered the wild-fire; but this term is applicable to any composition, as the Greek fire, which, when inflamed, burns with rapidity, and communicates its fire to surrounding objects with quickness. In such cases, the combustion is so rapid, that buildings, &c. are immediately wrapt in flames, which seem almost to defy all human power to extinguish. Such was the nature of the Greek fire, of which we shall speak hereafter.
Sec. II. Of Incendiary Matches.
These are better for the purpose of putting into shells and howitzes, than fire-stone alone, which does not burn as well. Their preparation consists in boiling common slow match in a solution of 20 parts of saltpetre, in six parts of water; then drying and cutting it into pieces of two or three inches long, and immersing it into fire-stone, in a state of fusion. Before the match has become solid, let it be rolled in meal-powder, or in grain powder. Fifty pounds of fire-stone will be sufficient for 1500 matches.
Sec. III. Of Carcasses and Fire-Balls.
Carcasses and fire-balls are made of a composition of combustible substances, and are used to produce light, as well as to fire buildings. The difference between them is, that the carcass has bands or hoops of iron, that form its shell. These hoops are made at right angles with each other, in an oval form, and fastened together with a base of iron. The fire-ball is made of a sack of strong tow cloth, or of a bag of basket work, in an oval form, and covered with strong cord, to give it a body. Both, however, are well wrapped with cord, to make them more solid.
The Rev. J. P. Coste, in 1794, invented a carcass composition, which he submitted to the French national convention. It appears that its fire was very violent, which nothing could extinguish, and could be thrown 800 paces from a caliber of 24 in. and to a greater distance, if required. An account of this carcass is given in the Moniteur, No. 342.