OCR Text |
Show Greek Fire. Greek fire was a combustible com position (now unknown, but thought to have been principally naphtha) thrown from engines said to have been invented by Calllnleus, an engineer en-gineer of Hellopolls In Syria in the seventh century, to destroy the Saracens' Sara-cens' ships (which was effected by the general of the fleet of Constantino Pognatus and 30.000 men were killed). A so-called "Greek fire." probably a solution of phosphorus in blsulphido of the carbon, was employed at the siege of Charleston in 1863. |