Of CARCASSES.
TH E Carcaピ is a バrt of cartouch for the mortar; its
figure is that of a パheroid, lengthened at one end, and flatted at the
other; it is compoテd of 2 arches of a circle, or rather an oval, of iron,
which interテct each other at right angles, and terminate in a kind of
little iron pan, or diド, which forms the flat end of the carcaピ, and
is called its (culot) or breech.
The interior
part of this carcaピ is filled with grenadoes, and piフol barrels, charged
with leaden balls, as alバ with pitch, and whole powder, and the whole
afterwards covered with okum dipp'd in pitch, and ヂcking, which laフ テrves
as a wrapper; a hole is made in this cloth, to put ブch a fuテ through
into the carcaピ, as is uテd in bombs, and the carcaピ is in the ヂme manner
diツharged from a mortar.
It is ヂid
Carcaャes were invented towards the year 1672, and uテd by the French
in the wars between France and Holland.
From the Figures
2, 3, and 4, in Plate IX. all that relates
to carcaャes may be eaナly learnt.
Fig.
2. ドows the iron frame of the carcaピ, its breech and ribbs, or the arches
of iron it is compoテd of.
Fig.
3, ドows the manner of charging it,
Fig.
4. repreテnts it as it appears when ready to be fired in the mortar.
The carcaピ
weighs about 20 pounds, is 12 inches high, and 10 inches diameter in the
middle. The uテ of this carcaピ is to テt fire to the places on which it
is thrown. The various parts of its compoナtion cannot fail of cauナng
great diバrder where it falls; the pitch which is poured into it, バ as
to fill all the vacancies between the reフ of its contents, renders the
fire tenacious, and the ノall barrels it is charged with, and which do
not go off all at one time, deter every one from coming near enough to
extinguiド it, and it is for that reaバn they are put in. But the uテ of
this kind of fire-ball is notwithtanding aboliドed, if we may be allowed
the expreャion, becauテ it has been obテrved that its effect is very little
ブperior to that of a bomb, and that it is notwithftanding attended with
a much greater expence.
SECT. II. Of Partridge Mortars, for firing Bombs and Grenadoes together.
BEナdes the mortars already mentioned, one has been invented
of a particular conフruction, deナgned to diツharge a bomb and a number
of grenadoes at the ヂme time. Fig. 5. P1.
IX. repreテnts this mortar mounted upon its carriage: it is a common
mortar, ブrrounded by 13 other little mortars, bored round its circumference
in the body of its metal, as appears in fig. 6. of the ヂme plate;
that in the middle is charged with a bomb, and the others with grenadoes.
The touch-hole of the great one being fired, and communicating with thoテ
of the little ones, diツharges at once both the bomb and the grenadoes.
This kind
of mortar is called a partridge mortar, becauテ, when it is fired, the
bomb mounts with the grenadoes, almoフ like a covey of young partridges,
of which the bomb repreテnts the mother. They have been very little uテd
in France; in the various experiments made with them, related by M. St
Remy, バme of the grenadoes have always failed to burフ, and バmetimes
even the bomb itテlf has not taken effect. The allies, however, made good
uテ of them during the war in 1701, and more eパecially at the ナege of
Liフe
in 1708, and the defence of Bouchain in 1712.