Martinsburg Gazette And Public Advertiser

VARIETY
From the Aurora and Franklin Gazette

GREEK FIRESHIP-- While lying in the harbor of Mylo there came into that port a Spizziote division of the Greek fleet; amongst them were a number of fireships. Several of the officers of the Ontario with myself visited them, and were much gratified by having an opportunity of examining these wonderful engines of destruction. We were much astonished at the simplicity of their construction, and pleased to see that if once fire it would be impossible to extinguish them. The commanders took a great deal of pains to explain every thing to us; one of them stated that he had destroyed two frigates, and feels very confident of always being successful, provided they can attack the enemy at anchor.

They are vessels generally of about 300 to 400 tons burthen, and mostly Polake brig-rigged; they were formerly merchantmen, before the revolution; are strong vessels and mostly sail fast. They have chain slings for all their yards, and at yards arms, grapple or fire hooks, and a box on the lower yard arms containing combustible matter, which burns for some considerable time. The chain slings are for the purpose of keeping the yards from falling as long as possible after the rigging and sails are on fire. They have other fire hooks on the bow sprit with boxes of combustibles: there is a train which leads to the boxes in the yard arm and bowsprit, which communicates with them and sets them on fire; before the rigging takes fire they are filled with grenades and fire balls. Along the deck within about two feet of the water way, they have 12 or 14 hatches; these hatches are kept closely shut when they are approaching an enemy, so that any fire from them may not communicate with the hold; they have also ports along the outside which they also keep close shut until they are about to fire the train, when they heave off the hatches on deck and open the ports, which fall down. The flame then has a fair opportunity of rising out of the hatches and bursting from the sides. They have a between deck fore and aft, on which they have large cribs, built like double births, which are filled with light pine, dipped in tar or turpentine; mixed with this is a quantity of brush, dipped in the same substance; they also put on old tarpaulins and other combustibles, taking care not to have it lay too close together. Abrest of every deck hatch they have a barrel of fire balls, and close to it a hatch cut through the between decks, so as to make a draft from the hold, where they have nothing but ballast.

The trains are laid fore and aft in troughs of two inches wide and three deep, running in every direction along the deck, which is covered with tar and turpentine, as well as all the beams and carlings. The train is generally fired from the cabin windows, but in case it should be required, they can set fire to it from any of the ports along side.-- Just before they intend going along side of an enemy, they wet all the sails with spirits of turpentine and fill the train troughs with powder; all hands with the exception of the captain get into the boat astern, which are very fast rowing boats, and pull with from twelve to fourteen oars, which is all the crew of the fire ship; the boat carries two small guns. When every thing is ready, the captain being the only one on board, steers direct for the vessel he intends laying on board, which he tries to strike about the fore-chains, and does not leave the helm until she is fairly grappled with the enemy: he then jumps into the boat astern and fires a pistol into the train, when the vessel is instantly in a blaze, which it would be impossible to extinguish. I am told they burn from one half to three quarters of an hour, before they sink; they do not blow up as it has been generally stated.