The Collaborative International Dictionary
Portfire \Port"fire`\, n. A case of strong paper filled with a composition of niter, sulphur, and mealed powder, -- used principally to ignite the priming in proving guns, and as an incendiary material in shells.
Wiktionary
n. A case of strong paper filled with a composition of nitre, sulphur, and mealed powder, used principally to ignite the priming in proving guns, and as an incendiary material in shells.
Usage examples of "portfire".
Edwards inspected the pitch in case it was too hot, then gently poured some on to the marline wound round the portfire in the bung-hole, filling up the circular depression.
He then wound on more turns of marline, pushing them down with the pricker, and poured on more pitch, using the pricker to shape it so that when it set there would be a little mountain of pitch stuck up on the barrel with the portfire sticking out in place of a peak.
No sign of even a whisp of smoke: he swore - had the portfires gone out?
The English gunners stand with their portfires ready, which are seen glowing luridly in the daylight.
Their portfires seeped grey smoke into the air and Lassan knew how dry their mouths were and how fragile their bellies felt.
The French gunners touched portfires to vents, and the battle of Arcachon had begun.
The brass elevating screws were turned and the portfires touched vent tubes and the fire slipped down to the coarse powder that hammered more grapeshot to slice into the undergrowth across the clearing.
The gunners, who had been hammering quoins into the shaken howitzer beds, leaped back as the portfires were lit and as the barrels thudded down again.
The guns were loaded, their portfires smoking gently in readiness for the French.
The portfires touched the fire to the quills of mealed powder that flashed the flame down to the charge in the fabric bags, and the guns crashed back on their trails, their wheels jumping clear out of the mud before smashing down yards back from where they had started.
A few cannon had been left loaded with canister and the portfires touched the quills to send barrels of the killing musket-halls at the rumps of the fleeing cavalry.
The glowing slow-matches of the portfires touched the quills and the nine-pounders crashed back on their trails.
Edwards inspected the pitch in case it was too hot, then gently poured some on to the marline wound round the portfire in the bung-hole, filling up the circular depression.
Taking up the roll of marline he tucked an end between the leather and the inside of the barrel and began to wind it round and round the base of the portfire, as though rewinding a cotton reel, pausing every now and again to push it down until the portfire was a tight fit in the bung-hole, and leaving a shallow depression all round.
He could see the gunners behind their embrasure, one holding the portfire which would spark the priming tube and slam the canister from the muzzle, and he aimed a little above the man's head and pulled the trigger.