Civil War Portfire / SOLD

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SKU: ART 466 Category:

Description

Civil War Portfire

 

Portfires were used to light cannon aboard the wooden deck of a ship.  The portfire itself is similar to a flare. They were a composition of niter, sulphur and mealed powder driven into a case of strong paper. A full-length portfire could burn for about ten minutes and could not be extinguished by water. Portfires were used from the mid- 1600’s up through the Civil War. During the Civil War it was a backup option to igniting a cannon, usually during wet conditions. Measures: 13” in length.

 

Inventory Number: ART 466

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A Civil War Portfire, a long cylindrical cardboard tube with a light brown, slightly worn surface, is shown on a white background.
A Civil War Portfire, featuring a long cylindrical cardboard tube, lies horizontally on a white background.
A single Civil War Portfire, cylindrical in shape, is shown against a white background.
A single Civil War Portfire lies diagonally on a white background.
A Civil War Portfire, a long, cylindrical cardboard tube, lies diagonally on a white surface.
A cylindrical, light brown cardboard tube with open ends, identified as the Civil War Portfire, displayed against a white background.
A close-up view of a Civil War Portfire, showing its brown cardboard tube with a torn end, placed on a white surface.

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