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Pastimes : Don't Ask Rambi -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ilaine who wrote (29050)	6/15/1999 11:58:00 PM
From: Jacques Chitte	Respond to of 71178

Precisely!

To: Ilaine who wrote (29050)	6/16/1999 3:18:00 AM
From: nihil	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 71178

Don't think so. Most recent muzzle loaders were fired with a percussion cap mechanism(like a pistol lock) with the trigger pulled by a lanyard. Before that, muzzle loaded cannon were fired with a quill (often rolled up from copper sheets although originally a goose-quill I would guess) loaded with gunpowder and thrust into the touch hole. The quill was touched with the glowing fuse held in the linstock. The appropriate command would be "fire", the gunner would touch the fuse to the powder in the quill. He might want to cry out "fire in the quill" but the available time was two short. Nothing could be heard over the explosion of the main charge. As time passed the hot corrosive gasses (sulfuric acid) would enlarge the touch hole and it would have to be rebushed and a new touch hole bored. Of an old gun would unbush itself and blow the quill and bushing out the top, putting it out of action for a time.