portfire

plural portfires

1. historicalgovernmentA fuse for cannons, rockets, or other artillery, consisting of strong paper filled with a nitre, sulphur, and mealed powder, used principally to ignite the priming in proving guns, and as an incendiary material in shells.

   2 more examples

   {{quote-book|en|1857|George Bruce Malleson|The Mutiny of the Bengal Army|text=The infantry and cavalry were then formed on either side of them, the guns within grape distance in front. The 7th, completely cowed, awaited their doom. They were ordered to lay down their arms: they obeyed. At this moment the artillery portfires were lighted. A sudden panic seized them, with the cry, "Do not fire! do not fire!" Mad with terror, they rushed frantically away, cowed into repentance. The ringleaders, and most of their followers, were secured that night by the native cavalry and infantry, and were confined pending trial.

   About half a minute of intense anxiety now ensued, when the hail was repeated; and immediately afterwards the ghastly blue-white radiance of a portfire lit up the scene, distinctly revealing the hull, spars, and rigging of the schooner, with the figure of the man who held the firework standing by the fore rigging, one hand grasping a backstay, and the other holding the portfire high above his head, with sparks shooting and dropping into the water alongside, and the white smoke curling lazily upward between the naked masts.

   1898, Harry Collingwood, The Slaver's Revenge

2. A type of slow fuse used in pyrotechnics