black smoke , or black powder , is a fictitious poisonous gas in H. G. Wells ' 1898 science fiction novel '' The War of the Worlds '' , used by the Martians to eliminate groups of humans , especially artillery crews , and conveyed by shells fired from a gun-like '' " black tube " '' carried by the Tripods ' whip-like tentacles . Any animal inhaling this deadly smoke is killed almost instantly , but the smoke becomes harmless on contact with water . The Martians would dispel it after each use with jets of steam , leaving only a residual , " cindery " black powder , which reminds the narrator of what he " read of the destruction of Pompeii " . The smoke is very dense , and can be avoided by climbing to higher places . Although Wells never explains the smoke 's mechanism in the novel , he mentions that it may bind with argon to become toxic . In reality , argon can not combine with other elements , with the marginal exception of fluorine , but chemical weapons were widely used in human warfare after Wells ' novel was written , especially in World War I
destruction
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79
Black smoke (The War of the Worlds)