Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1826-03-25
thing, 10 be thought any thing of, go and
do as the hero of this brief story-Tom
Tomorrow.
From the London Times.

hood of Mr.. Perkins safety steam en-
CINE mandatory nearthe Regents Park,
was on Tuesday thrown into great con-
sternatioD by some tremendous reports,
arising from the discharge OF his steam
gun.--Since a fatal accident, which oc.
Cured several months ago, where lady
threw herself from gig, IN consequence,
as it was at the time incorrectly suppos.
ed, of her horse having taken fright at
the prodiglous noise made by the steam
gun, that terrific engine of destruction
had not been permitted to be discharg-
ed by the individuals belonging 10 Mr..
Perkins concern. On Tuesday morn
ing, however, little after O'Clock, pa
trolls were observed stationed on aT the
roads leading towards The mandatory,
accompanied by men, with placards on
boards, warning all passengers on horse
back or in carriages to go through the
Regents Park, instead OF proceeding by
the high road 10 from, OF the manulacto-
ry. Soon after nine, numbers of mill
tary officers, in carriages and Oh horse
back, alighled at the mandatory. They
were soon followed by the Duke of We'll
lington, and immediately afterwards the
discharge oil steam, which had been
previously OCCASIONAL, and OF compare
lively slight force, commenced with a
continued roar, resembling the loudes,
thunder we ever heard. The group of
eminent persons then assembled consist
ed of bis Grace the Master General OF
the Ordnance, and his Staff, the Marquis
OF Salisbury, Mr.. Pcll, Sir II. Hardinge,
Lord Fizroy Somerset, the Judge Ad-
vocate General, and many military Of
licers OF the highes, rank /; together with
a Committee OF Artillery ana Engineer
Officers, who, it appeared, had been OF,
hclalIy appointed by the Duke OF We'll
! llnglon TO examine into the merits OF this
wonderful specimen of human ingenuity
and destructive power. The discharge
of steam now became almost incessan1
for two hours, during which its astonish.
ing force and incalculable rapidly in dis
charging balls excited amazement and
admiration in all present. At first the
| balls were shot at short intervals, in imi.
tation of artillery firing, against an iron
target, at the distance OF SIS yards. Such
" as the force with which they were driv'
en-, that they were completely shattered
to atoms. In the next experiment The
balls were discharged at frame o.
wood ,andth balls actually passed through
eleven one inch planks OF the hardest
deal, placed at distance Of an inch from
each other. Afterwards they were pro-
PEELED against an iron plate one fourth
of an inch thick, and at the very first
trial the ball passed through II. On ali
| hands this was declared 10 be the utmo
effect OF force that gunpowder could ex-
ert. Indeed we understand that this
plate had been brought specially from
| Woolwich, for the purpose OF ascertain
ing the comparative force OF steam and
leunpowder. The pressure ct steam
employed to effect this wonderful force,
we learn, on inquiry, did not at first ex-
coed IS amospheres, or 900 lbs. 10 the
square inch; and it was repeatedly stat
ed by Mr.. Perkins that the pressure
might be even carried TO 200 atmos-
pheres with perfect safety. Mr.. Per-
kins then proceeded to demonstrate the
rapidly with which musket balls might
be projected by its agency. To effect
this he screwed on 10 The gun barrel a
tube filled With balls, which, falling
down by their own gravity into the bar
rel, we're. pro- ecied, one by one, with
such extraordinary velocity as to demon
s.ra'e that, by means of a succession Of
tubes filled with balls, fixed in wheel
a model OF which was exhibited nearly
one thousand balls per minute might be
discharged. In subsequent discharges
or yolleys, the barrel to which is attach
ed movable JOINT, was given lateral
direction, and the balls perforated plank
nearly twelve feet 10 length. Thus, il.
opposed to regiment in line, the steam
gun might be made to act from one OF
its extremilies to the other. a similar
plank was atterw ards pa,- in a perpen-
dicular position, and, in Ike manner,
| there was stream Of shot holes from
The top to the bottom. Il is thus proved
that the steam gun hes not only the force
of gunpowde der, but also admits OF any
direction being given 10 it. But VIVA,
seemed 10 create most surprise, was the
effect of volley-of balls discharged
against the brick wall by the side OF the
target. They absolutely dug a hole OF
considerable dimensions in the wall, and
penetrated almost one half through its
thickness. We heard several officers
declare their belief, that, had the balls
been made of iron instead OF lead, they
would actually have made breach
through 1.-THE wall was lS inches thick