Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1846-06-20


NHw AND ExrRAoaDfSAaY WAE EN
CINE w witnessed yesterday, at the
Arsenal IN this city, IN experiment,
before n large body Of scientific and
intelligent gentlemen, on a new and
extraordinary engine Of war, which has
Proved entirely s1eCessfull, and ednuot
fail to arrest the attention Of tho Cover.
mont at this crisis, when such an inven.
ton must be- deemed highly advantage.
oDq, md emiugDtIy worthy Of immediate
adoption IN the naval aud military service
of this country. This invention has boon
before tho country for the last seven or
ei. tt years; bat our pacific relations with
foreign powers, and q cnipabls careIessness
on The part Of tho Government, have al.
lowed iE~-llks many other useful and
valuable improvements in modern seisn
ces~-to pusg unnoliced, and without
encouragement 10 tho inventor. This
destructive weapon IL called by the
inventors, Messrs Beniamin Reynolds d
Brothers, Of K%tDdefh5ek, a "Pfojgeting
Engine" Tho principle upon which it
- constructed, ~ perfectly ~s,mpIe--and 1t
10 bAp3DID VI FfDHBlIi9A AWbbtyY ttkttA y = W
any number Of balls, by n centrifugal
power, 10 tbs ordinary distance ~ that by
either a cannon or muskst, and with equal
force and velocity, This engine is worked
IN the same manner as the fire en9ine-by
the aid If manual labor-aud with this
power Of steam could DO made far more
effective, in storming fortress, than &
FGfytIt . la tt1KsF fI1t.Hm - a.tf54ae AgGaER 70 FtNe
powder, nor gta, nor my Of the ordinary
aids which are required 10 work engines
Of waT. The model, which We have seen,
resembles a wlndiass, placed horizonl ly
at tho upper verge of which ~ placed a
small barrel, abp Vt tho size Of q bluDdeT.
b1gs. Fourteen leaden balls, weighing each
one and a half ounces, were placed at n
certain part Of the engine, and -four men
were SGT to@wofk, in The same manner M
lfthey were tGfninga ~wllTsowing machine.
Having worked the engine, sgflfrh was
pIaced ut n d~isttnce If seven, v Or eighty
yards from a target. with moderate siren.
gtb, The bal's ware propelled With . vsiDc.
tty equal to thtt Of maskst, and ~sIi4tler.
cd 10 pieces md perforated tie plank. The
invertebrates ii t.capabfe of projecting
ono HoRsaad baHs a minute, and could do.
execution equal 10 one hundred maskcts.
But this model is capable Of being applied
TO large cannon. At a cost Of a few
thousand dollars, within two months, the
inventor could construct o or more pro.
jactlng engines capable Of propelling a
cannon ball, with equal power and velocity
as If shot from tho ordinary cannon by the
aid Of powder; ats0, Of diycbarging ono
thousand per minute, by The MD Of steam
power. The present model was carried out
to Havana in the ship Norma. by the
gentlemanIy captain Of that vessel,
Richard III. Ellis. and was exhibited before
the Governor of Cuba, who expressed him.
self highly pleased, and gave his decided
appreciation Of the invention. GaneraIs
Storms and Arcularius, Robert McCIeI.ard,
IL. Vail, aud several distinguished mon Of
science and military t%actica, have, also
expressed themselves highly satisfied with
the success which has attended the expert
ment. Some Of the bullets protested by
this extraordinary engine remain at our
Office, and are as fiat asa Mexican dollar.
We trust That Mr.. R~eyn64ds will make
another experiment, on a more extended
scale, as such al engine at present would
be a po werfnl auxiliary 10 our naval and
military servlce.-N. 7. Herald.