Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1861-05-24
a Wonderful Canuon.

/ non took place yesterday afternoon al
the foot of Thirty-third street. and
North river, in this city. |, is one of
The most singular instruments of war
that has ever been exhi ited TO the Am.
erIcan people, and places Winans' gun
enureiy ID the shade, sending balls at
the rate of four hundred and eIrhiv
per minute without any powder or an
apparent effort. The gun used vester-
day IN the experiment had only an inch
bore, and was about three feet Iono.-
tbs modest looking gun was attached
10 wheel about three feet in diameter
aud not over four inches thick, looking
like ftange, or, as some would call II
balance wheel. On one side of this
wheel, or tiauge, is a tube which con-
meets The wheel with hopper in which
are poured the balls In a promiscuous
manner, as apples are thrown into the
hopper OF cider mill, the machinery
inside OF this wheel receiving the balls.
Ga ing them around TO the gun bar
re-. and throwing them thr, ugh the
bore of the gun at the rate mentioned
above, simply by the centrifugal force.
and al velocity almost incredible.
The motion OF this wheel is kept up
by means Of cranks attached to coy
wheels, about five feet in the rear Of
the large wheel, or feeder to the gun
barrel, band passing from these
wheels TO pulley on the side of the
large wheel. The gun that we saw III
operation, using one inch balls, was
worked by SIX men at the crauks as mo-
i've power, one s a feeder, pouring
the balls INTO the hopper, and the inyen-
LOT OF the gun In the rear OF all, taking
ann and shifting the gun al will from
one direction TO another With the
power got up In this way balls poured
OUT OF the gun IN perfect stream. and
It appears as though one continual show
er was being hurled against The target,
stationed about fifty yards distant. most
OF them gong through three thickness
es OF boards The gun was afterwards
raised a. an angle thirty degrees, and
lis capacity for distance tested. The
river al he lhlrly-lhird street is about
one and threefourths miles wide, The
gun was stationed some distance back
from the shore. and the balls were seen
10 drop ln;O the water amongst the shad
poles towards the west side of The Hud-
son, at The lowest estimate one mile
from The starting point. aud all this by
mere centrifugal force, or the arrange
ment Of the machinery TO use ,h!s
throwing off power.
When the machinery is put in motion
it sounds like ihrasblug machine. and
has like hun abou, II. The only re-
port about lis firing is The cIauk of the
balls passing into the large Wheel
They pass off without the least noise,
no one knowing their departure until
they strike the target at distance -
The experiment yesterday was a com
+ Plete success, and lis operation juolifies
the assertion that for the purpose Of put
ing down a street mob, 10 implement
has been invented lis equal. No band
of desperadoes could stand many min.
utes an ;nCessent fire of almost five
hundred balls per minute. The same
inventor has thirty-two FOUNDER on
the principle of the gnn completed.-
The machinery works ty means of
s.eam, and viii throw fully as many
tails as the small gun.
i The inventor OF this wonderful i'm
plement of war Is Mr.. McCauv He
spent some ten years upon the project,
and finally obtained gun that lids fair
! 10 do ali that his widest dreams plctur-
I'd TO him. They are manufactured bv
/ j. ColweIl. No. $40 West Tweuty-Sev-
enth street, who can make several per
week. \ person connected with the
establishment Intends 10 ylSi. Washing
Ton the frs. Of next week. and urge the
War Department 70 try one Of them
Several OF The officers OF the regI-
menIs forming In the cIly witnessed the
operation OF the gun yesterday. a.d |
understand that McLeon Murphy IL
lends TO take one for hIs regiment. Il
Is really one of the wonders of the jav,
aud if, on future trials, it sus,ains us
yesterdays effort II cannot fail to be-
come a powerful and useful weapon Of
uarGare.-N T. Hergld nh INST.