Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1861-06-06

!
M'Carty's New and Powerful
Cannon.
48O Balls Fired in one Minute Dithont Poe
dsr-Guapor0der Superceded by Ceatritx~
gal Force.
An exhibition Of a new and Unique cannon
took place yesterday afternoon at the foot Of
Thirty third street, North river. 1t is one
of the most singular implements of war that
has ever been exhibited to the American
people, and places Winan's gun entirely in
the shade, sending balls at the rate of 480
per minute without any powder OF apparent
effort. The gun used yesterday in the ex-
pertinent had only an inch bore, and was
about three feet long. This modest looking
gun is attached to wheel about four feet in
diameter, and not over four inches thick,
looking like fange, or, as some would call
it, a balance wheel. On one side of this
wheel or fange is q tube which connects
the wheel with hopper, il which are pour.
ed the balls in promiscuous manner, as
apples are thrown into the hopper of cider
mill, the machinery inside the wheel re-
ceiving the balls, carrying them around to
the gun barrel, and throwing them through
the bore of the gun at the rate mentioned
above, simply BY centrifuga! force, and at
velocity almost Incredible.
The motion of this wheel is kept I'D BY
means of cranks attached to cogwheels, about
five feet in the rear of the large wheel or feed.
er to the gun barrel, a band passing from
these wheels to pulley on the side of the
large wheel. The gun that we saw in op.
Grafton, using one inch balls, was worked
by six men at the eranks as motive power
one as feeder, pouring the balls into the
hopper, and the inventor of the gun in the
rear of all, taking aim and shifting the gun
at 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
appeared as though one continuous shower
was being hurled against the target. sta.
toned about so yards distant, most of them
going through three thicknesses of boards
The gun was afterwards raised at an angle
of 80 deg, and its capacity as to distance
tested. The river at the foot Of Thirty third
street is about one and three fourth miles
wide. The gun was stationed some distance
back from the shore, and the balls were
seen to drop into the water among the shad
poles toward the west side of the Hudson,
at the lowest estimate one mile from the
starting point and all this by centrifugal
force or the arrangement of the machinery
to use this throwing off power.
When the machinery is put in motion 1t
sounds like threshing machine, and has a
like hum about it, The only report about
Its firing is tie clank of the balls passing
into the large wheel. They pass off without
the least noise, no one knowing their de.
parture until they strike tne target at a dis.
tance. The experiment yesterday was a
complete success, and its operation ustifies
the assertion that, for the purpose of putting
down street mob, no implement has been
invented its equal. No band ofdesperadoes
could stand many minutes before an inces.
SAINT lire of almost 500 balls per minute
The same inventor has 80 FOUNDER on the
principle OF the gun completed. The ma.
chlnery works by means of steam, and will
throw fully as many balls as the small gun.
The inventor of this wonderful implement
OF war Is MIR. McCarty. lie has spent some
ten years upon the project, and has finally
obtained gun that bids fair to do all that
his widest dreams pictured to him. They
are manufactured by j. Colwell, No. $40.
West Twenty y-fourth street, who can make
several per week. A person connected with
the establishment intends to visit Washing
ton the first of next week, and urge the War
department to try one of them. "t
Several of the officers of the regiments
forming in the city witnessed the operation
OF the gun yesterday, and we understand
that Mcleod Murphy intends to take one for
his regiment. 1t is really one of the won.
ders OF the day, and if, on future trials. it
sustans Its yesterdays effort, it cannot fail
to becume powerful and useful weapon OF
warfare.--N. Y. Herald. e