Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1866-08-25
Who Invented the Needle Gun ?


The Paris correspondent of the Liv-
erpool journal gives the following nar-
rative of the tolls and disappointmepts
OF the inventor Of this gun:
"The needle gun is we'll known to be
the product of the long study and per-
severence of an English officer who,
while stationed at a solitary outpost in
Canada, amused his leisure hours with
experiments in the rough construction
of substitute for rife which he had
damaged by letting it drop down prec-
ipice while in pursuit of bear. 1t was
almost by accident that the discovery
became palpable to the solitary hunter
in the.Woods. 8 But no sooner did it be-
come manifest to his senses than he re-
signed his commission in the army, re-
turned to Europe, and as matter of
course, hurried to the War Office with
his invention. For more than year
was the inventor kept in suspense. He
was handed about from one official to
another during all this time, merely to
be told at last that Government did not
feel disposed to alter the principle of
the arms employed. was then that
in disgust, he brought his invention to
Paris, and he obtained an interview
with the Emperor, whoistened with the
greatest apparent interest to the descrip.
tion of the gun, examined the plans and
sections brought by the officer, much
questioned the superiority of the inven-
tion over others which had been laid
before him, declared it seemed to him
liable to the great objection of being too
delicate for field use, and abruptly
sounded the little gong which stands
upon his bureau, and slightly rising when
the usher entered at the summons, dis
missed the visitor to admit other i'm
portunates. 1t was then that he betook
himself, armed with his needle gun,
to Holland. But when he arrived at tie
Hague lie found that his resources had
dwindled away to such an extent that
he was compelled to delay his presenta-
tion to the king for want of proper cos
tune to appear in. j. .'-
Meanwhile he became accidentally ac-
quainted with one of the gentlemen at
tached to the Prussian Legation at the
Hague, and to whom he recounted his
bitter grievances This time he was lis
tened to with interest. The brother in
law of his new friend held some appoint
ment at the Court of Berlin, and he lost
no time in repairing with the English
man to Berlin. The needle-gun was
tried, examined, and accepted in the
shortest possible space of time, the in
ventor handsomely rewarded, and en-
couraged to establish himself in Prus-
sia.
The Birmingham Post, on the other
hand, says: al .ea
"The Prussian needle-gun resembles
In all essential respects, an arm invent
ed by two Englishmen, Messrs. Hanson
and Golden, of Hudders6eld, and pa
tented by them in this country on the
I'd November, 1S41. 1t was said that
Mr.. Golden received an order from the
King of Prussia for two of his guns and
from these models the so-called Prussian
needle-gun, with trifing notifications,
was made.''
A writer in the Albany Argus says:
"About fourteen years ago the writer
of this was introduced to the inventor
of the needle-guh. Heis German gun
smith, and native of Berlin. He ex-
amined the rifle in all its details, and
took drawings of its several parts. 1t
was patented in the United States, and
the inventor visited this country for the
purpose of inducing our Government to
adopt it for the army. Its cartridges
were pronounced unsafe for use by the
officers of the Bureau to whom it was
sent for examination.