Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1866-08-09
9
The Prussian Needle Gun.

in the battle of Sadowa, was origi-
nally invented in 1886, although
many improvements have since been
made. The credit Of the invention
belongs to Mr.. Dreyse, the manufac-
turer of arms at Sommerda; but, in
some respects, the weapon is similar
to, and an Improvement upon the
breech-loading musket Of Norway.
1t is simply breech- loading rifle,
the cartridge of which is exploded
by the intrusion of q needle into the
illuminate attached to it, the needle
being propelled by spiral spring.
There Is no secret about its mech
anism, and the only thing about it
which there would be the least diff
Guilty in copying is the Illuminating
composition. "This," says foreign
correspondent, sis compound OF IN
gradients known only to one man
the inventor-and SO determined is
the government that the secret shall
not escape, that the man is guarded
night and day by squad OF twelve
| soldiers. Every letter which ne
writes is suspected, and he is not al
lowed to communicate orally with
any person except in the presence OF
his guard"
The rifle part of the barrel is
thirty-six inches long, and has a
calibre of six-tenths Of an inch, with
four grooves having twist of i've
elevenths in the length Of the barrel.
The breadth of these is about a
quarter of an inch, and the depth
three-hundredtbs of an inch. There
is an unrihed chamber for a bed OF
the cartridge, of a diameter slightly
larger than the calibre of the barrel
and enlarging very little at the
rear to admit the cartridge after re-
peated discharges. Where the cham
Der unites with the grooves there is
a gradual slope to facilitate the
passage of the ball, and prevent too
sudden compression. The barrel
is screwed into a cylinder, which
holds together the mechanism OF
the piece.
Another account says: "The cart
ridge is made of stiff cardboard, the
bali, powder and explosive compost
ton being contained in the same
cylinder. Its great popularity is
that the detonating powder is placed
Immediately in rear or base OF the
ball, and between it and the powder.
The advantage of this is that, when
the powder is ignited, that portion
next the ball, in which combustion
is first perfected, exerts its full force
upon the projectile, the powder in rear
also exerting its influence, as it be-
comes almost instantaneously ignited.
Under the present system, in which
that part Of the body next to the
breech of the gun is first ignited, a
portion of the powder is frequently
expelled from the gun with the ball
in condition of only partial COM
bustion the explosive force of the
powder first consumed being ade-
quate to expel the ball and the pow
der in it's front before the whole
charge has time to become entirely
ignited.
Thus in the needle gun all the
powder is consumed and applied to
the best effect, and 80 as to obtain
its fullest force at the same instant
and in the same direction. The
needle gun is a breech-loader; and
when the trigger is pulled a stout
needle or wire is thrust through the
base of the cartridge, parallel with
its axis, into the dstonating charge,
causing its explosion and the igni-
| ton of the cartridge. In accuracy
, the needle gun cannot be surpassed
and its effective range is said to be
about fifteen hundred yards"
The advantages of the arm, be-
, sides the great one OF celerity OF nre'
! are the simplicity Of the mechanism
which can be taken apart without a
screw driver or other implement !;
the safety and ease with which it
t may be cleansed; the convenience of
, loading in limited space or on
t horseback the certain and uniform
filling of the grooves; the reduced
charge consequent upon the entire
consumption Of the powder; and the
disuse of the ramrod. The chief OBJ
> lection brought against it has been
that firing so rapidly the soldier
would forget to aim, and so waste
more ammunition than in the old