The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1869-01-15
{MiaGel1aMeuMs.
From the Nashville Press &c Times.
II Terrible Issrentt0l,.

A REGIMENT OF SOLDIERS, A MILE AND A
HALF DISTANT, TO BE KILLED IN -FOUR
MINUTES.
! Some months ago mechanical genius,
whose name we are not at liberty to dis.
close, told us he had an idea, which he was
endeavoring to 'work out" by which q
very little army could be made irresistible
against any number Of enemies. He prom
ised to let us have the benefit of the idea if
he found that it could be made practicable.
Since then he has diligently worked at it
every evening, Sundays not excepted, bring
ing it "out," as he calls it. During those
months his distracted air, his isolation, the
constant succession of hopes and fears about
the success of his project, which would be
visible on his face for days together, led
many of his neighbors to imagine that he
was more or less crazy. He brought his
long and absorbing labors to q successful
termination about four days ago, and had
the qualification of testing the utility of his
perfected idea, with the most complete EVIL
dence of its practicability.
The invention consists of range of guns
of0.76 bore and about forty inches long,
mounted on a carriage of very simple struc-
ture, to be hauled by one horse. The width
OF the carriage between the wheels is six
feet. The gun barrels, twelve in number,
are ranged apparently parallel to each
other upon this carriage. We say appar-
emily, for their line Of fire is not strictly
parallel, but divergent, so that at three
hundred yards distant the twelve bullets
sweep line of about thirty feet.
They are ranged at equal distances from
each other, except in the middle, where
there is space of ten inches, into which is
placed telescope of considerable power
and nice arrangement for adjusting the
guns in taking aim. This contriyance en-
ables the operator to send bullet through
the bulls eye at sixteen hundred yards nine
time out Of ten. The tubes themselves are
double the strength of ordinary rifles, and
are made strong at the breech by band six
inches broad and one-sixth thick. They
are all loaded at the breech. The breech
pieces are all connected by rod which is
attached to crank, one turn of which
opens and shuts all the breech pieces and
loads the pieces, for the breech pieces, by
this motion, are brought in contact with
twelve tubes, placed Immediately over the
preeches, and containing the cartridges, the
es-A--S 'oAh SnuoOtluB tuG CaTlTluR6 IrOU
its tube, and inserting it with precision in
its place in the gun. The guns are made
ready for firing by as simple and rapid a
motion as the turning of a crank. They
are fired by another slight motion, which
drives twelve needles, inserted in the breech
for the purpose, into the illuminate with
which the cartridges are covered.
80 simple, sure and rapid are these move
1 ments that twenty-seven rounds were fred
IN sixty-three seconds, yesterday, ut the
place OF trial, out on the Hyde's Ferry pike.
The cartridges are four inches in length,
and do not entirely explode until the ball
is about half way out of the barrel. an eff
feet which is produced by nice arrange
'ment of the material ofwhich they are com
posed. Except the bullet the whole cart.
ridge is combustible, and leaves nothing
!. behind when fired of. The gun will send
a ball three miles. The aim is always good
at 1000 yards. At a trial yesterday, line
OF plank, six inches broad, was raised four
feet from the ground and fired at fifteen
hundred yards distant, and out of sixty
] shots fired forty seven went through and
six Others left marks upon the edges of the
plank. The inventor is confident that a
regiment of soldiers, mile and half dis
tant, could be all killed by one of these
PoHyferi (the name he has given them), in
four minutes. In the hands of an intelli-
gentssteady operator at least ninety per