Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-08-12


The machine gun consists OF a cluster
Of barrels, either bound t0getheror bored
out of the solid and mounted on the
same principle as an ordinary field gun,
At a few hundred yards, indeed, it would
be difficult to distinguish between these
weapons, as far as outward appearance
goes. To the barrel is attached mas
siye breech, action, capable of being
opened and closed by a lever. In the
Montigny arm the cartridges are carried
in steel plates perforated with holes cor
responding in number and position to
the holes in the barrel. This steel plate
in fact, form the. vent piece of the sys-
TEN. The central FIVE cartridges being
dropped into the holes in the steel plate,
stand out at right angles from it, and
the plates, thus ready charged, are 50
carried in timber and axietree boxes
specially fitted for their reception. When
the gun comes into action the breech is
drawn back. q steel plate full of cart
ridges is dropped into It's corresponding
slot, and the breech block thrust forward
and secured The gun is now on full
cock, and contains from thirty 10 forty
cartridges, which are fred by q barrel
organ handle, either one by one as the
handle works round cIici clacB, or in a
volley by q rapid turn Of the wrist. When
the gun is empty the breech block Is
again Withdrawn the steel plate, carry
ing the empty. cartridge cases, lifted out
and a fresh plate dropped in, il neces-
sary. The advantage possessed by the
machine gun over infantry FIRE is that it
is never in a funk. Bullets may rain
around, bursting shells may iIll the air,
still the thirty-seVen barrels of the Nit
railleuse shoot like one man, and at 500
to 900 yards will pour volley after vol
ley of deadly concentrated fire into
circle of from ten to twelve feet in diane
ter. No boring or fixing Of fuses is nee 4
essary, and the whole operation is per
formed so rapidly that two steady, cool
men could maintain a fire Of ten dis
charges per minute. On the other hand.
the Mitraileuse could not well compete
with the field gun, and it is with this
weapon il will assuredly be met. Its
bullets would have comparatively slight
effect at the ranges at which field artil-
lery proiectilcs are perhaps most effect
i've, while its size would offer a very fair
mark to the gunner. The foreign press
are welcome to write faRflgONRaaeS
about the sudden death OF wfetched hor-
ses at incredible distances. This is
peace practice. The horses came
from the knacker's yard, not
from the banks of the Elbe, and there
were no Ilhlans sitting on them. we
are also tempted on such occasions 20
take the square root of the reported als-
lance as the actual range. he future
Of the Mitrailleuse, however, depends on
rtnning facts. The days experiments \
are over there are hundreds of machine
guns trundIing towards the Rhine. The
drum-like roll OF their volleys may ere
long be heard in the vineyards of Rudes-
helm, or on the edge Of the Black Forest;
and the "thud" Of the bullet may strike
something softer than a wooden target.
Yes, the machine-gun is now ca eplftc for
the Rhine the experiments viii now be
on gigantic scale and Mr.. Cardwell
may adjourn his special committee until
after Christmas. at any rate. BY that
time the voice Of war will have given
the verdict; by that time the Chassepot.
the Acknowledgment the shrapnel,
and the volley gun will each be credited
with a ghastly account, and we shall
know which engine destroys human life
in the shortest time, the easiest manner.
and at the least possible expense.