Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-08-26
The New French MItraiIleuse.

To Judge from the mystery that has
been observed about this invention one
would suppose that the French possessed
a monopoly in the Machine Gun, but this
in truth is not the fact. They are not the
only inventors, nor indeed the only pos
SCISSORS, of a weapon which is expected to
destroy battslions with one Whit of shot,
the original machine gun coming, we De
lieve, from America, and being known as
the 9atling Battery Gun. Belgium also
possesses an instrument of this kind,
known as the Montigny Gun, and, what
is more to the purpose, the Prussians have
also one called the Kugelspritzen.
The principle of all these guns is the
same, and consists of combination of
barrels, rather larger than a common rifle,
bound together and mounted on a car.
riage and trail like field-piece. The bar
rels are connected with a powerful breech
action worked by lever, and it is in this
breech action that the details differ in the
various guns. In one the gun is fed
through kind of funnel, whilst the gun
uer, turning winch, pours out contin-
uous stream Of bullets. In another the
gun is loaded by means of q movable
breech block, consisting of a steel
plate perforated to correspond with
VAC AuADSI Va bnfiels 1uls pAccCn
block, having been charged with
cartridge, is dropped into the breech,
screwed up, and then discharged by turn
ing the winch handle, a second charged
plate being ready as soon as the first is
exhausted. Three men, it is said, would
be sufficient to work this gun at the rate
of ten discharges a minute, and the
French, on the strength of a recent ex-
pertinent at Satory, when five hundred
horses were killed in a minute and half
consider they have got weapon before
which no enemy can stand. Uninterested
people, however, while acknowledging itE
great utility in the defence of a breech OF
In street fighting, doubt its fitness for the
battlefield, as it would there have to com
pete with the field gun, which, While-eu
of reach of the bullet,shower of the Mi
trallleuse, wouldsfind no great difficulty II
silencirg its many barrelled enemy. UnC
advantage claimed for the new gun is
that it does not become demoralized, how
ever hot the fire of the enemy may be
but, on the other hand, neither does the
field piece become demoralized, it is the
men who work the respective guns wh'
get nervous at the condguity OF bullets
and we believe two men are as likely Il
run away as half q dozen, However
Tue meTHs u tne mllrhlllSuse nav
yet to be tested in real warfare
and it may come out Of the ordea
triumphantly, or it may meet NOR
than its match in the Kugelspritzen. l
is curious how little has been heard O
the latter weapon, and it is only from 4
word or two here and there that we know
Of its existence The Prussians seem t.
have the knack of improving their arma
ments in real secrecy being content I
work without talking, the rest Of tn
world takes no notice of their proceed
ings until they appear, ready to DO battls
armed with some new and deadly wea
pom, as was the case with the needle-guu
The French, on the other hand, hav
talked so much, and boasted SO loudly, q
their formidable Mitrailleuse, making tn
while most ostentatious parade OF sC
crecy, that 1t would have been hard IL
! deed if some inquisitiVe person had ne
found out the details of the gun.
. Experiments with machine guns, con
melced by the English Government som
time back, have Tor the last two year
been suspended but now we understan
tney will be resumed, and trial OF IN
: Calling and Montigny systems Will,
, held shortly at Woolwieh, in order to Tel
, their relative merits.-Ecery Saturday,