Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-08-31
The MitraiIleur.

The favorite subject of cable telegranas,
just at present is the msitgdiUsgg, and the
iast piece OF intelligence as to this wonder
| lul French machine Gun" Is 10 the effect
that Frankfort offers 500 tha}ers, or about
$500, to the first captor of one OF them. So
| far as this new engine Of destruction is
concerned, We have the best reason for as
suming that Prussia is quite as. well sup
piled with it as France. There are two
iypes OF the invention in Europe the
French one, about which so much fuss is
made, and q Belgian affair, claimed to be
Its superior, designed by FL .lFontippy In
suggestion, both Inventions are due to the
original idea of Dr.. Gatline, and there is
indeed very little question as to the French
'n'tTdilteur being direct theft from the
American.
In forthcoming number we purpose TO
give faithful Illustration and careful das-
crlptlon OF the American inyention which
IS far superior to either Of lis European I'm
itators, between which, by the way, there
seems very little difference. The recent
stories, suggested by the terrible execution
OF the micrdilleur upon O. ascrowded abbatoir
OF broken down horses, and the announce
ment that each battalion ia 10 have O
naitratileuT on its flanks, bears internal evi,
dence OF being intended for moral effect
on the enemy. The comparative accuracy
of American and European machine
guns is best Illustrated by the trial
results. In experiments, for instance,
with the Montigny gun, upon 8 tar
get " feet long and 26 feet high midway,
at a distance of 430 yards, out Of $40 cart
ridges placed in the gun, 40 were miss
fires, 278 struck, and SO altogether missed
the target. At $50 yards the hits were in
proportion of about SO per4cenb. and at
!, 100 yards, for some reason, the operation
OF the Gatling gun is truly marvellous. At
q target 10 feet square, 800 yards distance,
there was not one lost out of 110 shots. At
the same target, 1000 yards, rs per cent.
OF the shots struck. Other experiments
have demonstrated, under proper direction,
the scattering powers OF the gun upon a
more extended object.
In the Autumn of 1863 the attention of
the Imperial government was drawn to the
Gatling gun, and the Emperor expressed
through the usual medium, sa profound
interest in the invention. The time, how
ever, was not opportuna for further study
of the affair, Or the Emperor's thoughts on
| peace intent were not In frame for the
adoption of a new destructive ENGINE: at
any rate, the invention was, for the time
being, declined. Shortly afteFwaFd n2ys5e-
AAStAo naAA7PCh ~ CItCulibC u WCG4-
derful gun, with which experiments
had been made under the eye of Napoleon.
AS time passed on, it began TO be known
that the French army was to have the use
of "a machine gun,' a n,araiHeaT The
fact OF the Gatling gun having been pre-
sented to, and, so far as any opinion at all
IS advanced, approved by the Imperial in
speetion, is persuasive evidence against
the French originality of the petraiIloa4-
but there are even stronger indications Of
the theft in the mechanism Of the machine
itself, which has indispensablef features ex-
actly identical with the Gatling.
We shall be disappointed, however, II
the French obtain any such results from
the mitrailleur as the newspaper reports
would have us believe. They are far too
much inclined to advertise its virtues 30
convince us that they have much faita in
it themselves. It will undoubtedly do suf-
fcient service in certain eituations to JUS
tify It's use, but that it will have any de-
cisi7e influence on the conduct Of war we
do not anticipate. and NaUg Jour-
nal.