Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-02-20

IIl4ul IedTu. MOudcp, 10 AT DlchtS anu }ul-
poses. is at peace With all the world. Suddenly
comes a stranger into the arm market. He buys
q Derringer and pays for it, Nextday a reyoiy
err tempts his fancy. The day after he pnr
chases a gross OF them, aud orders them
by express, G. o. D., for Monaco. Before the
week Is over q thousand Reminat0ns, or En-
fields, or Sharpes or Gallaghers, OF the iilGst aps
proved pattern, with million or so of cart
ridges follow. Two or three weeks elapse, when
suddenly, like storm in the summer skies,
bursts forth TO the world the hUriid News that
either barbados, defended with armed men,
have sprung up like enchantment in the streets
of Monaco, and that the prince is fighting for
his life, OF that that mighty potentate has
formed a junction with the pope, to fight OVER
again the SChleSwig-Holstein question. All the
world, even tue aStute Bismarck, is astouishcd,
and several diplomatiSts hang themselves from
chargrn at not having been fully posted. Vet
TWO or three very quiet men, either in London
or New York, have been for some time perfectly
awaie that some trouble was brewing there, and
have been expecting news of bellicose eh5racs
ter from this quarter for The last month. OF
course it was none of their business to inquire
what the arms were TO be used for, Regarded
as simple articles of merchandise. put on a pre-
else footing with soap or sugar, somebody want
ed them, paid the price asked Tor them, and that
was the end of it. Of course they knew row
Of some kind was Matching there, but that was
somebody elSe'S lookout.
The cuisines of buying and selling arms,
thoIgl an important one before the civil war,
during the rebellion reached to an enormous
extent. Since that PERIOD with occasional ulls,
it has been very constant one Save England
and Prussia, there is not single country in Eu-
rope, Africa Asia or South America that has
not been large purchaser OF arms from the
United States. South America and Mexico
seem 10 be wanting something to blow their
heads off WITH or TO zip out their vitals with all
the year round. They may be described with
Cuba as being ALWAYS in the market. Lead in
musket-ha,ls is never heavy in these mats, and
lines of guns are always going off. An insati.
ate desire for every kind of weapon Of destruC-
ton seems TO influence them In Mexico, revO-
lutionS and countcr-revoiutionS can be counted
upon with the same certainty by the trade, as
grOcers are sure of disposing OF their extra
stock of p'umhS and citTon about Christmas
time. Minor South American states are always
making prouuciamientos, and all such long
sounding terms have for interpreters gun.shots
and sabrJ-SlaSheS.
The revolution made in late years in breech-
loading pieces did for while unSettle the mar
ket, yet there is demand for uzzie-lolderS.
Even the old-lashioned Brown Boss, with the
gaping muzzle and gun-hint arrangement, at
present considered as a pre-Adamiie weapon,
has its admirers. In Tact theIe is a good de-
mand for Them Did you hunt the market
through you could not find 5000 of them. East
and west coasts OF Africa want this kind Of gun,
and when they can be lound they may be ship
ped to our African brothers with ii goodly chance
OF profit. Some time ago paragraph ran
through the American press in regard to a large
quantity of very fair mHskets, bought at a very
low figure, and shipped to China aud japan.
they found no sale there, the Chinese and jap
anese dlsdlining anything else than breech-
leaders. The large houses selling arms of all
kinds and qualities, strange to say, occupy at
times the position OF being neutral ground
M 10 ttrltnp4n w RngCi1 md ltsb
ordnance officers met very frequently in the
same establishment, each one busy as to the
inteTeS OF his government, only occupied with
the idea of getting the best arms in the quickest
possible period, knowing, OF course, all the
time, that they might be buying the exact
weapon which might be the means of eXtermin-
ating each other. To-day, Spaniard and Cuban
buy side by side, exchange a stealthy glance
may even cOycrtly inquire about one another's
health, each one hoping internally to see the
other garroted.
The business is one requiring enormous capt.
tai, and no end OF acueneSs. Credits are out OF
the question. Ii war is pleasant amusement
it must be settled for, as far as powGeran guns
co. on the spot. "No money, no light " seems,
and very properly, to be a rule with the trade
rimbuct0o may have it all its own way to-day,
and may have paid millions for its guns, and
SackalOo may be at its last gasp. The former
might ask credit for Just thousand dollars
more But war at all tunes is risky business,
and before a week is over the Sackatooans may
be routing the Tmbuctooans, foot, horse and
Dragons, and your money risked in Timbucloo
will be good for nothing.
The enormous character Of the business can
hardly be appreciated at a single glance. 1t is
perfectly impossible to say what country may
want alter Il single engagement. A defeat costs
millions on millions, of dollars, and victory
but little less. A house in this business may be
called ON at moments warning, not only for
,.I.,tI, sin
harness, and must be prepared TO add even sub
Sistence TO the category of wants. Rapidly of
execution is everything. 1t may be worth
while to pay, in order to get 5000 guns at Il Ger
tain place at a given time, million OF dollars,
when Il delivery week later would be worse
than useless, The scope OF mind, the power of
combination, the precision as TO detail, acquired
by the leading houses in this kind Of trade par
takes OF the miraculous Once an important
contract given them the utmost care is taken
thai not only the quality of the arms shall be
such as is required but that all the minut@ of
detail us to delivery and shipment shall be
strictly followed
The profits in the business must be immense
When times are peaceful, stock may be accumu-
lated at very low figures. Good guns may be
had then at prices ranging from one dollar and
even less up to five or seven They may stay in
the warehouses one or two years or more, when
suddenly the rage for slaughter seizes on some
unhappy county, and til y become eager pu.-
chasers Of these arms ut four to ten times their
original cost. CdnnOnS costing two cents
pound bought when commandments were at a
stand still, 90 off like hot cakes at ten to twelve
cents pound.
Ammunition is harder to handle. With a va
riety OF gauges and different forms OF projec-
tiles, saving for certain accepted styles, the mar
ketis more difficult one to manage. Though
the deterioration in metallic cartridges is very
small, in the old-lashoned paper cartridge il is
considerable. Bargains, however, are frequent
ly picked up, the value of the lead paying a
profit, even when the powder is worth DOthing
more than the Saltpetre in it, The manufac-
ture of metallic cartridges has become so i'm
portant, and the consumption OF copper so
much increased by their use, that il is asserted
that the late rise in this metal is mainly due to
this cause. In the United States the nlanufac-
tnrers of metallic cartridges are busy all the
var round, and such is the perfection aud rap
1dty OF the machinery employed, that unlimited
quantities can be produced at a moments warn
ing II is quite question whether the govern
ment would not do better if they discontinued
entirely the manufacture of either arms or am.
munluon. 1t seems apparent every day that
the only use the government have for such cs-
Establishments is to try the arms and projecliles
furnished by competing manufacturers ~ Y.
Times.