The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-12-26
North Carolina Inventions-The
Gatllns Gun, and the Tele-
graph.

UOlO LtIHF4tI VIZ I&ht Jtit tOia8 ~ llB.
Speaking of the Battle Of Drewry's
Bluff, May, 1864, he says:
This battle is remarkable for being
the first field where the now famous
Gatling Gun was used. 1t had been
invented two years before 10y DIR.
Richard Jordan Calling, who was
born and reared in Hartford county.
but had not assumed its present per
f. ction and terrible effectiveness a all
ranges short of two thousand yarls.
This formidable arm is a machine
cannon revolved by a crank, and
firing from ten barrels, to each of
winch is IA separate lock, two hundred |
balls a minute. 1t has been adopted
by nearly ali civilized governments,
and its inventor has achieved greater
fame and wealth than any man vet
born III our county. DR.. eating re-
moved from our midst in lS43. He
had been born sept. y h. 1878, and
was the third son OF Jordan Ga ling
of Mauney's Neck. His mother was
Mary. the sister OF Thomas. Jesse and
Richard Barnes, who like his father
were substantial n successful IA"
mers. He was educated at BuckhOrn
| Academy, and in $50, when bat fIf~
teen wears old, left school to assist
/ Lew II VI. loN pei III 1OIN liz it1JA'lo
i'm the Clerks office. Ills inventive
genius was manifested at an early age,
and though ne is a graduate IN medi-
cine, inventions and manufactures
have employed his life. In 1854. he
married in indianapolis. the Youngest
daughter Of DIR. John IL. Sanders. an
eminent physician OF that city. Like
ell great inventions his gun was slow
in It's Introduction, and its itme has
been principally achieved since the
war. lie now resides in Hartford
Connecticut, where great numbers
of his guns are constructed at Col ;
AImory. They are also made by sir
W. e.. Armstrong and Co., at New
castle upon the Tyne in England, and
by Pog,t and Co, at Vienna. The
Science Record for 1872 remarks DIR.
Gatling is emphatically "A self-made
man. The > ase of North Ca,olina
may take just pride III his discoveries
ami achievemy nt,. They reflect honor
on the American name. His olde'
brother, James Henry Gatlirg, VINO
vet resides in our midst. Is a prosper
Gus farmer and likewise an Inventor.
He is said to nave been ther al planuer
OF the famous Ironciad Virginia or
NerrImac.
WHO INVENTED THE TELEGRAPH:
We have often heard that Mr. Juni-
us L Clemens, Of North Carolina
invented the electric wires.
Mr. Leroy ). Edwards, of Richmond,
whose series of entertaining sketches
of the history of Randolph-Macon
College are now appearing in tie
Richmond Christian 1dC1cutG, has an
interesting letter from Mr.. ClemmOnS,
in regard to the invention. The mod
est manner in which Mr.. Clemmons
makes his statements IS a strong ar
gument in favor of the business of his
claims. aud is a s1rong argument
against any suspicion tina. might be
aroused in the mind of Morse's- He
says:
LAS to my connection with the in
yentlon OF the electric telegraph, !
will state brit fly that in 1888, during
NV first veal at neutrality-suspicious.
College, and when | was at ut the age
of twenty yea 5, [ was impressed with
the belief that All elec ric telegraph
might be constructed by an insulated
r. suspended upon posts between
distant points. with batteries II
c~lock-wOrk AT each end, and that
through such wire communications
might be past in an instant OF time,
however great the distance. The tele-
graphic alphabet proposed was pre-
cisely that aI>erward adopted by
Moore.
To illustrate nay conception. /
drew pencil lines around my room,
representing the wires on posts, the
batteries, etc, II e~ndeaVored TO
make my classmates comprehend my
suggestions. In this. however, ineyer
succeeded, As rome would ever b~slleve
il could be made to work. then o
tended that it would work, and hat
he dav was not far distant when a
friend sitting in New York would con-
verse with his friend III CharieStOWn
as if face to face and Iuliiier, thti
these Geographic wires Wouid connect
Europe with America, and IN fact, en-
circle the globe. In this / was regarded
as intensely visionary, and none OF my
friends could see it as | thought L oa"
it.
There was at that time a celebrates
electrician a. Washing on city, by tie
name of Page. Bang very confident
of the practicabili'y OF my PROJECT l
concluded to consult Page about tn
matter. | drew a diagram OF what
proposed, and sent ii. with accom-
panying explana ions, to him. asking
his opinion To this he made DC reply.
| came to the conclusion that he con-
sidered there was nothing III 1T and
dropped the matter at that point
-Four years afterwards L acclden-
tally fell upon a p agra IN IN the
Washington Globe. informing the pub
lie that Morse, Page, Smith, and Ken