The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-05-21
DIR. Gattllng Talks About HIS Guns.

SIN 1861 | was living at Indian
apolis. The war had broken out
and the country was all excitement.
My house was within a few blocks
of the depot and was often present
there when volunteers were depart
ing for the field, and also when their
dead bodies were at times shipped
back home in boxes for burial. One
surprise to me was that the
number of men killed by sickness
and diseases was more than those
killed by ball or actual battle. One
day | remember nineteen corpses
were landed at the depot; three had
been killed IN battle. The thought
then struck me if a gun could be
invented that would do the work of
hundred men, and would require
but few men to operate it, that
the horrors of war would be greatly
diminished, and an end would come
much sooner of every struggle.
More men could stay at home, and
lives would be saved. The thought
took such hold of me that | COM
menced to work on it at one The
result was the Gatling gun
"My first guns were made in Gin
cinnati, and they would fire from
80 to $50 shots per minuts. | had
six of them manufactured in 1862,
when the foundry was burned by
incendiaries-I suppose rebel sym
pathizers-and the guns were de-
stroyed. Next | had thirteen guns
made at what is now the type foun-
dry in Cincinnati, and those | sent
on by my partner, wealthy mer-
chant of Cincinnati, to Washington
to persuade the Government to in
troduce them. He took them to
Baltimore, where he left twelve, and
went with the other TO Washington.
The chief of the ordinance depart
ment at the time was an old fogy
He received him coldly. told him he
had no faith in his gun, and that he
believd flintlock muskets were, on
the whole, the best weapons for war
fore. In short he would have moth
ing to do with him. My partner
then left Washington, and returned
to Baltimore. Ben. Butler was there
with MS troops. He had heard of
the guns, and he asked to see them
work. As soon as he had done so
he said he would buy them on his
own responsibility and did so, CIV
ing his vouchers for $4,000 for
them. My partner had this ca,hed,
but at this time there was a great
fall in pork, and $4,000 hogs which
he had packed in Chicago with the
expectation of a rise had to be sold.
In a word, the break in the market
ruined him, and my money went
with him. So, for the first twenty
guns | had made at a great cost to
myself l received nothing. Ben
Butler took the guns he had brought
with him to the battle of Petersburg
and fired them himself upon the
rebels. They created great conster-
nation and slaughter, and the news
of them went all over the world.
Now they are used by all the lead
ing governments of Europe and also
in Asia and Africa. They enabled
the Prussians to conquer Austria in
1870, though the Austrians had the
larger forces, and they shortened the
war by Germany and France SO
that it practically lasted few days.
"The Gatllng guns are now made
in Hartford, this country, and in
Europe at Newcastle-on-the-T TYNE.
| sell only to governments and the
United States uses many of my guns.
They now take part in all wars and
you have seen the reports of the
work they have done in Egypt"
"How far will the Gatling gun send
a ball ?"
From two to three miles. The
new Improvements which will ena-
bic it to be fired into the air are
such that the ball, when it falls to
the earth, acquires from the force of
gravity such velocity that when it
reaches the ground' it will pass
through plank two inches thick.
This is at a distance of 1900 yards
from the place Of firing"
"Will it shoot accurately ?"
"Yes. We can aim the gun at
plank nailed to support several
Thousand yards away, and by NOV
ing the gun rapidly along while fir
ing we can cut line through the
board as though it were sawed.
Bullets of different sizes are used
in different guns. No two bullets
leave the guns at the same time. but
when you consider that l, 200 shots
can be fired in minute you will
see how rapidly and regularly it
works"