The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-05-03
The Gatling Gun.

| ucIe lOi sOIne udyS, illustrating lnem
to the leading men of the War Depart
ment He has shown that the gun can
now fire on an average |, 200 shots per
minute continuously, and the latest in
ventions enable it to be fired at any
angle. Before this the force of gravity
prevented the firing upward or down
ward beyond a certain degree, but this
has been entirely overcome, and shot
can now be sent pcrpcndicularly into
the air, and the guns can be so aimed
as to throw bullets inside of a fort or
any besieged fertilization.
DIR. Richard Jordan Calling is now
sixty-six years old. He is n tall, broad
shouldered, white whskered man, with
friendly face, bright-blue eyes and
pleasant tongue. talked with him in
the Ebbitt House last evening about his
gun. and he told me how he came to
invent it. Said he: II had made sew
eral inventions before this, one of which
was the wheat drill which is now in use
all over the country, and think it was
my study on it that prepared me for
the Calling gun. In 1861 | was living
at indianapolis. 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 here
when volunteers were departing 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 disease 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 q gun could be in
vented 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
/ commenced to work on it at once.
The result was the Calling gun.
''My first guns were made in Cincn-
natl, and they would fire from $50 to
$50 shots per minute. had six of them
manufactured in 1862, when the foundry
was burned by incendiaries-I suppose
Rebel sympathizers-and the guns were
DESTROYED. Next | had thirteen guns
made at what is now the type foundry
in Cincinnati, and these ! sent on by my
partner wealthy merchant of Gin
cinnati, to Washington to persuade the
Government to introduce them. He
took them to Baltimore, where he left
twelve, and went with the other to
Washington. The Chief of the Ord
!, nance Department at the time was an
old fogy. He received him coldly, told
him he had no faith in his gun, and that
he believed ilint-lock muskets were, on
the whole, the best weapons for war
fare. In short, he would have nothing
to do with him. My partner then left
Washington and returned to Baltimore
Ben Butler was there with his 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,
giving his voucher for SIP, 900 for them.
Ny partner had this cashed, but at this
time there was great fall in pork, and
$4,000 hogs which he had packed in
Chicago with the expectation of rise
had to be sold. In 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, | 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 CONSERVATION and
slaughter, and the news of them went
all over the world. Now they are used
by all the leading Governments of
Europe and also in Asia and Africa.
They enabled the Prussians to conquer
Austria in 1860, though the Austrians
had the larger forces, and they short
ened the war by Germany and France
so that it practically lasted but few
days.
1.-THE Calling guns are now made in
Hartford in this country and in Europe
at Newcastle-on-th e-Tyne. l 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"
s'How far will the Calling gun send
q ball?"
: ''From two to three miles. The new
improvements which enable it to be
fired into the air are such that the ball
when it falls to the earth acquires such
force of gravity, such velocity, that
when it reaches the ground it will pass
through plank two inches thick. This
is distance of three thousand yards
: from the place of firing"
Twill it shoot accurately"
Eyes. We can aim the gun at a
plank nailed to support several thou
! sand yards away, and by moving the
! gun rapidly along while firing we can
cut line through the board as though
it were sawed. Bullets of different
sizes are used in different guns. Nc
two bullets leave the gun at the same
!. time, but when you consider that /, 200
shots can be fired in minute you will
see how rapidly and regularly il
, works. - Washington Cor. Cleretand
Leader.
The other day an Auburn On. "
father told his boys to hang their dogs
Pleased with the idea, they took theil
dogs to an appropriate place near the
house, tied ropes about the poor brutes
necks, and strung them to a tree, where
< they re allowed to swing sevcra
minutes, after which they were cu