Daily Republican., 1884-04-29
Dr. Calling Talks About His Gu ms
Cleveland Ledger.

Tie war had broken out and the coun-
try was all excitement My house was
within few blocks of the depot and
was often present there 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 num-
her of men killed by sickness and dis.
ease 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 gun could be invented
that would do the work of a hundred
men, and would require but a 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 he 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 Cincin-
matt, and they would fire from 100 to
$50 shots per minute I had six of them
manufactured in 1868, when the
foundry was burned bv incendiaries-
| suppose rebel mpathizers-and the
guns were destroyed. Next ! had thir-
teen guns made at what is now the type
foundry in Cincinnati, and these ] sent
on by my partner, a wealthy merchant
OF Cincinnati, to Washington to per
suade the government to introduce
them. He took them to baltimore,
where be left twelve, and went with
the other to Washington. The Chief of
the Ordnance Department at the time
was an old togy
ale received him co'dly, told him
he had no faith in his gun, and that he
believed flint lock muskets were, on the
whole, the best weapons for warfare
In short, he would have nothing to do
with him. My partner then left Wash.
inrton, 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 $4,000 for
them.
"My partner had this cashed, but at
this time there was a great fall in pork,
and 90, 600 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 v ith him. So, for the
first twenty guns had made at great
cost to myself, l received nothing. Ben
| IL In hn "A
with him to the battle OF Petersburg
and fred them himself upon the rebels.
"They created great CONSERVATION
and slaughter, aud 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 1870, though the Austrians
had the larger forces, and they short
ened the war by Germany and France
so that it practically lasted but fe"
days
"The Calling guns are now made II
Hartford, in this country, and in Europe
at Newcastle the-Tyne. sell onl!
to governments and the United State
uses many of my guns. They now taxi
part in all wars and yon have seen tn
reports of the work they have done IL
Egypt
" "How far will the Gatling gun sent
a ball %
"From two to three miles. The new
improvements which will enable it to b.
tireu into the air are such that the ball
when it falls to the earth, acquires from
the force of gravity such velocity tina
when it reaches the ground 1t will pas
through plank two inches thick. Thi
is at a distance Of 5000 yards from th'
place of firing"
"Will it shoot accurately ."
"Yes. We can aim the gun ataplanl
nailed to a support several Thousand
yards away, and by moving the gul
rapidly along while firing we can cut
line through the board AZ though it wer
sawed. Bullets Of different sizes ar
used In different guns. No two buI
lets leave the guns At the same time
) but when you consider that l,2O
shots can be fired in minute 20
will nee how rapidly and regularly
works"