The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-05-17
TOWsONTOWN Md, SATURDAY, MAY H. 1884


Dr. Gatlfng Talks About his Guns
Cleveland Leader.
"In 1861 l was living at Indianapo
lis. The war had broke 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 departing from the
field, and also when their dead bodies
were at times shipped buck 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 dayI remember nineteen corpses
were landed at the depot; three had
been killed in the battle. The thought
then struck me ifa gun could beinvented
that would do the work of a 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
to work on it at once. The result was
the Gatling gun.
"My first guns were made in Cincin-
natl and they would fire from $50 to
$50 shots per minute. I 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 thir-
teen guns made at what is now the type
foundry in Cincinnati, and these l
sent on by my partner, wealthy mer-
chant of Cincinnati, 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
Ordnance Department at that time was
an old fogy. He received him coldly,
told him he had no faith in his gun,
and that he believed fint-lock muskets
were on the whole, the best weapons for
warfare. In short, he would have moth
ing to do with him. My partner then
left Washington, and returned to Balti-
more. Ben. Butler was there with his
troops. He had heard of the guns, and
asked to see them work.
AS soon as he had done so he said he
would buy them on his own response
bility, and did SO, giving his voucher
for SI2, 900 for them. My partner had
this cashed, 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 word the break in the market
ruined him, and my money went with
him. So, for the first twenty guns l
had made at great cost to myself, 1
received nothing. Ben Butler took
the guns he had bought with him to the
battle of Petersburg and fired them him
self 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 onquer Austria in
1870, though the Austrians had the
larger TUTCCs, drru eir~y-sLe-.e.>s1 the
war by Germany and France so that it
practically lasted but few days.
"The Gatling guns are now made in
Hartford, in this country, and in Europe
at Newcastle on-the-Tyne. 1 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 report of the work they have done
in Egypt"
elbow far will the Gatling gun send
ball?''
"From two or three miles. The new
Improvements which will enablei 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 a veloci-
ty that when it reaches the ground it
will pass through plank two inches
thick. That is at distance of 5000
yards from the place of firing"
"Will it shoot accurately?"
eyes. We can aim the gun at
plank nailed to support several thous-
and 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. Notwo bull
lets leave the gun at the same time, but
when you consider that I, 200 shots can
be fired in a minute you will see how
rapidly and regularly it works"