The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-14
THE CALLING Gun.


Destructive Engine of War.
Rochester N. " Herald
The Gatling gun is, of all modern engines of
war most terrible. I asked its inventor Rich
/ ard Calling not long since how he came to bend
/ his mind in such direction. We'll he replied.
/ shifting his gold glasses Il in indianapolis
/ during the war. and most every day walked
through the Union Depot. Sad scenes were on
| every hand then-families all torn up-fathers.
brothers and husbands going to the front and.
| after bit, many of their bodies coming back,
when the walls of woe were blended with the
cheers of recruits and the few happy greetings
of return The terrible scenes | saw, the ago
nizing trials of partings and meetings and the
1 depths of despair-ah. | shall never forget 1t
seemed so terrible to me, this war; strife and
slaughter, that became almost fascinated by its
horror, and finally conceived the idea of invent
| ing gun so powerful and effective as am engine
OF war that soldiers might i'll the main, be dis
posed of. =
This proposition, inconsistent though it be.
led the way, and the inventor talked on as we
smoked together in the twilight
And did have time over that gun. Pre-
vious to that [ had invented a grain dill, for
which had sold manufacturing rights all over
the West realizing in the neighborhood of $50,
900 theretrom l was pretty well fixed. but
when 1 commenced on the gun business my
shekels began to 60 After pcrfecting the
model of the original gun | had long search in
quest of an establishment adequate to their
manufacture. FINALLY, when six guns we've
completed in Cincinnati shop the works were
the whole was dead loss. The Cincinnati Type
Foundry my next resource, and as the war
had thrown damper upon type founding and
the works were idle, the proprietors made a con
tract for another half dozen guns. When com
pleted Chicago man on his way to Washing
ton undertook their sale. Secretary
Stanton wouldn't even look at them, how
ever General Butler was the only mill
tary man who could be brought 10 see
the merit of the invention. and on his own au-
thority, he purchased them at 81, 900 each. Tn
luckily for me, my selling agent failed before &C
counting to me, and the sale brought me nothing.
General Butler used the guns very effectively in
one engagement, when, the ammunition being ex
haust ed, the Secretary of War peremptorily re
fused 10 furnish supplies, and the weapons lay
idle
Il made more guns, however my friends ad
vice to the contrary. Now the United States
government owns over one hundred of them
and they are used by every civilized govern
ment.'
Calling has like most inventors, had check
cred career. yet one marked throughout by less
of failure than any of his class. The screw as
motive power was his first invention. At that
time he but boy, with his father, in Nir-
ginia. neighbor invited the father to inspect
the model of boat so constructed as to operate
paddles underneath the water and obvate the
difficulties of motive power in which side
wheels were liable to be shot away during en-
gagement. Young Gatlirg was an interested
spectator of the trial and, noting
the utter clumsiness of action and waste of pow
er In the mechanism, set his brain to work to de-
wise something better In a short time he evolved
perfect working model, with the screw propel-
Ter as motive power His father was called upon
to pass Judgment upon the invention Its
worth patenting, Richard, the senior concluded,
on Inspections ''in tire fall Ill have business for
you at Baltimore, and you can go TO Wash
ington and make application yourself. A few
months later this programme was carried out,
but, much to the boys chagrn it was found that
Ericsson had presented a similar model two days
in advance of the formers claim. and, not fully
understanding the value of the invention, or, in
fact, the means of substantiating prior claim,
the inventor did not contest the matter as
there could be no doubt that it was original with
both.
During the early years of his progress as an in
ventor Calling made visit to Niagara Falls.
The magnificent power of the cataract sug
gested a train of thought which bore fruit in the
formation of company in Pittsburg with the
object Of supplying compressed air a motive
power from some central point Failing to OBJ
tain a patent upon the idea it was abandoned,
though the decisions of the case have since been
made the basis for the Patent Office rulings of
the United States.
Captain Calling is now about seventy years of
page, quite gray, but active and erect of yore.
His is a familiar figure at Washington hotels,
and in fact at the capitals of the world, though
his nominal residence is at Hartford, Conn. OF
late he has perfected several valuable improve
ments upon the engine of war which bears his
name, all of which applied to the more recept
purchases of this government.