The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-02

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 I com
menced to work on it at once. The result was
the Calling gun
My first guns were made in Cincinnati and
they would fire from $50 to $50 shot per minute
| had six of them manufactured in 1862, when
the foundry was burned by incendiaries-I sup
pose rebel sympathsers-and the guns were de
stroyed. Next had thirteen 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 persuade the govern
ment to introduce them He took them to Bal
tfmore, 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 fnt-lock
musl1ets WERE on the whole, the best weapons
for warfare. In short he would have nothing
to do with him. My partner then left Washing
ton, 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 50 he said he would buy them on his
own responsibility, and did So giving his voucher
for twelve thousand dollars for them My part
ner had this cashed but at this time there was a
great fall in pork, and fifty thousand hogs, which
he had packed in Chicago, with the
expectation of 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 great cost to myself
l received nothing. Ben Butler took the guns
he had brought with him to the battle of Pc
tersburg 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 govern
ments 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 shortened the war by Germany
and France so that it practically lasted but a
few days.
1.-The Gatling guns are now made in Hartford,
in this country, and in Europe at Newcastle-on-
theTyne. / 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 Calling gun send a balll7
"From two to three miles The new improve
ments which enable it to be fired into the air are
such that the ball. when it falls to the earth ac-
quires, 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 three thousand yards from the place
of firing"
''Will it shoot accurately
Eyes We can aim the gun at plank nailed
to support several thousand 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 No two bullets leave the gun
at the same time, but when you consider that
1000 shots can be fired in minute, you will see
how rapidly and regularly it works
The Cincinnati Commercial Gazette says that
city ''has a good deal of the dubious honor of
the invention of the Calling gun" and that ''the
first six were made in that city and tested in
Mill creek bottoms" The first Gatling gun ever
constructed was made in indianapolis, at
Sinker's foundry put into condition by E. 0.
Frink whose mechanical genius put DR.. Cat
lngs ideas into practical operation and made the
gun a success, and it was tested in White river
bottoms southwest of the city