The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1885-10-02
A Heavy Gun that Will not Burst.

| Not long ago Mr.. George Edgar visited
| Washington on business connected with a
great gun belonging 10 him, nearly thirty
| feet long, that in the construction of its
| breech is said to possess no little novelty and
merit.
He was accompanied, says the Scientific
| AMERICAN by an American mechanician and
| designer OF guns now employed by the Rus
| sian Government to conduct their great gun
works on the Neva. After somewhat I'm.
| satisfactory visit to the War Department the
| two were sitting in the cafe of the Ebbitt
House discussing the chances of the adop-
ton of the big gun by the military authori-
ties.
"They tell mt" said Mr.. Edgar, chat what
they want is gun that won't explode when
| they get such one, they say they expect to
have no trouble in finding an easy working
and efficient breech mechanism"
Eyes, replied his companion, "that's what
they are looking for all over the world"
The two men sat silent for some time. FL
nally Mr.. Edgar, in crossing his legs kicked
on the cover from an India rubber cuspidor.
Like most OF these contrivances this cover
was made Of hard rubber with beyelled
edges, the sides as they sloped toward the
hole in the centre having fall or decline of
thirty degrees from plane.
Mr.. Edgar observed this cover intentlv as
it rolled and gyrated about the marble floor.
Before it came to dead stop he seized it
with something like precipitation, and with
sparkling eyes exclaimed to his companion,
give got it,"
Got what?" asked the latter laughingly.
i've got the principle ON which the non
bursting gun can be constructed"
"Bah pT
Not needing this expression of incredulitv
ON the part of his friend, man, too, of great
skill in metal working, Mr.. Edgar gave such
iorciole reasons for believing that a non
bursting gun could be constructed of a series
OF plates similar in form to the top of rub
Der cuspidor, that he was compelled to admit
that there was something in the idea.
Returning to New York city Mr.. Edgar at
once set to work to make gun on the plan
suggested by the incident in the Ebbitt House
cafe,
This experimental gun is four feet long,
and composed throughout its whole extent
of corrugated plates of Russian iron. At its
completion he took it up to West Point
Which, he had been told in Washington. was
one OF the Government testing points for
guns.
On his arrival at the works, and mention
ing The fact that he had a new gun with him,
he was told that the number of new guns
constantly appearing was legion. "The trou-
bic with them ALL" said the officer ais that
they burst too readily" "What kind of a
added.
"Why," replied Mr.. Edgar, 81 would like
to have you burst it."
Certainly" said the officer, with something
like sarcasm in his voice, "we're always glad
TO accommodate gentlemen with new guns"
The gun was now taken behind q hill, a
double charge ofpowder introduced and fired
with time fuse. 1t turned two or three
back somersauts, but remained intact. 1t was
now loaded with quadruple charge and
fired, the only effect being to multiply the
number of the back somersauts.
This is very good indeed" said the Off
Ger. Pm sorry to keep you waiting SO long.
will be the last of it,"
Fired under these conditions, it rose in the
air, whrled around few moments and then
came down and buried itself in the earth.
After being dug up it was charged nearly to
the muzzle with powder and wad, and then
spiked. The only result was that it rose
higher in the air than before, spun around
more rapidly and buried itself still deeper in
the ground when it came down 1t had not
even been Clipped.
SIS there anything else you'd like to put
into it !" demanded Mr.. Edgar, it being now
his turn to be ronica.
mo !" was the reply; "it beats me-" Hay
ing thus stumped the gun.testing authorities,
Mr.. Edgar brought his little gun back to New
York In triumph.