The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-11-19
/ GuN THAT WONT BURST.

Lying snugly housed near point on
Sandy Hook Is a great gun, nearly
thirty feet long 1t has been there for
some time and is an object Of curiosity |
to all who visit the neighborhood. |
This gun was designed in part by Mr..
George Edgar, and is his property. 1
Many thousands Of dollars have been
spent upon its construction and exhi-
bition. but though military commit
tee reported favorably upon it, no steps |
were taken by the government to-
wards purchasing the patents taken
out by its constructors.
Not long ago Mr.. Edgar visited
Washington on business connected
with this gun BE was accompanied
by an American mechanician and de-
signer of guns, now employed by the
Russian government TO conduct their
great gun works on the Neya. After
a somewhat unsatisfactory visit to the
war department, the two were sitting
in the cafe of the Ebbit house discuss
ing the chances of the adoption of the
principle of the gun by the military
authorities
''They tell me,'' said Mr.. Edgar,
''that 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
YES" replied his companion, "that
is what they are looking for all over
the world.
The two men sat silent for some
time
Finally, Mr.. Edgar, in crossing his
legs, kicked off the cover from an India
rubber cuspidor. Like most of these
contrivances, this cover was made of
hard rubber with beYeled edges, the
sides as they sloped toward the hole
in the center having a fall or de-
cline of about thirty degrees from q
plane.
MIR. Edgar observed this cover in
tently as it rolled and grated 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, "Pve got it,
Got what?'' asked the latter Ian
guidly.
1--WE got the principle on which the
non-bursting gun can be constructed"
''Bahr
Not needing this expression of in
credulity on the part of his friend,
man, too. of great skin in metal work
ing, Mr.. Edgar gave such forcible rea-
sons for believing a non-bursting gun
could be constructed of a series of
plates similar in form to the top of
rubber cuspidor, that he was COM
PEELED to admit that there was some
thing in the idea.
Returning to New York city, Mr..
Edgar at once set to work to make a
gun on the plan suggested by the Incl
dent in the Ebbitt house cafe.
ka1 20 60
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
mentioning the fact that he had new
gun with him, he was told that the
number of new guns constantly ap-
pearing was legion. 1.-The trouble
with all of Them" said the officer, lis
that they burst too readily. What kind
of a test do you want US to put your
gun top he added.
Why" replied MIR. Edgar, ~
would Ike to have you burst it. :"
Certainly" said the officer, with
something like sarcasm in his voice.
| w . 10 ALWdJS Slou " 1CCOAAAOOdtC
| gentlemen with new guns"
The gun was now taken behind a
hill, double charge of powder intro
| duced, and fired with time fuse. 1t
turned two or three somersaults, but
remained intact. 1t was now loaded
with -quadruple charge, and fired,
the only effect being to multiply the
| number of back somersaults.
"This is very good indeed" said the
| officer. Pm sorry to keep you wait
ing so long. I'll now load it up to the
muzzle, ard that will be the last of
| it."
Fired under these conditions, it rose
in the air whirled around for a few
moments, and then came down and
buried itself in the earth. After being
dug up it was charged nearly up 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
1t came down. 1t had not even been
Clipped!
as there anything else you'd like to
put into itP" demanded Mr.. Edgar, it
being now his turn to be ironical.
MOP was the reply; lit beats me-"
Having thus stumped the gun testing
authorities, Mr.. Edgar brought h is
little gun back to New York in tri-
umph.-ScientLfc american.