Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1885-07-09
Spccial C5rrespondenee Of ne Sentinel.

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 l saw, the agonizing trials of
partings and meetings, and the depth
Of despair-ah, I shall never forget.
1t seemed so terrible to me, this war,
strife and slaughter, that | became al
most fascinated by it's horror, and
finally conceived the idea Of inventing
gun so powerful and effective as an
engine of war that soldiers might, in
the main, be dispensed with"
This proposition, inconsistent though
it be, led the way, and the inventor
talded on as we smoked together in
the twilight
"And [ did have time over that
gun. Previous to that [ had invented
grain drill, for which [ had sold
manufacturing rights all over the
West, realizing i'll the neighborhood
of $4,000 therefrom. | was pretty
well fixed, but when | commenced on
the gun business my shekels began to
go. After perfecting the model of the
original gun [ had a long search in
quest of an establishment adequate to
their manufacture. Finally, when six
guns were completed in the Cincinnati
shop, the works were fired, doubles.
by Southern sympathizers, and the
whole was a dead loss. The Cincin-
natl type foundry was my next re-
source, and as the war had thrown a
damper upon type founding and the
works were idle the proprietors made
a contract for another half-dozen guns.
When completed Chicago man on
his way to Washington undertook
their sale. Secretary Stanton wouldn't t
even look at them, however, Gen.
Butler was the only military man who
could be brought to see the merit Of
the invention, and on his own author
ity he purchased them at 81 900 each.
Unluckily for me my selling agent
failed before accounting to me, and
the sale brought me nothing Gsn.
Butler used the guns very effectively
in one engagement, when, the ammu-
milton seeing exhausted, the Secretary
eff War peremptorily refused to fur
nish supplies, and the weapons lay
idle.
'I made more guns, however, my
friende' advicr to the contrary. Now
| the United States Government owns
over one hundred Of tte EN-, and they
are used by every civilizsd Govern
ment."
-Gatling has, like most inventors,
had checkered career, yet one mark
ed throughout bv less failure than any
of his class. The screw as motive
power was his first invention. At that
time he was but a boy, with his father
in Virginia. A neighbor invited the
father to inspect a model of boat so
constructed SO to operate paddles un-
derneath the water and obyiate the
difficulties of a motive power in which
side-wheels were liable to be shot away
during engagement. Young Gatling
was an interested spectator of the tri-
al, and, noticing the utter clulnsiness
of action and waste Of power in the
mechanism, set his brain to work to
devise something better. In short
time he evolved perfect working
model with the screw propeller as mo-
tive power. His father was called
upon to pass judgment upon the in
vention. cts worth patentlng, Rich
/ ard" the senior counsel concluded, ON
inspection 'in the fall I'll have busi-
ness for you at Baltimore, and you can
60 on to Washsngton and make ap-
/ plication yourself" A few months
later this program was carried out,