The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-05-22
ENGINES OF DESTRUCTION.
The Part Taken by Americans In the De-
signing OF War Materials.

The Part Taken by Americans In the Do
signing Of War Materials.
The world moves so fast and inn
provements follow one another in such
rapid succession that the work Of
original designers is often lost amid
maze of notifications, and the imitator
becomes famed above the artist. Ii
we turn to modern war machinery we
shall find apt illustrations of this, and
in most of the effective material in the
great European ornaments behold the
cunning fashioning of the Yankee in
ventor. Admiral Porter has told us
that the guns at Hampton Roads-the
Monitor and Merrimac fight-re-
sounded through the world and an
nounced to the British that their great
steam heet-the finest in the world at
that time-was obsolete. The great
iron fleets Of to-day have been devel-
oped from this Monitor germ. The
liquid compass, that makes it possible
to navigate iron and steel ships, is the
invention of Mr.. Richie, of Brookline,
Mass. The world talks of the Krupp
gun, yet how few are aware of the
fact that it was only through the in
vention OF the American, Colonel
Bradwell, that Herr Krupp was
enabled to make his guns effective?
General S. V. Benet Chief Of Ord
nance, U. S. A, speaking on this sub
iect, says:
All modern steel guns are of one or two sys-
TENS, either the Krapp bolt system or the in
terrupted screw used in the French service.
Our guns are of the latter system, which seems
to offer the greatest advantages. Like all good
modern inventions, it is an American one. So,
for that matter, is the Krupp, or rather what
gave Krupps invention the practical value.
The great trouble with the Krupp gun was the
escape of gas at the breech. This was over
come by the aid OF the "Bradwell plate" tho
invention OF Colonel Bradwell, an American,
who sold krupp the invention. 1t consists OF
thin steel plate, with elastic edges that Ats
in the breech; and the pressure of the gas
wedges it tightly against the sides and pre-
vents the escape OF gas.
The machine gun, that terrible weap-
on now so important part OF the great
European ornaments both on land and
sea, is primarily an invention of the
American, DR.. Calling; the French
mitrailleuse is modification of it, so
is the Nordenfelt. In June. 1888, Nor
denfelt brought suit against Gardner,
inventor of the Gardner machine gun.
for infringement. Gardner showed
that the principles on which the
N0rdenfelt gun was constructed
hid long been developed in
the American Calling machine
gun and Winchester rife, indeed long
before 1873, when Nordenfelt got his
English patent. 1t may fairly be said
that this principle has found its highest
development in the automatic gun of
the American, Hiram Maxim, gun
which will fire 600 shots minute; the
recoiI being utilized to load and fire
and TO keep stream of water moving
about the barrels for cooling. The
disappearing gun mechanism is also
his invention. The screw propeller,
an invention that makes it possible to
sink the motive power of war ship,
within and without, out of range of
flying Shot though first tried in British
waters, found no favor till Captain
Ericsson came hither. The revolver,
now in universal use, is. as every body
knows the invention OF Colonel Colt,
of Connecticut. We may add to the
list the dynamite gun, yet in the in
fancy of its development, and the
dynamite cruiser, intended to make up
for its shortcomings in point of range,
Of which an English authority recently
said there was not, probably, ship
afoat that would be safe before it.
The torpedo, now holding so impor-
tant place among war material, was
first made practicable and effective
during our last war; it's cousin, the
automobile torpedo, of comparatively
recent designing, is also American,
though there are several foreign forms
OF the same.-Scientiic American.