The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-09-26

| A'-Ce'NA Az ~ SttttiC VI 1lClnlEIl
occupies commanding position. 1t
was made by DIR. lIoratio Stone, in
competition with other artists when
the model of Winnie Rcam was accept
cd by the government and tho others
rejected. Naval officers say that this
statue is the best that was ever de-
signed, and that it should have been
accepted instead of the Ream statue,
which how ndorns Farragut square
However, political influence was strong
| ~ in favor of the wonlan's work, which
was accepted, and DR.. Stone gave his
model to the Naval museum.
In Il glass case arc pieces of tho
Egyptian obclisll, commonly called Gle
opatra's Needle, which now stands In
| Central park, New York. These pieces
of the cement, foundation, steps and
steel clamps arc just as they were
placed i'll position ~ Is. c., and wcro
presented to the museum by Lieut..
Com. Henry III. Gorringc, who super
intended tho removal of tho obclisl1
from Egypt, and managed its erection
in the beautiful park of tho metropolis
of the coast.
a snail mortar, about fouyteeza inches
in length, captured by the French
fleet from the British ut Yorktown
when Lord CORVALLIS surrendered the
last of the bclligcrent forces of his mai
csty ut the close of the revolutionary
war, stands silent and pigmy-lillo be-
side the original Calling gun, the worst
dcatl-Scalcr ever invented for close
quarters. Near by is the telescope gun,
invented during the civil war, but which
never proved effective. At The muzzlc
of Ibis gun are half IL dozen steel rings
to catch and hold the smoke to prevent
the enemy from taking accurate aim 1T
the gunncrs. There is also q hand
somcly chased swivel gun, made in tho
sixteenth century, which was captured
at Tripoli i'll 1904 by Commodore Dc
catur. Two funny-loolling blundcr-
buses, ono captured during the AIcXi-
can war and the other during the rcvo-
lutionary war, both of them nintlocks,
stand upon Il table, III the center of
which is bronze bust Of lIotchlliss, tho
modern inventor. There is also Il splcn-
did 1lintlocll revolver, with long rifle
barrel and excellent stock, manu-
featured i'll 1903 This was the first re-
volving gun ever manufactured in
America. In 1861 +. Nugcnt invented 4
$3.50 A.A444 ~ OlN lIB b III, uIl(l III lSD-J
Calling invented and brought into ac-
ton his Improvement. The Nugent had
a sclf-loading hopper at the brcech.
into which hundred cartridges could
be poured. and as the crank was turned
the cartridges dropped into place, were
discharged and the empty shells fell
upon the ground.
Near by The Nugcnt and Calling guns
is piece of oak, twisted and shivcrcd
as in an awful hurricane or cyclone. 1t
was formerly n long strong spar bear
ing dynamite torpedo ut the apex.
The torpedo boat ran against IN OBJ
struction and the shivcred spar was
one of the results of the explosion. In
case beside the spar are all sorts of
submarine torpedocs some of them
mounted on spars to be sunk under
water, rs river and harbor distractions
Any vessel striking ono of them would
surely go to the bottom almost instant
ly.
Tho original penetrating explosive
shells were hollow iron balls filed with
powder, with percussion caps to ex-
plodc upon contact. a later invention
is the thrcc-ringcd shell; that is, three
iron shells III one, the smaller rings
being surrounded by larger ones, each
filled with powder and all connecting,
SO that their explosion would make
many more fragments, and therefore
become more destructive of human life.
On exhibition in the shell case is a fac
similc of the projectilc which de-
stroyed the confederate ram Albcmarlc:
an iron monster which had been con-
sidcrcd invinciblc. There are also
fragments of an inccndiary shell, filed
with composition similar to Creek fire,
intended to be exploded against houses
and scatter fire throughout q belca-
gucrcd city. a skilled workman was
Craving the fuse of this shell, holding
it under water meantime to exclude the
mir, when by accident little edge of
the fuse arose above the water.
Instantly, by contact with the air, the
shell exploded and the workman was
literally blown and burned to atoms.
All these and many other wonderful
things were shown to me by Jared
Mundcll, Il man who has been in the
service since he was seven years of
age, having enlisted rs Il drummer in
the Marine band III 1877. During the
civil war he was soldier in the
Fifteenth New York engineers. He has
been i'll charge of the Naval museum
for seven years, is familiar with the
history of each trophy and relic, and is
therefore valuable man for the posi-
ton He is Il quiet but entertaining
gentleman, and one of the most ac-
communicating men l have ever met
with in such place. While convcrsing
and explaining the histories OF the OBJ
jccts of interest, he is continually at
work, polishing gun barrels, brushing