The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-02-16
A CHAT WITH DIR. cATLINo.
The story OF How Ben Butler Used
tho Famous Gun.
FROM the New York Times.l

[From the New York Times.I
The man who chats with DR.. r. j. Calling,
of Hartford. for an hour or even half an
hour comes to know the secret of the success
which the famous Calling gun has achieved.
The gun is, Of course, Q good one, but its
excellence alone is not the thing that has
created demand for IT, In every civilized
country In the world. 1t may rather be said
that the irresistibleness Of Its inventor has
forced the sale of this great exterminator.
A person cannot talk with DIR. Calling five
minutes without acquiring an inclination to
draw his wallet and buy as many Of the
Gatling guns as he can pay for, and If the
Doctor affects people In this way whom he
talks &C with no other wish than than to en-
tertain them, what can not he do when he
means business when he goes a-gunning?
Inc Doctor - ~ years old now, with snow
fast, as smoothly, as entertainingly, as per-
suasiyely as ever, and he ts--to use a good
old Connecticut, phrase--"as keen as a
brier.." Tansstraight, gracefully proper
TONED and Of easy carriage, he Is also an In
teresting and pleasing person to look upon.
Good evening, Doctor" said a Times re-
preventative, who few evenings ago en-.
couraged the gun man In the office Of the
Hotel Normandle. The Doctor responded
with warm grasp OF the hand and a swell
well; am very glad to see you. Come il
here and sit down.. he said, and he led the
way to the reading room. g..o r.ie.
mo" be said In answer to q question
I'm not In the air-ship business. The story
that am Is newspaper yarn. / have had
all manner Of funny things said about me
One story was that ! had shop In my bach
O'Clock every morning working behind locked
doors. Well. there is a barn out In my back
yard, and hen house, but there's no shop
there, and then again, If there were q shop
there wouldn't be at work In 1t at 8 o'clock
getting out OF bed before r.. g1si a1.s
"Onco read In paper whatpurported to
De report OF an interview with DIR. Calling.
The newspaper said that the Doctor was a
tall, thin, beardless mar, with snOw-white
hair, aged Sc. Now. as am but 70 years old
and haven't shaved for forty years, 1 would
have been justified in branding that news
paper story as false, but / didn't;I lust lei
1t 60: No. / don't believe In flying machines,
and have never had anything to do with ex'
Fermentation undertaken In the hope Of get.
I've devoted myself almost exclusively tc
the Calling gun. The first Calling guns
made built in Cincinnati. There were sil
OF them, and they were no sooner nicely
% ma s1 tnan saey were nearly destroyed by
went to the indianapolis Type Foundry and
placed and order for thirteen guns, and these
as soon as they were done. / put In the
charge of man named McQueeney and sent
him of to Washington to sell them. When
he got to Baltimore he left all the guns ex-
lcept one. That one he took along as q sam
ple
"Old Gen. Ripley was at the head of the
Bureau Of Ordnance, and he was about the
most perfect old fogy, that ever lived. BE
don't want any new-faDgled guns he said,
The old muzzle-loading musket is good
enough. That's what Gen. Scott won the
battle OF Lunday's Lane with, and we don't
need anything better now. There's nothing
like handling ramrod In the face Of the
enemy to give men courage and nerve. No,
sir, we don't want anything better than
"McQueeney started for home In disgust.
At Baltimore he met Gen. Butler, who was
fastening to the front. He showed the Gem
What DO 1 you ask for aa the Ias General said
a thousand dollars apiece answered
Mr.. McQueeney.
!" ! will take Them, said the General, the
whole outfit, and give you voucher for
Them. He did II. too, though he hadn't any
authority to make the purchase.
well, Butler took the guns South with
biE and used them in his next fight. The
rebels didn't know what to make of them.
what kind OF guns have you got here one
OF the prisoners asked, that load all night
and fire all day ct :log4
''When the war was over my friends told
me to drop the gun business, but wouldn't.
l went to Washington and asked for another
firing. Ripley wasn't there any more. In
MS place there was wideawake man. Gen.
oyer, man who wanted to keep up with
me me TN times, and he showed great interest in
l obtained an order for the trial Of the gun
with canister cartridges, In competition with
howitzers at Fortress Monroe.