The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-12-04

Walk IS firm and strong, MS cheeks nave on
them the glow OF health, and his blue
eyes are clear, bright and merry. His
manner has the heartiness of a school
boys ana the unaffected simplicity which
Is usually characteristic of man who has
been too busy to become an egotist and at
the same time too much Interested at what
is gong on in the world TO count that his
own work was so important that other
things were but OF secondary moment. He
was willing to tell how he happened to in
vent his very destructive gun, because he
does not believe that he should be regarded
as a sanguinary or warlike person. On
the contrary he thinks that if he should
be Celebrated st all it should be by the
peace societies, for he Is convinced that
his guns and the others suggested by his
invention will do more to stop wars than
all the sermons that could be preached.
DIR. eating studied medicine, but never
practiced, and early in life turned his at
tention to mechanical invention. AS early
as 1874 he took out letters patent for
wheat drill, the first practical implement
OF the kind ever used, believe, in the
field. This invention and the necessity to
develop and sell il took him away from his
early home, where he has not since lived.
When the war broke out in 1861 he was
living in Indianapolis and completing
railroad for which be had a contract.
SAID, II was very much interested in see
ing the boys start 10 the war. frequently
went to the railway station to see them off
and witness the sad, but hopeful farewelis
to sweethearts and wives. In a few weeks
these same fellows began to come back,
but now they were brought back in pine
boxes, and we realized the dreadful
horrors of war. When l inquired how they
came TO die, | learned that only q very
small percentage had been killed or even
hit by bullets. The great majority had died
in camps and hospitals from disease con-
tracted in the GnGccu5tomed life and in
long marches from battle field to battle
field. IL then occurred to me that the
methods of war were Anticipated and that
wars lasted too long. II the whole dread
full business could be hurried uD. then
quite q large proportion of the lives of
those who died in the camps and hospitals
could be saved l said to myself we are
dong nearly all kinds of work by machln-
cry now, why should not men be
killed by machinery, tool This.
thought would shorten wars and save
many lives. So l went to work on this
idea ct once, and after a while I had de-
signed gun which in principle is the same
as that of the perfected gun of today that
will fire acknowledgement shots in minute"
How did 1t happen that your guns were
not used in the war for which they were
designed?' asked.
"They were used little btu the doctor
replied, 'but how they happened not to be
more generally used Is quite long story.
conceived the idea IN Isl. but it was
year before had gun with which was
satisfied. l then went to Cincinnati, and
in the shops of Miles Green wood made six
guns that cost me 5000. Just as l was
about starting to Washington to offer the
guns to the war department Greenwood's
shop was set on ire and my guns so in
iured that they were worthless. thought
at the time that this fire was started by
some confederate sympathizer, but l am
not so sure now. At any rate, very sensa-
tional reports had been spread as to the
murderous nature of my guns. did not
lose any more time than l was obliged to,
but went to work to build more guns. At
another shop made the unlucky number
OF thirteen guns. Now came the diff
ticulsy of getting these guns anopted.
was green then" and as the doctor
said this his eyes twinkled merrily, as
though he was sure no was anything but
green now, land sent friend to Washing