Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-13

viz ! arms exhibited in the
Natioraf Museum.
Washington. to ill strate the evolution and
development of the modern hlnIgun and
pistol.
There are in this collection muskets,
fowlinx pieces. blundeTbusses pistols end
all sorts of explosive instruments Of tor
ture. protection pleasure.
According to the archaeoiogists, the ear
Hest weapons appeared in the stone age,
when men pecked rude points out of rock
and mounted them on the rough sticks of
the forest. to be used as axes, spears or
arrows. according to the convenience of
their shapes. Schl;emann discovered that
the ancient Trojans nodded their weapons
of bronze in molds cut into the sides of
the rocks. and in more modern times this
custom prevailed in other parts of the east,
where II was more caraf4Ily executed
Next we step into historic days, when We
Know that metal weapons We're forged and
pounded of iron ami steal-for We not only
hear IF the tusy smiths In the Greclan and
Roman armies. but we know that the war
riors Of the eternal CITY euaged these artf-
sans so high in art that they characterized
one of their immortal gods as a wilder Of
the sledge. The Egyptian General Osyn1an-
dyas, sail to nc the first warIke king to
desolate the face Of the earth. IS early as
l@ years before the Christian era armed
his infantry with huge shields. long spears
axes and helmets. He inauGurated the sys-
fem of grouping soldiers according to deci-
mails his army being divided into great
squares having hundred men on a side.
The ancient Jews fought with the sword,
spear and bow. The Persian infantry as
LED b. the elder Cyrus, is sail TO have been
the first to use defensive amor of metal
They fought also with shields and spears
emit IS
celled in everything pertaini.s to art or
engineering-had. from the outset the most
uniformly equipped army In the world In
the phalanx each man was so named that
ne could take his appropriate place in line
on the instant of receiving the command
Ihe Greeks carried spears sixteen feet
long swords and immense shields, and
wore buskins protected with Steel steel
belmets and steel brtastplates
Not Quick on the Trigger.
The Oldest object in the museum which
In any way resembles a gun IS a short
wooden bow gun. used by the ancient Ger
rans. Across the end of the muzzle is
fxei heavy iron croSS-bow. IL has also
set trigger and a hinged sight Another
said 20 he Englisi. is artiSticalIy inIafd
with pearl. having also q heavy cross-bow
Of iron and a set trigger. Alongside these
TWO DOW gunS-for they resemble the mod
ern boy bow gun in every Details shown
The original device used for sprinSiug the
Iron bow. This consists of a long iron bar
having a rack On the upper side upon
which works a cog wheel. inCased In
Siding box and reyOlved by a crank The
rackc1 rod being fastened over the grocved
barrgl # the gin the bow cord was hitcnod
10 loop on the sliding wheel box and was
pulle'i back to the trigger notrh by turning
the crank Thus ii took these earl,- gur-
ners At least five minutes to prepare their
weapons for shooting. Bow guns Of this
type were USesi especially By the Germans
and English II(sI fo 10
century
Although gunpowder Is thought 20 have
been invented by the Chinese Two thousand
years ago, its first definite Use I'm E,uroDa
Was IN the early part of the fourteenth
century. when ii was employed TO explode
Inc IaiEe guns OF the artillery. being used
bIsp ~ small arms a few years later. The
bTst ndnd guns, or hand cannon" as they
Were called. were so heavy that 81 vas nee
s-sarF 70 rest them on crutch while aim
ing they were touched OF by g slow
fInOti ring match. held In the hand the re-
Coll being given by breaSt1 plate instead
OF u" shoulder These were soon followed
by the matctlOCks several of which are
aLso 70 Dc seen IN the exhibit. Conspicuous
ahohS these IL one which was originally
'psed m England until the seventeenth
century.
II has a swinging cock holding the match
wood (which resembles an old niece of
beInp rope, combustion being caused nv
puihS the trigger, Just as today, an,f let
ing IN IRE t1ll in the powder pan. which
connected with the barrel inside The
STOCK resembles shovel more th1n ary-
ming Use decorated with 4 largo neIaI-
Hon IN the side. bearing a seal either the
trade mark Of the maker or the coat of
arm OF the owner. This has q TRIGGER
guard similar to those ON tie modem e.,
gun ne whole Is i've feet in length An
other matchbox, used by the Chinese :,
century or two ago. has long trigger.
eNtenilng almost the full length Of the
stock and operated by a pressure up rather
lhdh hach Inc butt Is exceedingly slim
ana appears more than awkward for a
steady aim. Another Chinese uatcblock
has red frame crescent shaped hinge For
ihe match ana d trigger smaller and closer
II The stock.
Up TO the Percussion Lock.
After two centuries OF use the matchbox,
Were followed by wheellocks having com
plicated devices for pressing a piece OF fin,
against a revolving wheel Of steel. The
first OF these appeared in Nuremberg In
19'' Like the matchlocks. they were
muzzle-loaderS 1T is said that It took so
long 10 clean out tie barrel. put IN the
powder and arrange the machinery each
time one Of these was loaded thar II was
Impossible 10 fire more than once I'm a half
hour.
About 11O we find the flnuoct nusket
90 have been introduced into the French
army. whence il spread over the world
having long reign, ending only In 1872
when 1t was generally replaced by the per
fusslon lock. although In our own army
owing 10 scarcity of the latter. the flint
JOCKS were used some years longer than in
The orr world. Our Mexican war was fought
almost entirely with the .esI-calIOer flint
tock which fired either buckshot o: round
pan OF both together. with a paper shell.
Ohe OF the most curious guns of the flint
JOCK species In the museum Is an ancient
Turkish musket With an octagonal barrel
hnd stock decorated with brass tacis meas
hrins over all six feet In length. In the
plaee where IL located the hammer OF the
mooefh gun appears a diminutive vice
which may be screwed together TO hold auy
small-sized piece OF flint. A plate of steel Is
% placed In front Of the flint ;hat SHARKS
made by conclusion will glance off into the
opening beneath which exposes the powder
IN The barrel The trigger on this is very
Small. resembling the protrudiny head OF a
nah Another Turkish fiintlocx muskct
was manufactured In 1877 by Omar. the
celebrated gunsmith OF the cas-, An Arab
musket. altered from a matchbox To a flint
lock. Is said to have belonged TO a descend
ant of Mahomet. Its stock and barrel are
both gOrgeously decorated with bounded
metal work. the former being covered with