New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-09
THE DEADLY MAXIM GUN.
FIRST TESTS OF THE WEAPON IN THIS
COUNTRY.

AN INTERESTING AND SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITION
AT TIE SANDY HOOK PROVING GRoUNDs-A
TOY IN APPEARANCE BUT POWERFUL IN
EXECUTION - TRIED UNDER vARI-
oUs CONDITIONS AND EFFEc-
TIVE UNDER ALL
Successful tests OF the murderous Maxim auto
matte rapid-nring gun took place yesterday at
the Sandy Hook Proving Grounds before the
Ordnance Board. under the direction Of James
Huber the expert of the Maxim Nordenfclt Gun
Company. Nothing more harmless or toyke In
appearance could be imagined than the Maxim
gum yet In power and deadly execution the great
guns Of the Navy only novices In compar
son. 1t Is In general use In the European
armies but the test yesterday was the first
official test made In this country. Major f. II.
Phipps and Captain Frank Heath. Of the Ord
nance Board. conducted the tests. and Captain
Charles :. Smith. IAeutenants Pierce and G.
LII. Ruggcs were also interested spectators. AL
though descriptions OF the gun and It's deadly
execution have made II familiar to the ma
jority Of American Army officers. yet few. before
Yesterday. had ever seen It actively at work.
/, Is safe to say that those who witnessed Mr..
Huber's exhibition were convinced that 1t was
not a weapon 20 bc dcspisrd
Tho gun tested yesterday weighed twenty-five
pounds. or forty-nvc pounds when packed in It's
case with additional parts of the mechanism and
ready for transportation. 1t is mounted when IN
use upon n tripod and consists of a single barrel
attached TO a boxlkc affair, which contains the
rather complicated machinery. This AS Nf.
Huber declared could be- arranged To fire either
ono shot a week or 60) a minute. The ammu-
nition which is 1903 cal!bre. Is fed TO tho gun by
bolts containing 100 cartridges each. and these
are exploded by a trigger arranged in a handle
similar 10 that II an ordinary revolver ~ long
aa the trigger is pulled back the gun will send
forth a steady fire ~ dcath-dealirg missiles. Ih'
instant the trigger is released the hfins ceases.
In the heavier guns the barrels are Kept cooieu
hv wtcr Jackets. The rec)il OF the bArr'l
oporate. the whole mechanism, SO that inc mo-
tive power cannot ret excited In use Ike an
ordinary weapon Thlrty-cieht grams oi sih'N'-
lose novder are used IN each cartridge. While
IN notion the gun costs s2i minute for con-
! t!nuOus automatic firing.
The test began by general firing at flag 'l'
Yards distant the tests ycaierday prihs lo' "a
rlditv and not accuracy. S!ngl- and bunch sh'''
were made and then = voIe, Z nity sho's WAS
fired i'm five and four-hfth seconds. Th" expert
vas the only person present Who couN mako "''
gun fire one shot and stop. y .''ady nerve WIS
+ necessary and officers AMI .N-raper me-" 80
.,,..t ,,. ,.,, fl, vain. s1rr0a sing the gun 70 be
.,., I'D ,,,.,r , .,i.ll.,,. back. the next test
pa" anu 'i' ,, ,.,. ., ,,re-
Was - ascertain 'il' "'
pare the gun sudd uiy i0r hii"f MI """',
wl4 fl- soldier. Hlfu iIr t+n lis'iii''''' anu
.,,a.t.aI .n i,s .as. upon l.s back Ia less tnAn
/ nfty-eight 'ncs ir'n '.' Nl'l"s ~ ''
n. had the gun boz position and was hring AZ lle
rate 81 .yi shots a minute" d. "ppriIt' "'l
bte tnat an. lllug tDlnr could Withstand the
storm OK bullets which poured irom the inul~'s
Indeed. iHr lrte, q" d. ,..,i az no ex-
! HAf. seemed tn re ihlif n7 ""i.'''''' " w.
.-..rIlrary ~tr.I.fr ~ fhr shots.
ST. uua.r ste ...1 r.krl o. how now qui'NS
tN. f.... ..rI.nI ...d t- 'ntns. in uin' "i a.
F i.a. D., it H.f' nnt ui .i, II" "'' .r ,t
.u.f "h..n "' ,.,rt.,, and