The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-13
BRowN1Nc's oPEACEMAkER."
The Greatest Gun of the Age-The
Product of a Utah Mans Brain.

4HG OLQGf QaE WAS duuOuuCCQ III
The Herald that Browning Bros. of this
city had been advised by a telegram
from the navy department that their
automatic machine gun had been
adopted ky the department and that
fifty Of them were to be placed on
board the several naval vessels at
once.
Knowing that The Herald readers
would be interested in anything that
might be said by way of description
of this wonderful piece of mechanism,
a representative of The Herald sought
and obtained some very interesting
facts in relation to It,
The invention is the result Of several
years car eful study and experiment
on the part of Mr.. John NJ Browning,
who is today recognized as the great
est and most successful gun inven- Or
in the world 1t is not the original
''peaCemaker' invented by him some
years ago. although it is very similar
to it and has many points in common
with it, and may be said TO be the
outgrowth of the first invention. The
original model of the present inven-
ton was exhibited at the territorial
fair in the fall of 1894 when ii at
tracted a great deal OF attention. That
was soon after the gun as it is now
constructed had been completed and
proved after many severe trials to be
a success
The gun is now manufactured by
the Colts Patent Fire Arms Manufac-
turing companv of Hartford, Conn,
1nder the Browning patent
1t is pureiv automatic in its working
and is as near an approach to per-
petual motion as it is possible to get
IN fact il would be perpetual in its
action If continuous supply Of am
munition could be provided. In it the
powder gases are used to work auto
matically the firing. eiecting and re-
loading mechanism.
One great advantage IS its light
weight. which makes it an available
arm in all branches of the army ser
vice Its weight is scarcely 40 pounds
which enables il to be handled and
worked effectually by one man.
It is very simple in construction,
very compact and capable of fine ad-
justment. which insures accuracy. one
special characteristic is its great ra-
pidity of action and durability. As
manv as 5000 rounds have been fired
consecutivelv without miss-fire on
account of the failure of the mechan-
ism OF the gun.
At range of 200 yards on a test
for accuracy 100 consecutive bulls
eyes were made in 16 seconds.
It is a difficult matter TO describe
this wonderful gun without illustra-
tons. and in this instance it was not
possible to have accurate drawings
prepared in time to appear with 'his
article.
In brief it may be described as fol-
lows,
It consists of a barrel about AZ feet
Tong. which is attached to a hreech
casing. which contains the mechanisQ
for firing and eiecting t empty she'll.
As has been stated the powder gases
are used Tor working the machinery
Of the gun. and this is accomplished
by a very simple device. Near the
muzzle on the under side is a small
vent. scarcely as large as an ordinary
pin point which opens into a small
cylinder in which piston is fitted
This piston is attached to a lever.
which extends back to the breecb. To
fire the gun a long belt containing
cartridges is Inserted in an oDening
at the breech and the first cartridge is
forced into position in the barrel and
fired by pressing on the trigger.
As soon as the ball passes the vent
near the muzzle the powder gas ex-
piston down. This works the lever,
(which in turn works the mechanism
at the breech. which operates by a
system of sprines. First the empty
shell is elected and a loaded one nut
in its place. The action that forces
the loaded she'll into the barrel cocks
the gun. closes and locks the breech
and recloses the hammer. which eX-
7,Iodes the she'll and this operation is
- 70 90 Oh
minute, so long as the finger is pressed
on the trigger and the ammunition
holds out. Some idea Of the rapidly
of the guns action may be gained
when il is known that the ball leaves
the 1nuzzIe Of the barrel at the rate
of one-half mile per second. and the
force which sets the breech nechan-
ism in Cpera ton is eXerted while the
ball is travelling from the vent to the
muzzle which is less than y inches.
Another feature not mentioned
above ie small force uuup.
which is worked by the hammer,
whics forces a powerful jet of air
through the barrel between the time
of extracting the emptv shell and he
fore the loaded one is in place. This
is for the purpose Of removing all
residue or incumbent powder from the
barrel
A safety lock is provided SO that it
IS imn0 Ssihle to fire the gun bv acct
dent. else it might start in on its own
77oak some time and annihilate a
whole army that MIGHT he in the rear
before it could he shut off.
It is not necessarv to fire so fast
unless the onerator desires. One shot
a minnie ran be fred. or 400. Just as
desired. The onera tor has only to re-
leaeA the trigger to cease firing.
with ten of these e11ns. supplied
with nlentv of ammunition and accu-
ste gunners. Pickets famous charge
at G-ettvshurg would have ended in
less than fifteen minutes without the
loss of a single man on the Union side.
while there would not have been a
single confederate soldier left To tell
the tale of that wonderful exhibition
of southern bravery.
As an IMPLEMENT of warfare it is
well suited to ali branches Of the
service Mounted upon light trucks it
is all right for infantry use In the
cavalrv service it con he ftted to a
light trinod and carried bv a troonnr
in a cavalry boot. IT can be carried
with ease TO any part of the country
where troons. foot or horse can 90. and
is ready for action in a very few mo-
Inents
On board war vessel it is an in
valuehIa arm as = defense against
boarding PARTIES and torpedo exnedi-
tons and at close range for firing
through northoles at the e,nners and
sear7en of the enemy it viii be very
effective
This gun differs from most all other
automatic guns in that the pressure
of the powder cas- Is EMPLOYED to OBJ
crate il instead Of depending on the
y, al T.,