The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-04-24
MAXIM'S LATEST GUNS.


Hiram 8. Maxim, the famous inventor
is receiving q great deal Of public atten-
ton just now.
He has recently invented two marvellous
effective rapid firing guns and has brought
a sensational suit against Sir w. Ander.
son, director general OF ordinance fac
tories for a declaration that certain let
tiers patent for the manufacture of an
explosive known as Maximite were valid
and that the defendant in the manGfac-
ture Of coTdite for the English govern
ment had inf=!1ged the plaintiffs patent.
Defendant denied the alleged infringe
ment, and pleaded that the plaintiffs in
Yention was not novel, as 1t had been an
ticipated by previous specifications.
Mr.. Moulton, Q. c., Mr.. Roger w. Wal
lace, @. c., Mr.. A. ]. Walters, and Mr..
Cassell appeared for the plaintiffs, while
the attorney general, the solicitor general,
Mr.. Haldane, Q. c., Mr.. Ingle Joyce, and
Mr.. Sutton represented the defendant.
DR.. Dupre, Captain F. L, Nathan, royal
artillery; Mr.. Reed chemist; Mr.. Stoker,
manager of the Dee Oil Works; DR.. KEEL
Woolwich; DR.. Franklin, Professor Cd
ling, Professor Armstrong, and Professor
Crooks gave evidence in support of the
defendants case. No decision has been
reached.
Your correspondent learned that the
government of the United States had or
dered a hundred of Mr.. Maxim's new
guns and called on the great inventor for
further details. Mr.. Maxim said he pre-
ferred to write out a signed statement
rather than give an interview Here Is
his signed statement written exclusively
for your readers:
mo. 80 Victoria street, London, s. W.,
March, 1S97.-To the Editor: The subject
of rapid firing guns is one of special in
terest to all governments at the present
4 T71..- IL A.
ened and the United States is engaged in
making unususual preparations for
strengthening its land and naval defenses.
mo modern warship is now complete
without two or more supplementary bat
teries of rapid firing guns, and the United
States government has just ordered 100
of these guns for it's navy. Under these
circumstances a description will be pos
sibly of wide interest in your country.
1.-THE gun shown in the lower portion OF
the picture is what Is known as the one
inch and a half Maxim gun. This gun
weighs 300 pounds and fires loaded pro
jectiles at the rate of from 800 to 400 q
minute. Each proiectile weighs one
pound, and is provided with a percussion
fuze so that It eXplodes on striking. Thi:
gun has been designated expressly FOL
firing on torpedo boats. 1t weighs con
siderably less than the old 10-barrel Cat
ling gun, which only used ordinary mus
ket cartridges with light lead bullets. I
has been tried in Europe against five-bar
rel machine guns using the same siZ
of projectile, when it was found that on
Maxim one and a half inch having on
barrel with only one man firing, mad
more hits in a given time than was mad
with 20 men firing five hVe-barrel gun
each of which weighed five times a.
much as the Maxim.
"This gun was exhibited before his ex
cellency, Lii Hung Chang, but he expressed
bi9 doubts q n fta hpiDpr able IN fra ever
200 rounds a minute. The gun was thel
| fired by myself at a target 1000 yards dis
tant. The projectiles struck the large
in very rapid succession exploding ant
causing a great deal of dust and smoke
in fact, the whole target appeared to b.
| on fire. When the fire was stopped from
| 30 to 40 reports were heard, that is, TIN
sound of the explosion of about Is pro
jectiles were still in the air, on their wa!
to the target, 1t very much pleased hi
excellency to hear these reports for {
considerable time after the gun had ceas
ed firing. He then asked to see one o
| the cartridges, and on examining 1t n
asked how much 1t cost. On being tol(
| that 1t was rather more than dolla
and half he said: 'Ah, indeed: l an
afraid that gun fires too fast for China
This gun has been adopted Into man,
great navles, and very large numbers o
| them are now being made in England
! France and Germany.
1.-THE gun in the upper right-hand cornc
of the picture shows the newest form o
| fully automatic nine-pounder designe
/ for naval purposes. The cartridges ar
| about three feet long and are placed i
| a magazine on top Of the barrel as shown
| When the gun is fired, the lowermos
| cartridge in the magazine is thro W
backwards into a tubular carrier, tn
weight of the cartridge causes the car
rier to fall, and when opposite the barre
1t jumps suddenly forward and thrust
| the cartridge into the BARREL AS tn
! cartridge enters the barrel, the rim come
| in contact with the extractor, and, push
ing it forward, liberates the block, whic
| closes with a spring. The recoil of tn
| barrel not only thrusts loaded cartride
into the carrier, but it also pushes tn
| carrier back into what might be Gale
| the cooked position, COMPRISING yer
powerful spring at the time. With tn
! arm, five cartridges may be placed in ii
magazine and one in the barrel. A sing
| gunner is then in a favorable position
watch for torpedo boats, and is able
discharge four rounds in about thrC
seconds. This gun may be fired contlnl
ously with very great rapidity, becau;
the magazine may be loaded from bot
sides at any stage of the firing, and I
danger results from hangfire, because Il
cartridge can not be extracted until aft,
1t has exploded, the opening of the breac
depending altogether upon the eXplosio
The powder charge is large and the v
locity high, and the gun has a fiat tn
jectory and very long range.
with a hardened steel projectile ca
rying a bursting charge, and with v
locity Of about $500 feet a second, Il
damage done by single projectile up
a torDedo boat is very considerable,
fact, it only requires that the boat shou
be hit once in order to render 1t 'hors
combat The rate at which this gun m;
be fired beats all previous records. You
faithfully, HIRAM s. MAXIM
Doctors Handsome Fee.