The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-04-13
Gentle DR., Calling.

DR.. Calling, whose very name has a
warllke sound, is at work on a new
gun. 1t will be big and terrible and
quite deadly at long distances as we'll
as short. Having about reached the
limit in the matter of speed, his new
gun will show that death in large doses
can be dealt out almost as rapidly as in
small ones.
DR.. Richard Jordan Calling now lives
and works in Cleveland. Although he
has reached eighty, he is still indus
triOusly turning out the murderous ma
chimes which have made his name
famous in all parts of the world. Yet
he is neither fire eater nor man
hater. On the contrary he is mild
hammered, soft spoken old gentleman
whose kind disposition shows clearly
in his bright blue eyes. He actually
claims that his death dealing machine
gun is humanitarian instrument and
often compels peace where in its alb
sence there would be bloody contest.
DR.. Calling was born in North Caro-
lima. He showed mechanical genius as
a boy, but at first he studied medicine;
hence his title. Then he dropped
physic and developed his talent. His
first effort of importance was to make
screw to propel water craft. When he
applied for a patent, he found that
John Ericsson had been before him.
He then invented rice planter, which
was something of a success. In 1874
he got patent for modification of his
rice planter designed for drilling in
wheat. This was the first wheat drill,
and for many years thereafter DR.. Cat
ling was principally occupied in max
ing these drills and selling them to
farmers. He was successful and made
| money.
He was moved to experiment on a
machine gun by the pathetic scenes of
war-times. He saw many men leave
boxes. He decided that there was q
great waste of life in the game of war
as then played.
After much study he designed ma
chine gun which in principle is the
same as that used today, though in its
details it has been very materially i'm.
proved since 1861. He went to Cincin-
natl to build his first guns and at the
shops of Miles Greenwood.
| Though there was much secrecy
about the work it became known that
dreadful weapon which would end
the war in short order was nearly fin
ished at these shops. Some jealous
friend of the Confederacy set fire to
the establishment of Mr.. Greenwood,
and the gatling guns were 30 injured as
to be worthless.
After the fire DR.. Calling at another
shop built 10 new guns at an expense
of $4,000. When these were finished,
he sent them to Washington in care of
Chicago gentlemen who was suppos-
ed to have great influence with the au-
thorities. The chief of ordinance,
Genera Ripley, was an old fashioned
man who sincerely believed that the
very best war weapon was the muzzle
loading, smoothbore, fiintlock musket.
1t is not to be wondered that from such
an official DR.. Gatling's representa-
tive received small encouragement.
When the war was over and General
Ripley had successor in the ordnance
office, DIR. Calling, who in the mean
time had substituted metallic for paper
cartridges, again brought his invention
to the notice of the authorities in Wash
ington. An ordnance board was APP
pointed to test the gun at Fortress
Monroe in competition with howitzers.
Here is DR.. Gatling's own account of
this test
"When got down to the place of
trial, found that some of the officers
had put up a job on me. They didn't
want my gun to do better work than
the howitzers, which were regular
arm of the service. found that to
work my gun they had assigned LOT
of plantation darkies, raw recruits just
in from the farm, who didn't know any
more about gun than horse does