The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-29
A STORM OF MISSILES.
they Come from Gums That Work
Themselves.

Themselves.
Park Benjamin in the Independent.
To any one who has ever fired a gun
feet of the explosion nothing may seem
more incredible than the assertion that it
is possible to harness this suddenly de-
veloped force, to compel it not merely to
throw a bullet, but to perform every oper-
alton necessary to feed, load and fire the
gun, so that the barre continues automat-
ically to pour forth a stream of projecules
so long as a supply of ammunition is con-
tinuously provided. But it was a gun of
this kind which from the deck of the
Gloucester literally swept the Spanish sail
Ors from the torpedo boats FurOr and
Pluton-and, again, more guns of this kind
in the hands of the British moved down
the advancing dervishes before they could
get within three hundred yards of the de-
Tending line; and if the great armies Of
England and France should go TO war the
destruction of life these guns would cause
may well be more appalling than the world
has yet known. They are now more than
any other the characteristic weapon of
the end of the century. 1t may, therefore,
be of interest TO explain how these guns
came into existence, what they are, and,
briefly, how their mechanism is literally
made to shoot itself into continuous opera
ton by Intermittent basis of burning gas
compelled 10 act round a corner.
That great inventor, Sir Henry BESSIE
mer, evolved an idea which had hidden
in it a shadowy suggestion of the future.
1t is curious to note how master mind,
such as his went far beyond the actual
limitations which the stale of knowledge
concerning ammunition and guns al the
time imposed on him. He contrived a cam
non which blew back a plunger closing
ther ear end of the barrel and that worked
hydraulic machinery to compress air, and
the compressed air threw the plunger for
ward again, and meanwhile a cartridge
tumbled in front Of it through hole in
the gun, and so became pushed into the
bore. But there were no metallic cart
ridges in those days, and firing the charge
was done very differently from now, and
Bessemer's gun, so far as | know, never
existed anywhere save in his printed de-
scription of it. 1t was just a dream by a
great genus of what he would like 10 do,
not what he did or ever knew how to do.
Then the American inventor got TO work.
The breech-loading rife was new to him
in The early fifLies, and it was a tremen-
dous advance beyond the Old muZzle load
er. So he embroidered it, so 10 speak,
with all sorts Of odd embellishments, and,
among Others with a short section of the
barrel hinged az its rear end, so that you
could tilt it up and drop the charge into
the mouth of the pocket and then turn
it back in line with the rest of the bar
rel. Now that genius provided a spring
to throw up the end of his charge pocket,
and then he made a hole in the side
of the gun barrel, through which, when
the gun was fred, a little Of the explosion
escaped and pressed a button which let
the spring go.
After that for nearly twenty years-all
through the period of the war of the re-
beluon and the Franco-Prussian war and
the Russo-Turksh war. when military in
venuons were ,esion, and when every pos
sible notion was exploited TO its utmost
past the epoch Of simple breech-lOaders
and into that Of the magazine and the re-
peatiug guns-past the days Of cast-iron
sn.ooth-bore cannon and into those of the
great rifles and machine guns and nearly
10 those of the ''quick-hrers'-sti no
body though to do anyt hing further with
The explosion except to throw shot and
shell.
Then came more iudecisive grouping
the recoil was made TO cock the gun, and
then not only TO throw back the hammer
but to open a swinging breech--this in a
small armand that was all. That was
as far as the world had gone in the way
of making guns work themselves. But
meanwhile it had been very busy perfect
ing a class of guns which would do won
derful things, provided you worked them
yoursef-that is, guns which would de-
liver a hail Of bullets. or even Of fairy
large shells. and require nothing of the
operator but supply of ammunition and
plenty Of muscle wherewlth TO turn a
crank or work a lever
The mitrailleuse began 10 cut great
swa ms into the close formation Of the
armies at Werth ana Grave.otte-the Cat
lings went camel back with the English
into Egypt the Hotchkiss revolving can
non settled disputes and .sputants In
the south American squabbles-and the
crack Of the trusty Winchester contribut-
ed TO the speedier evanescence Of our own
already vanishing redskins. And these
were The last rehnements ia guns which
YOU worked The very next step beyond
was the gun which worked itsef-nof a
part OF itself, observe. b by merely set
ung a hammer OF opening q breech-but