The times., 1898-07-10

that we will literally XIII men by ma
chinery?' I asked.
II do not think that the machine gun
will ever wholly replace the shoulder ri
1e,' answered Mr.. Maxim. but will al
ways be employed as an independent
arm, and supplementary to the shoulder
arm. The present magazine rife comes
Sos near being a machine gun as there is
any necessity for in the hands Of each
private soldier. The rapidity OF fire OF
the present magazine shoulder rifle
could not be materially increased with
out making the arm automatic. and this
could not be accomplished without max
ing the gun much heavier and more com
plicated. as well as requiring more skill
in it's manipulation and care.
The best system of warfare is that
which provides for the corcsnt-a don II
the greatest number of heavles: blows
upon a given point within a given time,
and With the least concentration N pest
tions Of exposure of mer and material OF
the striking party. This | think is rec
Ognized principle at the presel.- thine for
land warfare, and 1t Is this same princi-
pie that / am now advocat tInp should be
Z employed at sea. and which is sure 10
come sooner or later. and when II does
come viii render the bat:lsship obsolete.
THE machine gun las a sphere IF usS-
fulness quite indep@nl@ u u the maga'
zine shoulder rife. One OF the chief sd-
vantages OF the macnile gun is that 1t
/ serves as its own raase finder. With the
I automatic gun Il Is only necessary 10 IL
| rect the stream of bullets upon the TAR
| get as desired, guided by the striking
| bullets upon upon the earth or tile sur
! face of water, exactly as a steram Of wa
! ter may be directed from a hose pipe.
| For repelling a charge or clearing a
| thicket of an enemy the machine gun
possesses enormous advantages over the
| shoulder rifle"
Il understand that you have a new tor
pedo boat building. May l ask you about
| it?"
II have several pending patents on sub
marine and other torpedo boats" replied
| the great gun genius, embracing many
| improvements for the protection of the
| same against the fire of an enemy, in
| creased speed, improvements in gun plat
| forms and loading apparatus for aerial
| torpedoes. and improvements relating to
the launching of Whitehead torpedoes un-
der water, and improvements relating to
the more rapid propulsion than heretofore
| through the water, of Whitehead torpe-
does But, as these inventions have not
yet been published, I do not care. for OBJ
vious reasons, TO make public too many
particulars concerning them until after
the issuance of the patents.
may say, however Audl HlN dSSoCl-
ates and myself are ready to undertake
to build a torpedo boat which shall be
capable of throwing aerial torpedoes sue
cessfully, according to my system, and
which shall, at the same time, be pro-
vided with means for launching White
head torpedoes with great accuracy and
rapidity, and which torpedo boat would
be capable of attacking, in broad day
light, any battleship under the full fire
of its guns, strike it with at least half G
dozen Whitehead torpedoes, and get Out
of range without being stopped or very
seriously injured. We are ready and will
ing TO build a boat of this character. an(
| to guarantee that it shall accomplish
these results, providing the Government
will accept the boat, if and when we shall
demonstrate that we can accomplish al
that is claimed. This is the plan O.
No cure, no pay, and it is the plan tha
/ have adopted in making offers to tn,
United States Government for the build
) ing of my torpedo guns. 1t is SAT-
proposition when we know a priori, witt
absolute certainty, exactly what can b.
accomplished"
FRANCIS LEON GHRISMAN