The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-25

HRgsgEzysSg 81, 81 Esszzss
tremendous force, There is an opening OPP
posite the line Of buttons on the switch
disk which allows projectles to pass from
the feed box TO the barrel at every revo-
luton"
There was an old experiment in physics
which Travelled the road 10 MIR. Gardeners
discovery halfway and chen stopped IL
was the experiment OF the 6-iuch tube
wound with wire, as if on spool. When
an electric current pulses through this
Wire the tube instantly becomes mag
netized. and small pieces OF iron or steel
placed at either end are drawn toward tho
center. IL a 6-inch rod fttng the opening
of the tube is paced at the approach il Is
drawn in for its entire length and hed
midway. Ii enters forcefUlly but does
not go through, because after passing Che
the center il becomes subject 90 the mag
netic attraction from behind, which tends
60 draw IL back. If the two forces are
equal the rod stops. If the electric cur
rent has been AIt off at the very moment
when the bot passed through the md
die of The tube it would have passed on
and out with some little force-the force
which drew Il in.
THIS is the principle upon which MIR.
Gardner thought ont his weapon. Mr.
Gardner explains how the projectie in his
how, like a SNOWFALL gathering size as il
rolls, the missile gathers speed as it passed
along.
AS a matter of fact, The speed increases
at Il compound ratio, and the inventor
thinks that almost any mu2zle velocity
can be attained. He feels assured that the
principle of his gun is correct. and that
the other problems which confront him
are comparatively easy of solution. Mathe-
MATES villa show how much energy is de-
Veloped by current of certain power as
II passes around a coil With this know
edge at hand the weight of the projectile
may be figured and the loss of energy by
friction taken into consideration. Then il
will be a mere matter of mathematics to
calculate how many magnets will be re-
quired to develop a certain muzzle veloc-
ity. The question of. freeing the gun Is
also developed. $40 tnf.es
Mr. Gardner, when his secret FIRST leaked
out, was somewhat averse 10 going at
length into the mechanical details of his
invention, for he feared possible danger
from publicity He has arranged 20 show
the model before an audience of New York
capitalists. and the plans VIII be worked
out thoroughly in a metropolitan machine
shop
The small model which has been sent
East consists of a small glass tube with
a calber of about a quarter of an inch.
wire, each constituting a magnet
In his experiments the Inventor has
used as projectiles wire nails from which
the heads have been cut off. The tube
is mounted upon a block and the nail
is placed so that the point is just inside
the opening. 1.-THE moment the electric
connection is made the nail flies through
the tube, and al a distance of twenty feet
will pierce a pine plank of half an inch.
There is no noise There are no sparks.
There is nothing which would be likely
TO make dangerous the use of the most
-sensitively explosive projectile known.
A few days ago Mr.. Gardner wound
single coil around large wooden spool
and sent an iron bolt several inches in
length and three-eightns of an inch in
thickness about forty feet
Mr. Gardner's electric gun, unless some
difficulties arise which he does not antici-
pate, seems destined to revolutioniZe the
theories OF artillerists. To begin with, It
needs no ammunition 1t makes no noise
or smoke. 1t is light and can be con-
structed at comparatively small cost.
1t can discharge projectile after projec-
tile and the barrel will not become heat
ed. perfect stream of projectiles can
pass through il, with rapidly only lin
tied by the rate at which 1t can be fed.
The saving in the cost of ammunition Will,
of course, be immense when the present
cost is considered.
AS soon as designs are made from his
rough model a large service model will
be constructed and actual tests will be-
gin. The tubes will probably be of some
thin sheet metal, for as there Is no press
ure to be sustained there is no reason
for building a heavy model. II the pre-
liminary tests are satisfactory no expense
viii be spared to perfect the principle.
c. A. Goslett Mr. Gardeners assistant
at the Gardner Motor Works. of which the
-antor is the manager, was for some
years on the staff of Mr.. Edison, ana
was also at one time employed in the
works of the Zalnsh Pneumatic Gun
Company, which made the guns aboard
the dynamite cruiser Yesuvius. Mr.. Cos
lett is greatly impressed with the child
of Mr. Gardeners brain and is certain that
il will prove the ideal gun for dynamite.
The electric gun Is not the only inven-
ton OF Mr.. Gardner although he is slll
young man, for he wes born in New
Lisbon Wis, just thirty-two years ago.
He patented the cattle guards now in use
on many great railway systems several
appliances used in the manufacture OF ar
tificial limbs, q mechanical voting ma
chine. and the universal joint" which is
largely used in shafing. He came to New
Orleans two years ago from Grand Rap
ids, Mich, where he is interested In y
large manufacturing plant, and opened
the Gardner Motor Works on the Bayou
st. John, which employs eighty men.
Recently Mr.. Gardner designed and turn
ed out for the Mexican government \
number of small fighting craft for use on
the shallow water Of Mexican streams.
These gunboats are of very light draught,
and are furnished with thirty-two horse
power engines of the gas motor type.
They are capable Of developing a speed
of about ten knots
Just al present he IS not ready to tell
precisely what is being done in the way
of developing his electrical gun. but he
thinks Il will be only a matter of months
when the first public tests are made.