Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-07-02
MAX|M'S NEW WEAPON
Inventors Almost Silent Gun
Tested In His Home.
SLIGHT FLASH OF FIRE SEEN
Thirty Two CaIiber Bullet Made Hole
In Three Magazines About Size of
Mans Hand-Would Double Wars
Terrors, Says General w. F. Duvall.


Terrors, Says General w. r. DuvaII.
Hiram Percy Maxim, inventor of the
noiseless gun, recently gave a private
exhibition of the powers of this won
derful weapon at his home in Hart
ford, Conn. The inventor entered his
den and produced the Maxim humane
slaughterer," the name chosen for the
gun that he proposes to use in the
slaughter of cattle in stockyards.
Every frequently the blow which is
dealt to the animals in the stockyards
to a New York American reporter,
but merely stuns. Now, it sometimes
happens that the man with the iron
maui hits an OK in the. eye and simply
maddens the creature, or 1t Is only
stunned when it is dumped bodily into
the slaughter room, and the butchers
nave to run for their lives. This gun
Is intended to slaughter them pain
lessly and end all this trouble. 9th
er guns will not do this because the
noise maddens the other animals.
''It is not the type of the noiseless
gun that | expect to see used in the
army"
The gun which Mr.. Maxim held ap-
peared like an ordinary army rifle, eX-
cept that 1t was sheathed with an out
er barrel of aluminium. In this outer
sheathing was concealed the silencer.
The inventor loaded the gun with n
50 caliber bullet and fired it at pile
of q dozen magazines resting on edge
against the wall. The only noise heard
was the click of the trigger and a
swishing sound as the soft nosed lead
en- bullet tore its way through three of
the magazines and embedded itself in
the fourth The hole made was large
enough almost to put ones hand
through. A slight flash of fire was
seen at the muzzle of the gun at the
moment of the firing. This would
probably be obviated by the use of
smokeless powder, though the inventor
did not say.
THE outside barrel of this gun is in
three parts" said Mr. Maxim. "There
are three cells for use in killing sound.
/ do not know how silent the New
York s. p. c. A. wants the gun to be
used by it to be, but l gave them
enough silence to satisfy them.
This gun will not be used or even
receive any public test until my pat
ents in Europe have been granted
That will be in about two months, and
at that time the United States govern
ment test will take place. To describe
the invention or give drawings of it be-
fore the time would invalidate my pat
ents in the European countries.
"The gun that is to be used in the
army however will differ very mate
rally from this. The sileneer will be
only about three inches long. 1t will
not cncircle the barrel. because that
would interfere with the sighting of
The gun. 1t will he underneath the
barrel and probably near the .pluz2le" +"
General William z. Duyal of the
Military Staff and War college at
Washington, discussing Mr., MaXim's
latest invention, said:
Il have read the account of the per-
formances of the Maxim noiseless gun.
Certainly they ore interesting and as.
tOnishing. The matter has not been
brought officially, however. to our at.
tention yet.
Assuming the accounts are authen-
tic, and | believe they are, it would
he reasonable to suppose this discovery
would produce Just as much of revo-
luton in the art of war as did the in
vention of smokeless powder. Psyche
logically, this new gun would double
the terror that would be inspired by
the enemy possessing it. When smoke
less powder was discovered there was,
of course, the absence of smOke-an
important means of determining the
location of an enemy. Add to that
then, Il weapon In the hand of your foe
which neither emlts smoke nor makes
a noise. and the fear of the enemy
would he at least doubled"