The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1908-09-18
NOISELESS GUN AWES.

NOISELESS GUN AWES.
Official Tests Show Fearful Possibili>
ties-Inaudible at $50 Feet.
Springfield, Mass, Aug. 29.-In
the presence Of committee of United
States army officials, Hiram Percy
Maxim, the veteran inventor, to-day
demonstrated beyond all doubt that
the. noiseless gun which he has con-
trived is a success. He proved dur
ing the tests held to-day in the ar
mory and in the fields near North
Wilbraham that his new gun can ha.
fired within $50 feet of a person
without detection by him.
To make clear to the minds OF the
officers the tremendous revolution
which this gun would cause In war
fare, Maxim utilized little cricket
which was found in bush. The ot-1
fcers could hear the cricket chirp at
distance of fifty yards. And they:
heard lit it ehirp aI even when the Maxim
Those present at the test, which
was the official government one, we're
Mr.. Maxim, Major Morton, Capt. Al
len, Lieutenant Meals, Henry South,
ey, city engineer at Hartford, Conn.,.
and six enlisted men.
The party went to the armory.s
where tests for penetration, noisa,s
lessness and accuracy were conducts
ed. One of the soldiers, crack-shot
with the rife, fired the regular army
gun several times, the explosions
ringing out above the noises Of the
factory where Uncle Sam makes!
small arms. Then Maxim adjusted,
his "noise-killer" to the weapon. s.
The sharpshooter took aim at O.
target far down the yard and pulled,
the trigger. From the white plate
more than a hundred yards awAy.
there came a sharp metallic ring.
The bullet had ploughed into steel
but not sound excepting soft one,
as of fingers swapping, came from
the gun. ssssi
Then a slight Kissing, 10,
slight as to be hardly audi ,. waAS
heard, and the officers looked at one:
another in bewilderment. The sots
weapon in his hands and held 1t from
him an instant, then laughed In q
childish way. ss.ss sss:zs
The party adjourned to the fields.
Forty regulation cartridges were
given to the marksman. The officers
posted themselves 1000 yards from:
where the sharpshooter stood, and
he was given the word to fire. Me-
thodically he sped bullet after bu1lek
into a distant target, each time th6s
service gun emitting roar that wa4
audible 5000 feet away in the VIII
lage.
After Maxim adjusted the "noi9es
killer" the soldier fired again and
eight times he hit the target. Alk1
the time the officers were coming
closer to him. They could hear tho
steel projectile smash against the
target but nothing else. FinaNys
when within $50 feet Of the SOLDIER
they heard faint sound. It was the
hammer of the gun striking the ear
fridge. But they heard nothing more.
nor did they see either smoke or drAs
coming from the weapon.
Not contented, Maxim Invited the
experts to the lake near North WI
braham. One of the soldiers W.T.
posted across the water five hundred
yards distant. A target was erected
near a little booth he occupied.
Eight times he heard the steel jack
eted bullet plunge into and fatten on
the disc but he heard no other sound
although the place is wilderness,
and even the low murmurs OF the
town do not penetrate it. ~
The officers made calculations an6
agree that the gun is "a per cent
noiseless. It was moody, cogitatin8s
group that returned to the armorya
late in the evening. The men bore
no air Of triumph. Each probably
was thinking of the dreadful possi-s
bilities shut up in that little secret.
device which had been adjusted to-
the ordinary service guns.
An idea of the severity of the testsS
may be gained from the fact that 408
grains of smokeless powder were
used in each cartridge, charge ca
pable of hurting a bullet more than
1900 yards with fatal results.