The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-04-29
THE N0|SELESS Gun.
SmokeIess Weapon Is to Be
Tested at Sandy Hook.
FIRED WITHOUT ANY o W

weapon that nuriS 100000 Builet
Hourly With No Danger Of Burst
tns-cost Of Firing Said to BE Small
The United States government has
completed arrangements with Free
bangerter. inventor Of the new noise
nj and smokeless gun, whereby on
OF these destructive machines is tt
have a thorough trying out at Sand,
dook, with the ultimate view of the
gun being taken over by the ordnance
department.
This gun, which is fred by some
mysterious power which the inventor
declines to divulge, but which he says
is neither powder nor other explosive
q compressed air. is capable Of dis.
charging 2.COO.O0O bullets an hour
without recoiling OK becoming over.
heated and with absolutely no DANCE,
Of bursting,
After a two hour visit from Colone,
Birnie and Major Dickson of the army
ordnance board. recently. at which the
merits OF the Rangerter gun were fully
discussed. the two officers requested
the inventor to build one of his guns
Tor a TROUT at Sandy Hook. MI, Ban.
gerter recently confirmed the news at
his home in Brooklyn. The new gun
he said. will be of such a character
that for the preservation Of life and
property it can only be tested on the
target range at the Hook.
Il am arranging now" said he, "tc
build q gun that will send a half inch
ball a distance specified by Colonel
Brine and with sufficient velocity tc
XIII or dangerously wound a man. Th.
new gun will be made of steel and the
parts will be perfect, so that the gun
a be worked to the highest speed re-
Qulred to fulfill the maximum demands.
The gun ! have at present is made of
BRASS IN all its parts, and some of the
parts are worn, SO severe have beer
the tests to which they have been sub.
jected.
BRASS is a much softer metal than
steel and will therefore not stand the
work that steel will. The bullets I use
now are solid steel, and, being much
lighter than lead, are not capable of
acquiring the velocity of the heavier
metal by a large percentage. The bull
lets that will be used in the real trial
at Sandy Hook will be lead incased in
steel. They will be heavy enough to
do the work properly"
The inventor said he told the officers
everything about the gun except the
power which is used to discharge it. !
He said they talked a long while about
1t, but eventually admitted that they !
could not even venture a conjecture as
to the power. Mr.. Bangerter made the
interesting disclosure that the Russian
government may take over the new in
vention If the United States does not
show a disposition t. move in the mat
ter. Said he:
II know what l have. No individual
can buy the secret, because it would
take too much money to pay for it. |
Only a national government could at
ford to buy such a thing. and l am not
going to divulge the secret until l can
get an assurance from a power able to
compensate me as I think l should be.
l nave had all kinds Of offers made to
lnduce me to tell how l project those
outlets. but l have also received q
proposition from a wealthy promoter
OF New York city who proposes to go
to Europe within a few weeks and Law
the matter before Russia's war minister,
This gentleman offers to pay his
own expenses and to furnish $4,000
With which to build a complete gun,
mounted on an auto truck and equip
ped with the necessary motive power
to operate truck and gun-that is. a
hundred horsepower motor. He has
transacted business with the Russian
government and is we'll acquainted
with high officials there"
Other governments are also after the
gun.~ according to the inventor. He is
disposed to give the United States the
first chance. he said, but he added:
1T Is the experience of all who have
any invention to offer to the United
States that the delay Is disheartening
! have had an extensive cable CORE
spondence with London, in which
am offered $5,OOO,OOO for the worlds
right. provided the gun will stand the
British government test. A months
option was requested by cable. but out
Of courtesy to the chief Of the United
States war ordnance board I declined
to give an option to the Englishman.
I cabled him that l would consider the
proposition. You see. there are several
good reasons why l am anxious to get
kind Of an intimation from Uncle
sam that he will do business If l can
provide the gun I describe. OF course.
after the transaction reaches the
stage where an appropriation is asked
for by General Crozier, it will take
congress months If not years to pass
upon 1t. and the delay might 80 mill
tate against consideration by other
powers that | may be prevented from
making any kind Of a deal with either
one Of them"
No date has yet been fixed for the
trial Of the new gun at Sandy Hook
The new gun can lie operated by two
men. and one striking feature Of it is
that, whereas II costs $4,000 to fire