Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-04-09
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MAXIM SlLENCERS.
Thorough Tests Soon to Be Made by
War Department

Thorough Tests Soon to Be Made by
War Department.
The war department Of the United
States is to make complete and thor
ough tests of the Maxim gun silencing
device. Hiram Percy Maxim has re-
turned from Washington, where he had
an interview with Brigadier General
William Crozier, chief Of ordnance, and
was much pleased to be able to an
nounce that this country would make
thorough investigation Of the device
He said to Hartford Courant re-
porter.
TT is very gratifying to me that this
country has taken hold Of this inven-
ton and that no foreign government
will have an advantage over us. I have
kept the war department informed as
to the gunsilencer through the officials
at the Springfield armory up to the
time Of my call on the president, when
General Crozier and other army and
navy officials were present, and the
chief Of ordnance had the opportunity
of seeing himself what the silenccr
would do. The result was my trip to
Washington on Monday, wnen I had a
conference with the chief of ordnance
and his assistant as to the making of
demonstrations Of the device undo!
regular army conditions and on a scale
much larger than heretofore has been
possible.
"a considerable number Of silencers
will be shipped with which tests will
be made and they will be tried under
all sorts of service conditions. I am
confident that the silencer will have
complete demonstration and fair
show, and the result Of these tests will
be the adoption of the silencer for the
United States army, its complete re-
lection as worthless for army purposes
or its partial adoption for certain uses
in the army.
'T should have been very sorry to
have seen the device turned down by
this government without complete
and fair test, as great interest is being
shown in it by foreign governments.
The attaches Of a number of. countries
have already bought silencers and sent
them to the home offices. These in
clude representatives Of such countries
as England, France, Russia, Germany
and Italy,"
Mr. Maxim was asked what he had
to say about the threat Of the chief Of
police of Pittsburg, Pa, that he would
arrest any one found possessing a ST.
lencer and clap him In jail, and he
said:
II am sorry to see any one, espe-
cially the head of a police department,
talking about something he evidently
knows little or nothing about. The
chief Of police Of Pittsburg, If quoted
correctly, tells how easily and without
detection one man with silencer re-
volver could kill another, Evidently
he has not even read the papers, for it
has been stated very plainly time and
time again that no silencer has been
or could very we'll be, fitted to revol-
yer. The construction Of a revolver
with it's chambers open at both
ends prevents its equipment with ST.
lencer.- Only rifles are thus equipped,
and murderers do not go armed with
rifles.
"Then, again, as has been very care
fully explained, the noise Of discharge
of silenced rifle would be loud enough
to betray the man who fired unless a
gun Of small calibre and low velocity
were used. 1t has been demonstrated
that where a bullet travels at the rate
Of 1000 feet or over per second 1t makes
crack as 1t tears through the air that
is perceptible for 200 or 300 yards. BY
means of the silencer the explosive
noise is done away with, but the bullet
noise remains
IT see no reason for any agitation
against the silencing device by either
municipal or state authorities and do
not believe any serious attempt will be
made to annul very useful invention.
Surely no such attempts could be sue
cessful. If, later, any regulations as to
the sale of silencers are regarded as
desirable to safeguard their use that
would very properly be a matter for
consideration, but no edict forbidding
the manufacture or possession Of 1t is
to be thought Of for a moment. Such
a dictum is nonsensical."