The Washington herald., 1909-02-09

New York. Feb. s.-A merry party.
opening many bottles Of champagne. was
what Hiram Percy Maxlm's demonstrs-
ton OF his new gun silencer sounded
Ike this afternoon in the Potter Build
ing on Park Row. Now and again, how
ever, there would come a report several
degrees louder. but for the most part
the sound was Ike the popping 81
champagne corks and Mr Maxim said
that most Of the noise came from the
impact Of the bullet against the sand in
the target.
It was the first public demonstration
which the inventor has given OF the means
whereby the silent gun does its work
He held It IN the Offices Of his att0r-
neys. Redding. Greely & Austin. and IN
the next room stenographer kept
busily at work pounding the keys Just in
line with the course OF the bullets But
Mr. M2xims target did not let any OF
them pass. The guns which he used
ranged all the wsy from a little -
repeating Winchester 20 the new 30
Springfield army rife. and took in the
high power Mausers and Msnnlichers
which the European go,ernmeats use in
their armies
Black Tubes on HuEzle.
The snencers which Nj. Maxim used
to-day varied slightly Ia size according
TO the power OF the rife which he was
shooting at the moment. In appearance
they are little black tubes which screw
on TO the muzzle Of the guns and have
about twice the diameter OK the barrel.
The size and weight vary according 10
the caliber and power of the srm to
be silenced- For a - caiiber rife, the
tube Is only about four inches long and
somewhat under an inch and a half IN
diameter. For 30 rife. on the other
hand. the siiencer IS two inches longer.
but Il has the same diameter. The weight
varies from six 20 nine ounces.
First Mr. Maxim snapped his little Win
chester repeater at the target without
one OF the tubes on the end The noise
was not pleasant TO hear. Then he put
on the siIencer. You heard the hammer
come hard against the cartridge. a little
pffung-g. and that was all He tried a
short and a long rife cartridge. and the
noise was not appreciably different
Then he worked up little by little 70
the high power guns. he let a Winchss-
ter 80 go, and the noise was just that
same aggTavsting champagne bottle
popping. Mr.. Maxim finally picked Up
a Springfield p. which he described as
the best rife In the world II Is the new
United States army rife and the most
powerful military gun n use. The bullet
has an initial velocity OF about 400 feet
a second and when you hear Il started
on its course under normal conditions the
impact upon the ear drums Is something
that they don't readily recover from. Yet
with that little black tube in place the
sound is scarcely audible
Like Negative Turbine.
The theory upon which the silencsr
works SIR Maxim described as being
identical with that OF the negative tur-
bine. The powder gases. rs soon as they
enter the silence- from the end OF the
barrel OF the gun. meet the spiral cham
6ers IN the interior OF the tube. and are
set to vhirliRg very rapidly.
The tendency Of the whiriing bodies is
10 tiy out the center. and inasmuch as
the only means OF exit from the siiencsr
Is near the center Of It's farther extrem-
ity. the gases are unable 10 escape until
they have slowed down The expulsion
OF the gas Is therefore az a very much
reduced velocity. as compared with its
speed under normal conditions OF gun
FIRE, and the shock to the atmosphere,
and the consequent schOck 10 the ear
drum. are relatively less.
Mr. Maxim declares that his inven-
ton VIII rot make life easier for the
pot-hunter and the assassin. The noise
OF q high power bullet in the afr Is
enough, he says, 70 make discovery pos
slble. The fact that il Is a puZzling
matter to trace the immediate spot from
which the gun was fred Is net, so he
thinks, OF great importance. save in the
single instance OF warfare.