Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-04-07
NORTH DAKOTA
A SECOND MAXIM
MINoT ATTORNEY EQUIPS RIFLE
WITH ELECTRIC BATTERY TO
SHOOT IN DARK.

Minot, N. d. April 3-An army
rifle equipped with small electric
bulbs which enable the soldier to
shoot at dawn or dusk is the inven-
ton of Thomas Neary. a young attor-
ney of this city. The new model is
not only in the hands of the war de-
partment, where it is receiving tests,
but two of the new guns are said to
have been taken by President Roose-
welt on his African hunting trip.
Mr.. Neary has been at work on his
invention for years. Change after
change has been made until few
months ago, when with all of his de-
vices patented, Mr.. Neary made a
trip to Washington. Later a test was
made at the Rock Island arsenal be
fore officers of the United States
army.
The new patent can be placed on
any army rife, small caliber or hunt
ing rifle. 1t consists of two minute
electrical bulbs just behind the front
and rear sight The bulbs are pro-
vided with ref1ectors, which can be
regulated when shooting at long
range so as to provide for the wind
and distance gauge From the bulbs
small wires run to a battery placed in
the stock. A small push button, To-
Gated where the left hand grasps the
BARREL allows the shooter to turn on
the lights when needed without shift
ing his grip from the position set
small and so well protected that no
amount of rough usage can break
them nor can the heat of the barrel,
no matter how many times the gun is
fired, cause any change in the mocha
nism.
The Test.
NJ announcements were made at
the time the test was made as it was
Mr.. Neary's intention to make the
invention public until after it had
been submitted to the war depart
ment All of the target work done
at the exhibition was by Mrs. Clayton
Youngkin of Minot. Mrs. Youngkin
has never missed the bullseye at 200
yards with the new gun, firing as late
in the evening as 10 o'clock, and as
early as 5 in the morning. The Ordl-
nary military target was used and the
gun was a standard United States
Springfield At the Rock Island test,
five shots were fired by Mrs. Young
kin at s O'Clock in the evening, when
the target was barely discernlble, and
five bullseyes were scored.
The gun was then turned over to
the officers in charge, who made ev-
cry conceivable test 1t was placed
in the testing machine used on new
rifles and was given pressure that
almost broke the stock, yet the lights
and wires remained intact. Shot af-
ter shot was fired so rapidly that the
operator was barely able to hold the
piece, yet the lights showed no de-
crease in power.
Roosevelt to Use Guns.
Early in March, Mr.. Neary re-
ceived a request from Springfield for
permission to equip two hunting rifles
with the invention for the use of
President Roosevelt, on his trip to
Africa, and the former president car
ried with him two guns equipped with
the Minot mans invention.
While no definite figures have been
given as to the expense, it is esti-
mated that batteries can be secured
for the guns at a cost which would
equal that of three ordinary rife
cartridges. If the device is accepted
by the government, it will undoubt-
edly be placed on every gun used by
+1,o ,ooulor a rYnv and militia