The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-05
TODAY IN HISTORY
The eatIins Gun Patented December $.
MONDAY, DECEMBER s

| The Gatling gun. the invention of Rich
ard Jordan Calling. which was patented
on December ;, 1861, In great measure
| revoluiionized warfare in so far as "a
harvest OF death is concerned, When
first invented the gun differed radically
both in principle and action from any
form OF gun previously I'm use. and ad-
mtted OF faster discharge and heavier
proJectlles. besides which It's methods of
| fire prevented the accumulation OF re-
coil
old one. At the Boston Navy yard there
| Is a doubled barrel bronze gun of Chinese
manufacture. which was captured IN
Korea in 1870, and according TO the
+ Chinese inscription upon II, IL was made
+, in 1907.
Pcpys in his diary. date of July 3. 1852
says; After dinner was brought 10 Sir
! w. Compton a gun to discharge seven
! times, the best Of all devices that ever
saw. and very serviceable and not a
bauble; for 1t Is much approved OF, many
thereof being made
From 1862 TO 1861 there are found fire.
quent references to guns designed for
multiple loading, hut none seemed to give
sufficient satisfaction To gain a perma-
ncnt place In armaments.
Gatline, the inventor Of the gun bear
Ing his name, was born in North Caro-
lima in 1878. In early life he showed con-
siderable signs of an inventive genius.
Ills first inventions were In the line OF
agricultural implements. When he was
past 30 he began the study Of medicine.
pul never nGdtllfeu ~ TO any eHl'HlH
When the Civ'l war broke out DIR.
Calling was living AT Indianapolis. lie
watched the constant arrival and deper-
ture Of soldiers. and. while contemplating
the fact that casualties in war resulted
chiefly from exposure and disease. the
thought flashed upon him that IT was
possible to make labor saving machin-
cry for war. He reasoned that If one
man with machine could do the work
OF hundred men. nine,y-nine could be
withdrawn from the manifold dangers
Incidental TO the prosecution OF war,
The idea OF the machine gun was con
ceivcd In tho spring of 1861. In the spring
OF 1862. having the previous December ;
obtained patent on his gun. he ex-
GERS and private citizens. Fifty shots
per minute were discharged with ease
In the fall of 1862 he gave an order
for six guns 10 he manufactured by a
Cincinnati firm. About the time they
were ready for delivery the factory. With
all its contents. including the guns and
all the plans and patterns. were totally
destroyed by fire. and DR.. Gatling had
TO begin all over again.
Several were finally ready. but the In
ventor failed 10 induce the chief OF ord
nance to even examine his Invention.
General Benjamin F. Butler. however.
was quick TO perceive the advantages ot
the machine gun and bought twelve OF
them on his own account for use on the
adopted them. and In August 1866. after
the war had closed. an order wag given
by the chief or ordnance for 100 of them.
They were made and delivered TO the
government In 1857
In that year. and again In 1870 DR..
Gatling visited Europe In the interest OF
his invention Since the approval OF the
gun by the United states II has been
adopted by every gun bearing nation on
the globe. II has scattered shot on
Alaskan shores and an unfinching
van and rear guard protected Stanley in
the African wilds. I'm It's perfected form
the gun may he described as a number,
usually ten. of breecb loading rifle bar
rels grouped around common axis
with which they lie parallel and revolving
with il. Only one barrel is fired at a
time. and but once in revolution. Some
patterns are capable OF dlscharglng 1900
balls minute. The cartridges were fed
automatically into the breech and the
empty shells are similarly discharged
Tho Gating guns arc made of various
calibers. and have the remarkable range
of one and one-half miles. The gun is
sighted. and then the firing is done by
turning crank. DR. Gatling received
many honors from scientific bodies and
from foreign governments