The Washington herald., 1914-11-08

five years before my brother Hiram nled
his English patent-namely. September -
1SSs.
As a matter Of fact, the United States
army had actually fired the multi-per-
forated powder made by me at the gov
eminent proving grounds at Sandy Hook,
N. J.. several months before Sir Hiram
Maxim filed his English patent for multi
perforated smokeless powder.
It Is worthy Of note that not one OF
the many forms OF grain illustrated by
Hiram in his said patent is In use, or
ever has been in use anywhere In the
world, because they were all Of 90 unsci-
entihc q design rs utterly to fail In their
purpose as = progressive burning smoke
less powder.
In the New York Herald Of October II.
1914. Sir Hiram claims that he exactly
initiated the melinite OF the French by
mixing with picric acid q small quantity
Of vaseline and di-nitro-benzole. ground
together in q mill.
He states further that this modifed
form Of picric acid for charging projec-
tiles has since gone into general use In
the United States. and that when used
in connection with Sir Hlram's delayed
action fuse IT has been shot through
thick armor plate without exploding until
IL has passed through the plate.
Makes Light of Claims.
Could anything be more absurd than
the claim Of Sir Hiram Maxim that q
high explosive consisting Of q mixture Of
picric acid, di-nitro-benzole, and vase
line, has gone into general use a. q high
explosive bursting charge for projectiles
in the United States army and navy?
Any one with any practical knowledge
Of explosives Whatsoever, could not fan
ErnnTT n sN.k- II -
perfectly ridiculous and impossible as a
bursting charge for proJectiles.
Regarding Sir HIram's claim that his
delay action fuse has been appropriated
and adopted by the United States gov
ernment, It Ii very strange indeed that
the United States government could have
experienced for a period OF several
years with a fuse which I claimed to be
mine, expending probably 10000 on the
tests, and finally have purchased II Of
the Du Pont Company only a few years
ago as a government secret. II that fuse
We're really invented by Sir Hiram, and
patented by him many years ago as he
claims, surely our government officers
must be a lot OF ineompetents.
Again, it is strange that the z. 1. du
Pont de Nemours Powder Company
should have been so foolish as to have
paid me 100000 in cash for that fuse
llCg nOL lOOk Qp the STATE OF
the art before buying II, and discover
the fact that it was an old invention OF
Sir Hiram Maxim?
II the United States government and
the Du Pont Powder Company can be
fooled as easily as that, then many
would like their name and
address.
Be it known in this connection that at
the time Of the adoption Of my delay
action detonating fuse by the United
States government, had eleven applica-
tions for patents covering it pending in
the United States Patent Once, and that
the United States Patent ONCE had ex-
amtned thoroughly into the novelty and
validity Of the claims in these patent
cases. Upon the decision Of the gov
ernment to keep my fuse Inventions sec
ret, these patent applications were con-
signed to the secret archives Of the Pat
ent ONCE.
II Sir Hiram's claim Is true about this
fuse, 1t is truly wonderful that the ex-
pert examiners in the United States Pat
ent once should not have made the dis
coVery that Sir Hiram was the inventor
or my fuse. and have cited his old pat |
ent as a reference. but they did nothing |
Of the sort
The E L du Pont de Nemours Pow
Ter Company has paid me several hun-
fred thousand dollars for INV services /
and inventions since Sir Hiram claims |
that came to America and posed as
II. Maxim, Of gun-makinE fame of Lon
Ion, England" It Is certainly most re-
narkable that the great e I du Point
lie Nemours Powder Company. the larr-I
sst manufacturers Of explosive materials
n the world, and the most progressive.
'ouid nave been imposed upon to the ex-
ent OF being made to believe all this
line that they were dealing with Sir
Iran Maxim. Of gun-making fame, Of
london, England.
Col. BucIner Gives Him Credit.
In this connection. IT is well to quote
rom q statement by Col. z. @. Buckner,
Ice president Of the z. /. du Pont de Ne
nours Powder Company. in Harper's
Weekly, OF June n. 1914. in which he
lives me the credit Of being the inventor
u muld-perforated smokeless powder
md states that that invention Is one Of
he four most important inventions ever
made in the development Of smokeless
'owder
The next problem was the adaptation
u this powder to guns OF different CALI
daxim, an empioye Of the Du Font muSs1n corno
any, VINO Invented the multi-perforatad
rain: and the Du Pont company vasi
1ven credit for 1t by Mr.. Tracey. Sec
etSry E ar. Of the Navy, IN his annual report
,'Tsrst yislie had produced gun cotton
: Second. MendeIeef. Of Russia, had told
g how TO colloid II.
Third, Francis @. du Pont had told M
low 70 eliminate danger in the manufac-
Fourth. Hudson Maxim, an employe
I the Du Pont company, had invented
ne mult-perforated grain that gave ab-
ol1te control over the burning" Il
On October 3, 1sio. Sir Hiram Maxim ,