The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1914-01-08
NATIONS EYES ON
LEWIS AERO Gun
Americans Invention Promises
to ReV9IutlOniza War.
FIRES 500 SHOTS A MINUTE

So Light That Man Can Transport |
Easily-Needs No Water Cooling
! cent Tests of Wonderful Weapon a
Bisley, England.
That the general adoption Of the
Lewis automatic machine gun will
revolutionize warfare. sending the
present day rifles and Maxims to the
junk heap and rendering current mill
tary tactics antiquated at one stroke
who was present at the recent trials
at Bisley England. of new gun In
vented by Colonel Isaac n. Lewis. for
merly Of the United States.
| The army officer. who stipulated that
| his name should not be mentioned for
fear of reprimand by his govern
ment, drew a vivid picture for the
New York Times London correspon-
dent of the war of the future. If that
one desire of all war offices-a porta-
Bile automatic machine gun. not de-
pendent on water for cooling-should
prove no mere toy. but able to stand
up under actual service conditions.
Squadrons Of cavalry going into ac-
ton armed with machine guns instead
of the lance. saber or carbine; regi-
ments of infantry carrying machine
guns, each soldier having a potential
deadliness of two or more companies
armed with mere rifles; flocks of swift,
light armored aeroplanes. each mount
ing one or two machine guns. swoop-
ing down on the enemy with deadly
hail Of fire. were some Of the military
novelties that he prophesied for the
not distant future If the Lewis gun.
which was highly successful In the
preliminary tests. could stand the
grueling Of actual service.
Equal to a Regiment.
'For the first time a machine gun.
capable of firing 800 to 300 rounds
minute. Is to be carried by an infan-
tryman." says the officer. mo horses
or mules are needed. as with the Max
i'm. This gun weighs only twenty-six
and half pounds. or less than half a
soldiers normal equipment Think
what that means. One infantryman
can carry gun. and his comrade can
carry the ammunition. Every compa-
ny Of 100 men could carry seventy-five
guns. A single company would have
destructive power equal to a whole
regiment at present.
My opinion is that the new gun is
bound to displace Maxim's, for it takes
i've mules and ten men for every
Maxim as against no mules and two
men for the Lewis gun. Another thing
S that it will do away with the necesA
'ity of having cavalry escort for wag-
IN trains. A machine gun could be
mounted on every wagon
The scene which the correspondent
Witnessed at the Bisley tests was
impressive one The
lew weapon. which to u layman look
d more like an overgrown rifle than
machine gun. was mounted on a
mall iron tripod on the POO yard
ange. The inventor. Colonel Lewis.
7as vfsibly nervous as he gave final
lstructions to the civilian operator.
yhile grouped behind in an interested
nd silent semicircle stood Major Cen
raj Vondonoph, master general of
Major General Allenby, in
)ector of cavalry. and many other
Ugh English army officers. representa-
yes of the admiralty, military men
ON South Africa. New Zealand and
ustralia; the Bulgarian minister.
olonel Squler. the American military
,tache. the Belgian. Austrian and
lpanese attaches and representatives
nearly all the other foreign govern
ents.
Some idea of the interest aroused
ay be gained from the fact that
ussian colonel. who was present. had
zen ordered from Sebastopol to Eng
nd on two hours notice by the Rus =
IN minister of war.
After several thousand rounds had II
en fired in what seemed only a few II
the whole company of hun H
ed went to inspect the riddled target II
her tests were made at the 500 II
I'd range. then the officers present II
d an opportunity to fire the gun II
emselves from the 200 yard range. II
Fired From Altitude of 800 Feet. II
Then the word passed that an aero II
Inc was coming, The company has H
led to the watch tower In time to II
3 heavy numbering ark of a BIZ II
Inc climb slowly into the cold gray II
= against the brisk and treacherous ii
I'D wind In a special seat fastened H
der the pilot seat sat an officer with II
machine gun mounted before him. II
IS the biplane swung toward the II
get at an altitude of 600 feet he II
ID the whole magazine of forty II
zen rounds in less than five minutes. II
ring high percentage OF hits II
en- to the laymen the demonstration
$ Impressive,
offered the invention free of II
Irge to the United States govern II
Mt" Colonel Lewis said. "but it II
1ld not touch it at the time. IL
the gun has been subjected
preliminary official firing trials In =
ssia. Belgium. Italy. Austria and n
eden, and Is now under full official n