The Washington times., 1914-10-17
Washingtonian Made German
Guns Terror to All Europe
Gathmann Fuse Makes Forts
Obsolete and Even Carries
Threat of Tossing Shells Into
England.

Perhaps you rode beside him on your
wey downtown this mornings quiet,
benign. smiling, lovable man. at peace
with the world.
Perhaps, too, you have shuddered as
YOU read the descriptions of those
shrieking, devastating explosives hurled
Liege, Namur, Antwerp. and other i'm
pregnable" fortresses.
The man just described is Louis Gath
mann, who made this new menace in
warfare possible. He has lived in Wash
ington for years. He came here Just
before Lincoln was shot
II you knew this man, morbid Curios-
lty might drive you to talk 20 him about
the war, about his inventions. in the
hope that you would find some blood
thirsty trait. some desire to make pos
slble the slaughter of his beings,
some corroded strata in his soul which
would make him chuckle as he reads
daily OF the havoc his genius has
wrought.
Aimed To End Wars.
What must be the state of mind Of
such man now, you wonder? Strangely
enough, he neither gloats over the
bloody trail in the wake of his inven-
lions nor is he oppressed by the devas-
tation and death of his making. He
talks as naturally about his work as
the inventor OF a new motion picture
device or the originator OF new
breakfast food.
man has heart as big as yours and
mine. He conceived this idea of making
warfare more deadly in the sincere be-
lief, whether true or not, that the more
menacing warfare becomes, the more
willing will nations be to listen to
overtures of peace. A German py birth,
and an American by long residence he
first offered his idea to this country,
ana through the influence of Admiral
sampson: Hilary Herbert. former secre-
tary OF the Navy: former President Nc
kinney, r. B. Dashiel, assistant naval
constructor and others. Congress appro-
priated at various times sums aggre-
eating 100000 for developing his high
explosive system. But his method was
not adopted here. Finally IL was taken
up by Germany.
Now that war has been declared he
cannot conceal his qualification that his
fetherland is to benefit by his invention
since war had to come, though, true to
PRESIDENT Wilson's neutrality order, he
declines TO discuss the war In any Of its
phases.
Made Big Berthas" Terrible.
Louis Gathmsnn did not invent the
great German guns. The guns are not
unique, except that they are larger
than any guns used heretofore. What
has made the Big Berthas' terrible
and fearsome objects was Gathmann's
invention which enables them TO throw
masses of explosives as great a dis
lance as 1t formerly was possible to
throw the more harmless hundreds Of
pounds Of solid shell. This invention is
the fuse devised by Gathmann which
makes the firing Of these hundreds OF
pounds of high explosives practicable.
Formerly the throwing Of these high ex-
plosives was apt to be more dangerous
TO the operators of the guns than to
the object of attack.
At the outset of the war the world
vas warned that Germany had sur
prises" in store for her opponents. The
first terrifying surprise was the great
siege gun at Iiege.
or the big Bertha's" achievements at
Liege the world knew little, because
after the first days of confused reports
veil settled over the city-a veil which
vas not lifted until long after the last
fort fell and the first war correspond
ents were permitted to inspect the ruins
Of the steel-turreted concrete forts
which had been destroyed by the terrific
German artillery fire.
Travellers recently returned from
abroad now say that the English have
4 fear that the big surprise limited at
by the Germans for months may be a