The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-11-10
Local Men Who Toiled With The Brothers In Early Experiments With Arms And Ammunition Probably Will Settle The Dispute Now Being Waged

the electric and cartridge factories, was frequently in touch with the gun implement factory
 Hiram Maxim was engaged to per feet the incandescent light. He hired William A Barnes, of this city, then one of the foremost electrical experts of. the country. to assist him and they worked together upon the carbon fla ment and the vacuum system that afterwards made the lamp successful under Edison's investigations and i'm provements. It was at this time, about Christmas, 1873. that the Hawes Opera House, the streets of Bridge port and the Atlantic hotel were lit for the first time and witnessed by curious thousands who hoc1xed here to see the narvels Maxim delivered a lecture upon the art in the Franklin Hall
 In speaking of his influence on the growth of electricity today William N. Beardsley, former head of the Gun Implement works. said today at his home, that Hiram always claimed credit for being the first to invent the incandescent light but had to give place to Thomas A. Edison who won out in court after sharp and close fight.
 According to MT Beardeley, Hiram. while employed here brought a broth CT to the city for whom he tried to find work as a mechanic. This broth CT (svhether Hudson or another the employer could not remember) was not adapted to mechanical lines and did not remain long
 ! In SD peaking of his connection with both brothers William Barnes asserts most emphaticaIly that there is no question that Hiram was the inventor of the first srnokeless powder. After
 
 during the years of 1879 and early sos when they were engaged in perfecting incandescent light, he relates that about 1sSs-4. after Hiram had been abroad and informed him by letter that he was engaged in perfecttng high explosives and inviting him to come there and aid. Hiram Maxim, with his brother. Hudson, came to this city and Barnes met them at the old railroad depot Hiram carried two I travelling bags filled with the explo- e7sufIicient to blow half of the city at that time to atoms. Together they carried it to the U. M. c. company for a test. During a dinner which they ate together in the depot ion be- half Of old times, as Hiram then ex- pressed it, the three discussed the manufacture of the srnokeIess pow der, in which Hiram claimed the cred it for the invention and detailed how E oil to tone 1t down.
 E Hudson was listening at the time \ and did not interpose any remarks. It was Hiram then who had perfected the powder and Hudson was merely aiding in the demonstration before Barnes. It is asserted that Hiram then had samples Of the deadly cordite ] which later became famous in the an nals of explosives.
 At that time,'' continued MT. Barnes Hudson was very humble and did not pretend that any but Hi ram was the inventor of smokeless powder
 Likewise at the U M. c. plant, 1t ss remembered that Hiram Maxim came to this country in the early sos to demonstrate enoakeless powder. Though the dates were not available today. William Thomas, the ballistic expert Orcutt, insists that it was Hiram Max i'm whose powder was shown to them aud tested without being adopted at that time. It is hoped soon to deter mine the exact date of the experi- nents which will show that powder of the srlokeless kind was seen here prior to the dates of the patents men toned in the present discussion.
 Henry House, also a noted inventor, having been the first in this city to- invent an automobile, spent many years with Hiram, both abroad and in this city. Together they worked upon the Maxim flying machine which was never completed but made mark ed changes in aviation progress. De- tailing the electrical experiments of Hiram in. this city along similar lines to those already told by Beardsley and Barnes. MT House is inclined without date to give the credit of the invention to Hudson Maxim
 Another contemporary of Maxim in this city, whose experiments with higher explosives than those handled even by Maxim, is Thomas E. Car roll of 10s0 State street. MT. Carroll's speciality is tlle illuminate comp position Of deep sea torpeGoes used in blow ing up ships in harbors. This is the most deadly and dangerous of all ex- plosives.
 Mr. Carroll after explaining how he came here in 1872 to take charge ee the Fairfield acid works and grad, l1a1ly drifted into the manufacture sof explosives, in inclined to credit the original ideas Of invention of smoke both to Hudson and Hiram Maxim, then living in New Haven, and who experimented deeply into the myster- at a time when both brothers were here, though they did not lead to u1ti- mate perfection in her hands.
 Thomas Coulter, of the firm of CouI- ter & Mckenzie, was also associated with Hiram Maxim in this city dur ing the electric light experiments, but