The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1914-04-17
LUCKY AT CHEATING DEATH.

den Impulse to Run, Which He Obey
ed, Was the Means Of Saving His
Lifs-A Magazine That Got It's Sso-
ond Wind.
One Of the most thrilling adventures
in my experience took place at the gov
ernment proving grounds at Sandy
Hook, ~ j.. when the United States
government was testing maximite be-
fore adopting It
Near light frame building in which
was filling shells with maximite.
ten inch gun was being tested. A num-
ber of shots had been fired from the
big gun just as | had concluded my
work and started for the wharf TO take
the government tug for New York. the
signal was sounded for another shot
] was walking along stretch OF rail-
way track directly behind the gun.
At that instant | remembered that
several years before. when one OF these
guns was being tested. the breeehlock
had blown out. passed through the
bombproof and killed six officers and
men. but argued with myself that the
chance was infinitely remote that the
breechlock would be blown out OF the
present gun on this discharge at the
very instant was in range, but upon
a sudden impulse | ran with all my
might
The gun was discharged. | looked
round just in time to see the huge
breechlock pass through building near
the one In which | had been at work.
1t came up the track. striking and
breaking one of the rails over which
had passed 1t ricocheted against the
top OF the old granite fort and glanced
high into the air. A shower OF stones
and debris fell over wide area and
many fragments struck the ground
clOse to me.
walked back to the scene OF the ac
cident and found that the windows In
the little building where ! had been
filling maximite shells were completely
riddled with partly burned cylinders or
amok eless powder that bad been blown
from the gun
once had another curions expert
ence at Sandy Hook during some trials
Of the Maxim automatic machine gun.
Among the severe tests TO which the
gun was subjected was one intended to
simulate what might occur In making
landing upon the seashore, where the
mechanism of the gun might get flied
with sand The test is known as the
sand test
The gun being tested ut the time was
OF the kind using black gunpowder
cartridges. for Ii was before the Intro
duction of smokeless powder. There
was so much energy In the recoii or
the barrel that u great deal OF sand
could be thrown into the mechanism
without interfering with the working
Of the gun.
The commanding officer did nof ar
rive to see the gun fred until after the
board In charge had completed the test.
He then appeared and demanded that
the firing should be continued for his
benefit The chairman of the expert
mental board demurred. saying that
the gun had passed through the test
admira bly, and that 1t was too bad to
IRE 1t more than was absolutely neces-
sary. with Its mechanism filled with
sand But the commander insisted.
A schooner was approaching near
the line of fire. The commander said
he only wanted to see few rounds
fred and that the firing would be COM
pleted before the schooner would come
within range. Accordingly belt OF
833 rounds was inserted, and the firing
begun. After perhaps ffty rounds were
fred the command was given Cease
firing" but the gun kept right on. 1t
afterward proved that the trigger was
blocked by sand. SO that 1t was impos-
sibie to stop the gun. The schooner
came into range. and the bullets few
over and around her.
My assistant. who was firing the gun,
did his best to work the trigger and
stop It, 1t did not occur TO him on the
instant to unlimber the gun and swing
out Of range AS the gun fred at the
rate OF 750 shots minute the firing
was all over inside half minute.
Fortunately no damage was done.
When the same gun was undergoing a
sand test ut Annapolis, Md. came
very near being killed by 1t.
The gun had passed successfully
through severe sand test but the
officer In charge wanted to see wheth-
er he could put enough sand into the
gun to stop it. So he had the gun box
filed full The gun fired about l50
rounds and then stopped My assistant
threw down the safe-that Is to say.
locked the trigger SO that 1t could not
he pulled began clearing the gun
box
Thinking that the gun was safe.
was just about to step round In front
Of IL. Suddenly II f1red dozen or
more shots so close to me that my
clothes were scared by the powder
gases.
One OF the tests made at Annapolis
was to are Maxim gun vertically
into the air. We hnd fred couple Of
hundred shots In this manner. when
something struck very near u.s. II
then occurred TO the ofiicer In charge
that what Eoes UP must necessarily
gonna down. Firing ceased. ana W