The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-08-03
KAISER SAW
y MERIT OF GUN
Many Maxims were Ordered by Him
Twenty Years Ago, Before
War Started.
by Wilbur s. Forrest, United Press
Staff Cnresnnndant

lBy Wilbur s. Forrest, United Press
Staff Correspondent
LONDON, July 30.-(By mail.)-
How Emperor Wilhelm foresaw TWEEN
ty years ago the possibilities of the
Maxim gun, now SO prominent in war
reports and ordered vast quantities
Of this death-deaHng weapon, was
told here today for the first time by
Sir Hiram Maxim, the aged American
inventor.
Today the German army has ap-
proximately $4,000 of these machine
guns and the British government and
other governments are making them
as fast as they can, all of which
proves that the day of the single shot
rifle is past in modern warfare, says
Sir Hiram.
1t was Albert Edward. prince of
Wales. later King Edward. who called
the kaiser's attention to the Maxim
gun, says the inventor. The king was
on a visit to his imperial nephew
when one day he inquired casually Of
Wilhelm If he had CHANGED to notice
the Maxim gun. The kaiser acknow-
lodged he had not, but Immediately
declared his interest when told it
could fire bullets at the rate OF 600
a minute,
There happened to be one OF the
not far from the palace and together
with his guest, the kaiser went to the
range to watch 1t perform. Sir Hiram,
who was present, adds:
Orders We're sent to have every
thing ready and when the kaiser and
the prince visited the grounds they
found four machine guns and four big
targets at distance of 200 metres.
The old Calling gun was first fired.
1t was very heavy and had six barrels.
The Nordenfeldt f1ve-barreled gun was
also fired and the two-Darreled Gard
ner. 1t required four men 70 serve
each gun and when they attempted to
work the guns too rapidly they seem
ed to jam. They got through with
$50 to 200 rounds minute. One man,
an experienced gunner, then sat on
the tail of the little Maxim gun, care
fully adjusted the sights, pulled the
trigger and 333 rounds went off in
slightly over a half minute (The
Maxim gun is loaded and fired by its
own recoil.) The kaiser and the
prince then walked down and exam
ined the targets. The hits made by
the hand-worked machines were scat
tered all over the place. These guns
had been disturbed by the working
of the cranks and levers, whereas the
Maxim, not being interfered with by
an external force, had made nearly
all hits in the bullseye or close to 1t.
when the kaiser returned, he
placed his finger on the Maxim gun
and said. That is the gun. there is no
other He then caused orders to be
given to turn these guns out very
rapidly and in vast quantities, and
they are now making history very
much to our cost.
'''rf we wish to beat the Germans at
their own game, it is necessary to be
supplied with great number of auto
matte machine guns"
Sir Hiram first began work on the
automatic gun in 1881, when he was
chief engineer and. electrician Of the
U. S. Lighting company Of New York.
He later exhibited his invention be-
fore officials in France and England
and after more perfect machine had
been made he took it to Germany
where the kaiser was the first to
recognize its value.
In his statement. Sir Hiram says;
'In the war :. between Russia and
Japan, two-thirds of all the casualties
among the Japanese were caused by
Maxim guns and in the present war
the most important arm Is without
doubt the automatic machine gun, fir
ing rifle cartridges. 1t is fast sup
planting the hand rife"
1t is with this weapon that a thin
line Of Germans, stretching across
the continents able to hold back the
French and English while vast hordes
of the kaiser's men are driving back
the Russians on the eastern front.