Evening journal., 1915-07-30
ENGLAND IN Need
OF MACHINE Guns
Much Of Germany'S Success
in Battle Attributed to
Modern Weapons
KAISER GOT TIP
FROM KING EDWARD
nY MILRuR S. FORREsT.

United Press cttU correspondent.
LONDON. July 3O.-(By Mail -
How Emperor Wilhelm foresaw 20
years ago the possibilities of the Max
i'm gun. now SO prominent in war
reports and ordered vast quantities
OF this death-dealine weapon. was
told here today for the first time.
by Sir Hiram Maxim. the aged Ameri-
can 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.
II was Albert Edward Prince Of
Wales later King Edward. who call
ed the kaisers attention to the Max
i'm gun. says the inventor The King
was on visit to his imperial nephew
when one day he inquired casu-
ally of Wilhelm II he had chanced TO
notice the Maxim gun The Kaiser ac-
EnoWledged he had not, but immedi-
ately declared his interest when told
IL could fire bullets az the rate Of
coo a minute
There happened 10 be one of the
newly invented Maxims on a range
not far from the palace and together
with his guest the Kaiser went TO
the range TO watch il perform. Sir
Hiram. who was present, adds
"Ordcrs were sent 20 have every
thing ready when the Kaiser and the
Prince visited the grounds and they
found four machine guns and four big
targets at a distance of 200 metres
The old Calling gun was first fred Il
was very heavy and had six barrels.
The Nordenieldt five-barroled gun was
also fired and the two-barreled Gard
ner. Il required four men 10 serve
each gun and when they attempted
20 work the guns too rapidly they
seemed 10 jam They got through
with $50 10 200 rounds a minute. One
man, an experienced gunner, then sat
on the tail Of the little Maxim gun,
carefully adjusted the sights, pulled
the trigger. and 1888 rounds went off
IN slightly over a half minute THE
Maxim gun is loaded and fired by it's
own recoiD The Kaiser and the
Prince then walked down and exam
ined the targets. The hits made by
the handworked machine were scat
tered all over the place. These guns
had been disturbed by the working OF
cranks and levers. whereas the Max
I'm. not being disturbed With by an
external force, had made nearly all
hits in the hullseye or close 10 It.
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 10
be given TO turn these guns out very
rapidly and in vast quantities. and
they are now making history very
much TO our cost
II we wish 10 beat the Germans
o. their own game Il is necessary to
be supplied with a great number OF
automatic machine gums"
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 inven-
tion before officials in France and
England and after a more perfect ma
chine had been made he took Il 10
Germany where the Kaiser was the
hrst TO recognize rs value
In his statement. Sir Hiram SAYS
I'm the war between Russia and ia
pan, two-thirds OF all the casualties
among the Japanese we're caused by
Maxim guns and in the present war
the most important arm is without
doubt the automatic machine gun.
bring rifle cartridges. Il is fast sun
planting the hand rife.
II is with this weapon that a thin
line Of Germans. stretching across
the continent. is able to hold back
the French and English while vast
hordes of the Kaisers men are driv-
Ing back the Russians on the eastern
'front.'