Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-11-29
SIR HIRAM KIM DEAD.
Inventor Of Automatic System of
firearmS-IlOrn In L. =.

London, Nov 2i.--Sir Hiram
Maxim. inventor OF the automatic
system Of firearms. died at his home
here early this morning
Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim, Ameri-
| can born. was one Of the most fam
Gus inventors. civil, mechanical and
| electrical engineers Of Great Britain
He was most widely known as the in
ventor Of the Maxim machine gun,
which makes the recoil Of the weapon
serve as the power for rcloading, and
which is the weapon largely used in
| the European war to-day.
| lie was born at Sangeryille. Maine,
| February S, lS40, the son Of Isaac
Weston and Harriet NJ. Maxim, and
received only common school edu-
cation. but he acquired scientific
knowledge hy reading and attending
lectures. He went to England in
1881. and had resided there ever
since. lie wass knightcd by Queen
Victoria in 1901.
| '''' o"H' 'iiithl tiNS htAllIl Is Il
we'll known inventor in the United
States. known particularly as the in
vcntor Of the Maxim silcncer
For many years Sir Hiram was a
director in the firm Of Vickers' Sons
4 Maxim, but resigned that post in
| 1911. For more t,.an thirty years he
| experimental in aGrOnautics and in
vented flying machines In the light
of the present war. with it's numcr-
onS German airship raids in England.
it is remarkably interesting to recall
that eight years ago Sir Hiram took
! the British nation By task for its
small interest in aeronautics, and
! pointed then, ut Il time when aero
! planes were in their infancy. that
! England was in grave danger OF bonn
hardmcnt by airships.
Does any one doubt for a mo-
ment. said he. that in case we find
ourselves AT war with continental
| power. airShips will be used for bonn
barding English towns, both on the
] 10
don within years time can be at.
tackled without our enemy needing 20
| FEAR the boa,tcd British fleet"
Following the success OF the
Wright bipanc, Sir Hiram renewed
his long continued interest in avia-
| ton and in 1910 perfected a machine
which he declared had certain advan-
tagcs over the Wright's. 1t was he
VINO. with Others. intereste the Brit
ish government in beginning its or
ganiZation OF an aerial navy. and
though he was 20 years old, he lived
| TO see the great war bring air fight
ing TO pass in even greater measure,
probably. than he himself had
dreamed.
IN addition to his gun and aero
plane. he patented many electrical
inventions. including incandescent
lamps. seif-regulating current ma
chimes. several pieces Of ordnance and
a smOkeleSs powder
The aged inventor took a keen in.
'S'NH' III lHc Wal, ana from time TO
time there were unconfirmed reports
Of his invention OF devices to meet
the needs Of the war. one Of them be-
ing an apparatus to counteract the
effects Of the poisonous gases which
the Germans were first to bring into
use. In 1915 he was appointed a
member Of the inventions board Of
the British munitions department
under Lloyd-George
Sir Hiram applied himself so siren
rouSly to science throughout his long
life that even his rccreations were
SiVcA by him as "rcading scientific
books and studying the abstract sci
| cnccS. lie wrote many important
articles and an autobiography. "IIy
Life" in 1915.
He vas chcvalier OF the Legion
| OF Honor. member OF the American
Society OF Civil Engineers. the Rnval
society OF Arts. the British Ass.,ria-
ton for the Advancement OF Science
| and numerous other scientific bodies
tHAtfFEtRS WE'RE BANDITS.
| Called "SrOirhnrS" BpruIsp Tb,y