The sun., 1916-10-01
An AerolO1e-rze s~rn7ed with
q Lewis Saf

| uttered the present methods of war
fare, especially those NJ large oaiibre.
! y was with great p-oJecti!cs OF this
' sort that the ka!sers forces battered
~ IN the Belgian ana the French ar
: n"red forts. Tie ide, of that form Of
attack originated in America and every
effort vas mad. t. give this nation the
4 initial benefit. but the Ordnance Board
ot tic United St,.cs army stood
q sduarr,y across the path ut progress.
Tho Inventor in question is Louis
Gathmann.
Abodt sixteen years ago Gathmaau
offered the Wu' Department n gun
capable Of firing shell, also his own
invention. loaded with a charge If
high explosive. Il w's. a. * the rulc,
! referred II the prdaaucc Board. Ills
projectlc was In cffcc.. al aerial tor
ped". The army orinanc, experts
promptly condonno the Whole scheme
cffhand Eut Gathmanu had strong
friends. and Mark Hanna. then in the
United states Senat,. was one Of them
The latter saw Ia IL that an npprnpria-
ton was made for IN" trial a. the Edn
and oc the shell
The test took place, Down e., sandy
Hook, d"slit" difficulties that ham
'"rcd the Demonstration u' 49," GGtd-
mann inventions. -" pr"'"cl...s jll
work which Was DC.crinru IT, ,-'pU.Sn-
.n-. The rial 1,- 'ios'i . g"yul" tipu-
AIRY form uI attack peculiarly suited
- our cnasta' requirements fur the
rcpolling of heavily nrmorrj ships.
Nevertheless the pcrfurmunc"s were
studously given an official black eye
and Suarded.y diSCrcditci. while III"
dpings Of q riva! Ic.l-d"vcloped oy
an ordnance uiiiccr who was menu
Der ~ the board were prIis"G.
Unlike the arm1r ,Ierc.ng shell,
with it, relatively -maa lurs'.nS (
charge. Gathmamg's projcctile was de-
,.-rej - exercise a Wracnng effect
=, reason of a stunning exterior o.
,.., ,on. ,nc impact Of an Is inca shcl.
acIg supplemented 10y the stimuli
tancons dntonatiuu uf a great quantity
of gpucotton. As a result of the t"st>
his p:ojectilc drove a plate of heavy
steel nlIry feet rearward and crushed
~ and rrump.ed up the supporting
steel plates and a backing of timbcis
and sand which NOR. than cuUa.lcd
the strength OF any ship either then or
now in existence.
Gathmanr's ohjcc. was ~ displacs
great masses uf II foes defensive
armOr and thus to open II passae" for
u food of inundating water, or else I,
shake ship hy tho violcnc" "f the at
tack 80 that some If her vital mcchan-
isms would hc profoundly disarrangcd
10 .,e bpt -
ih!s rather than actual pcr,oratiou al
;hc armor, has been LARGELY re~ponsi-
blc FOR the destruction and grave in
iury of many OF the ships engaged "
III" larger of the naval battles.
|. Is matter of military history
that the ordnance department. Of Tho
army Allied shells for the Porto l,icaI
campaign IN 1895 with smoheless pow
der. capt. I. y. Lewis was one of tn,
Witnesses before a congressional COM
mlttce that investigated this ana oth"l
matters, and hc had to put tn" blame
where IL belonged. lie showed tha
This use Of the new propcllart was no
IN accident hut the result OF d'lihcr
ate orders from the ordnance depart
mcnt. 1t was the same department
too that opposed the use If fixed am
nunitoN for field guns on the .cor'
that tho expended brass car,rdG'
cases might cut The hoofs of th'
horses. without fhosc eases rapl,
tire would have been lmnus-''i",
Gen. Nelson \. Miles detailed Can't
Lewis in 1900 TO ~ ~ Europe for th'
purpose Of studying Ill" condition q
military material there. When hc r"
turned Capt. Lewis made a report tha
drought TO light how the United state
Army Jagged behind the arnic
abroad. ana the ordnance department
especially suffered severely by com
: IHr!son. Later Capt Lewis was sen
t. Il post "a the iurthest Northwest
} S"inc ot his friends believed that hi
. virtual cNi4r WIS brought a 'out by IN
,urdnaIrc Department. II was there !!
ui,t ISOLATION that Major Lewis fuun
time % work ont the design for u ma
chine gun, the first model Of the pres
cnt weapon.
In time-ln fact as far hack as 100
the Lewis gun was called to the nj
tention NJ the War Department an
: ! It's inventor oifored II to the Govern