The sun., 1918-09-13
GATLING, THE GUN MAN.
The Centenary Of = Versatile Ameri-
can Inventor.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sr: 1t
is just one hundred years ago since
there was born In Hartford county,
North Carolina, man whose father
was a well TO do planter and slave
owner. and from whom he inherited
genius for mechanical invention. The
son, when still young. assisted his
father in the construction and perfect
ing of machines for sowing cotton seeds
and for thinning the plants. This man,
whose centenary occurs to-day Septem-
Der ~, was later to become the inventor
Of the first practical machine gun that
tho world has known.
His father saw to II that he was
well educated. Later, when he became
q school teacher and then a merchant,
he did not lose sight Of the fact that
his natural talents were inclined toward
inventing. When he was but 81 years
old he perfected a practical screw pro-
peller for steamboats,, but his disap-
pointment was keen when he learned
that a patent had been granted to John
Ericsson for a similar invention few
months earlier.
But this did not discourage the young
man, neither did It deter him from go
ing ahead and perfecting inventions,
ono of which finally made his name
familiar throughout the world. For
saking his native heath, he established
himself in st. Louis, Mo-. that hustlinE.
bustllng city which gave the young in
ventor new incentive to go ahead. In
st. Louis he took the cotton sowing
machine as a basis and adapted II for
sowing rice, wheat and other grains,
and established factories for Its manu-
facture. Even in this respect the coun-
try owes him debt, for by the intro
duction of these machines he did much
to revolutioniEe the agricultural sys-
tenn in this country.
Being a versatile young man he
turned to the study OF medicine. He
was Influenced in this course to a con-
| siderable extent by an attack Of small
pox. from which he fortunately recov-
| cred. At any rate, he completed a
course at the Ohio Medical College, TAX
ing his degree In 1850. In the same
year he invented a hemp breaking ma
chine. At the age Of 80 he invented
a steam plough.
But 1t was the outbreak OF the civil
war that awoke this man to the i'm
portance OF inventing firearms He laid
aside his plans for the perfecting of
agricultural machinery. which he had
been working on at the time, and de-
voted all his time and energy to the
perfecting OF firearms inventions. He
was living In Indianapolis when he con-
| ceived the idea of the rapid fire ma
china Oiire 1a,hfrh 10 "a kts
name.
He labored over his plans for an en-
tire year. and then, in 1862. he had sue.
| ceeded In perfecting a gun that would
discharge $50 shots a minute. He sub
n!tted his rapid fire gun to Washing
ton. and found. as he did on later oc.
casioIs, that there was a vast amount
Of red tape to be broken before his
| gun could be taken up and adopted
The war was practically over before
| the Federal authorities consented to it.
Official adoption.
But II Is to the credit Of this young
man that he permitted nothing to dis
courage him. With the knowledge that
his first gun was a practical frearm
ne persisted in his efforts to improve 1t
At the end Of ten years he had the
satisfaction of having his gun adopted
by practically every civilized nation in
the world. England alone bought on
the average two or three guns to ever,
one sold to this Government.
The wonderful inventor of the first
practical machine gun, the gun tina,
| was used extensively by the United
States in the Spanish American war
the gun that has given way to the
Lewis and the Browning in the presen,
| world war. died in New York on Feb
| ruary 26, 1903. His name was Richard
Jordan Calling. AMERICAN.
NEW York, September IL.