Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-03-05
BROWNING AUTOMATIC RIFLE
Over the Top Gun With Which Ameri
cans are to Be Provided.

The latest American contribution 10
warfare. the browning automatic rifle.
was officially introduced 10 congress.
.dyt Wednesday AT demonstration
staged in Il remote valley in the hills
that surround Washington city. For
more than two hours the air was filled
w!th the snarl and crash Of the firing.
SENATORS ana representatives operating
IN. TcW Weapons for themselves under
the direction Of squad Of officers
Springfield. Mass.
High army officials. including As
sistan, Secretary crowell, Major Gen.
Riddle. acting chief of staff. and Il
score Of officers from the>>British.
French. Italian and belgium missions
watched the demonstrations with keen
interest.
Dummies" Shot Up.
There WAS no target practice. al
though line Of figures shaped like
men was battered TO pieces by the
squad Of ten gunncrs. Members of
congress also scored repeated hits, al
though II was the first time any Of
them had handled Il weapon of this
character.
AZ to the performance OF the ten
guns used, there was not Il StoppaSe
from malfunction. despite the fact
that hundreds Of rounds were fired,
n"| 'he sCu.'d frcim the schools had
never seen the guns before the pre-
ViOuS Saturday.
When Gring with the automatic
rifles was opened. two Browning
heavy machine guns were put into
action. Thousands of bullets were sent
streaming across the valley 10 set the
dust leaping on the far hillside. Again
there was not Il malfunction and the
demonstration was completed with an
exhibition Of the simplicity Of con-
Structiun. of the guns being dis
mounted. taken apart and reassemblcd
repeatedly in few minutes time.
Army to Use Them.
These two guns have been selected
by the ordnance bureau OF the war
department as the weapon with
The automatic rifles used came from
factories where the actual production
on Il quantity scale has already start
eel. Within :, matter of weeks, hum
drcdS VIII be delivered every day and
thousands every week. They are to be
the over thc-top" guns of tomorrow
as the French Chauchat is used by
French and American troops today. y
non commissioned officer of the dem
unStr;tting detachment. who with his
assistants has been drilled with every
type of weapon used by the Allied
troops, including the Chauchat. the
only prototype of the new rifle, spoke
for the whole squad when he said:
That's the finest gun in the world"
Preparing to Fire.
When the invited guests arrived at
thr range they found twenty men
from the school, commanded by
Major j. =. Hatcher, busy filling mag
uZincs and belts. The ten rifles were
unpacked and the visitors were aston
ishcd at the lightness Of the terrible
weapons. They weigh fifteen pounds,
loaded with twenty rounds. all of
which can be fired in a breath.
Fall in." came the order, and ten
Of the men stepped into the front
rank. each carrying his rifle and about
his waist Il heavy web belt, the pock-
cts OF which bliEed with magazines
carrying twenty rounds each. Behind
him stood his ammunition carrier, also
beltcd and with two cross belts swing
ing from his shoulders.
AS the little column swung away
toward the range. the rifle men swung
their gums up To shoulder as they
would IN ordinary single shot weapon.
t the first glance there was nothing
to show the extraordinary deadly
character of their equipment.