The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-04-11
Has a Million Income


Nobody knows exactly what the in
come of the inventor totals, but it is
estimated at $1,000,0O0 a year.
Browning inherited his love for the
open from his father, who went across
the plains in an OK cart in 1852 from
Iowa to Utah because the former state
was getting too crowded. In his early
days he had an opportunity to shoot
the buffaloes which. then ranged
across the plains in countless thous-
ands. The Brownings settled in Og
den, Utah, and adopted the Mormon
faith, of which sect the inventor is
now a member.
At the early age of 10 his genius
for gun making was first displayed.
With an old lathe and rough tools he
made his first gun. When he reached
the age Of manhood he perfected the
breech-loading gun which was used
in the Civil war and was the favorite
lbig game weapon used by the Kit
Carsons' of the West in those days.
Took the Kick Out
Subsequently the history of the de-
velopment of small arms was synono-
nous with the life work of John
Browning. He invented the pump
Shotgun, automatic rifles and the IA
nous automatic revolver which is US
led by armies all over the world. He is
the man who harnessed the kick of
a gun and made possible the one man
machine rifle and the machine gun
(which were designed to meet the con-
lditions Of this war.
There Is an interesting story con-
Injected with the manner in which
browning worked out the gun kick
land put it to practical use. They say
that he took q block through which
a hole had been bored, the size of a
As calibre bullet. He fastened the
block to the floor and fixed the rifle
$50 the muzzle touched the hole in the
wood. His idea was that the gases
would be stopped by the block OF
wood and the gun hurled back. And
there certainly was some kick for the
Igun flew across the room and made
4 fine dent in the wall
Automatic Revolver Results
The inventor then proceeded to work
out plan through which he CONTROL
ed the kick in such g. way that the
gas pressure was transferred to the
breech mechanism and made to oper.
ate the movement of the gun. Applied
to the automatic pistol eight shell.
were discharged in 3-5ths of a sec.
ond.
Il The Browning machine gun, which
WAS recently tested out in Washing
ton, will fire. 500 shots a minute
Thousands of these weapons are be
Ing turned md the boys in every
camp in lntry are being in
structed il use. But the inven
ton of this Ger mechanic on which
| the experts of the ordnance depart
| ment most rely is the machine rifle
: For many years every government il
Europe has been trying to work GU
; some form of a rapid-fire gun which
1 would be light enough to be carried
around by soldier and could b,
Y operated from every position and I'm
r der all circumstances.
. Nothing Can Withstand 1t
Browning has invented this riff
. and when We get enough Of then
lover there" nothing in the wor1t
that is human can stand up agains
. the rain OF lead which these weapon
will shower from the front lin,
- |ASOAAOo' LIS gun CAN De I1r6d iron
either the hip or the shoulder, /
weighs about Is pounds.
1t will pump lead like water com
ing from a hose. Before you cal
say Jack Robinson" at the toucl
+ Of the finger it will fire 20 shots, Il
y the hands of a man who knows HOY
g to handle the gun it can fire 200 shot
- minute. 1t also has device b
= which one shot can be fired.
:, VIII Not jam
The great trouble always with ma
chine guns is that they Jam. We ha
some difficulty Of this kind with tn
' guns used in the little skirmish o
the Mexican border But all test
= have shown that the new gun will nc
!. Jam unless perhaps through a defec
- tive cartridge and the mechanism hs
been worked out SO that the gun ca
. be taken down in a fifty and put tc
gether with one tool.
And the best of it all is that Job
M Browning is not by any means 6
'. the end of his resources. There Ar
70 a lot Of other ideas in that magnif
= cent brain of his and Uncle Sam is ge
20 ing to get them all for he's the world
- greatest gun man.-Boston Post.