The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-05-07

HUDSON MAXIM, INVENTOR OF HIGH
EXPLOSIVES, SUCCUMBS TO CANCER
End Came Last Night After
Famous Chemist Had Been
in Coma For "a Hours
Remained Hopeful. Almost
to the End, That He Would
Soon Resume His Expert
mcntS

Lake Hopa;cong, y. j.. May .. IA'
Hudson Maxim, inventor of smoke
less powder and deadly explosives; is
dead at the age Of a.
The end came last night after he
had been in Il coma for almost "a
hours and after an illness from watch
he suffered intermittent attacks for
more than IA year and that kept hin,
bedridden for three months.
He was not told that he had caneer
and he remained hopeful. almost to
the end. Of resumng his experiments
to replace superheated steam with
nitr" "lycerin as motive force for
naval torpedoes. and Of completing
IA pamphlet he was writing on the
theory Of relatively. He told friends
that he and not Einstein was the dis
coverer Of that theory.
Hated War
Hudson Maxim, inventor of more
form Of high explosives, smOkclcss
powder and automobile torpedoes
than any other man in the United
hatcr OF war; staunch advocate Of
pNANNiui SutuiIlO VI
all mankind i'm trouble. and the self
appointed guardian or thousand
little birds that ncsted in the great
trees of his palatial estate in New
Jersey.
Two of Maxim s. discoveries in his
experiments with high explosives
may be said in large measure to
have revolutionized modern warfare
They were the first smokelcss pow
der made in America and the first to
be adopted by the United States gov
crnment; and "maximite," the first
high explosive bursting charge ever
successfully employed in .armor.
piercing projectilcs. in addition to
these. he also invented steam
propelled torpedo and perfected /,
high-velocity rifle shell with "a speed
Of mile a second.
Hudson Maxim as boy received
practically no education, yet as Il
sclf-taught scientist he bordercd
close upon the ambition of Goethe in
another line, Ito make all knowl-
edge his own" He was nine years
old before he learned the alphabet; /;
and despite the violent winters of
his native Maine, he was l6 before
he owned his first pair Of shoes and
his first hat. He pitched hay for
three days to earn Is cents to buy
his first geography, chiefly that he
might look up France Ito see where
Napoleon used to live
A Great Student
The senior Maxim, although poor
miller, was an Unsuitable student.
Philosophy, history, science, astron-
omy, and the mystery Of space and
eternity were the subjects discussed
at his fireside, hence his children
came early and naturally by their
love of the more serious subjects.
He also possessed a remarkable mem
ory, which was inherited by Hudson
in generous measure. When nearly
20 years Of age, the latter could re-
cite from memory scores of poems
days.
Against odds which to many would
have been insurmountable, Hudson
Maxim struggled to obtain an educa-
ton. Choosing the most difficult
courses offered at Kent Hill, Maine.
he completed his academic studies at
the age of 25, and was graduated
with wide knowledge of chemistry,
engineering and the natural sciences.
Hardly was he out of school when
he had formulated the hypothesis of
the compound nature Of so-called
atoms, which has become generall:
accepted theory only within t.,e past
few years.
As . young man he first decided
upon the printing and publishing
business as q career. and spent five
years in this work at Pittsfield,
Mass. Even ut this time his invent
i've mind was working, with the re-
suit that he originated a process tor
color printing which was tried out
on the Evening Journal Of Pitts field,
said to- have been the first daily
newspaper issued in cOlors in the
United States.
Began Experiments in 1883
His love for chemistry, however,
was not finding sufficient expression
in the printing business, and in 1888
he sold out and began experimenting
With explosives and ordnance In
1890 he built dynamite factory and
smokclcss powder mill at Maxim, n.
j., a place named for him, and IN CO.
operation with DR.. Robert G. Schmp-
phaus perfected the powder later
adopted by the United States govern
ment.
1t was in connection with this in
vention that the strife between Hud-
son Maxim and his brother, Sir
Hiram Stevens Maxim, first came to
light. 1t seems that Hudson idax:n,
whose baptismal name was lssac,
mad dropped this name early in life
and assumed that of Hudson Maxim.
Sir Hiram, inventor of the Maxim
gun, later accused his younger
brother of attempting to set up n
company in New York by misrepre.-
senting himself as III. Maxim" in
ventor Of the gun. The controversy
continued for 4 number of years,
whereupon Hudson Maxim issued a
statement to the effect that he never
had invented gun and never intend
ed to. The brothers were unable
to reconcile their differences, how
ever, and remained enemies for more
than 20 years,
Born in 1853
Hudson Maxim was born at Orne-
vie, Piscataquis county, Maine,
February 3, 1853. Reared in the
open, knowing the hardest kind OF
work, and forced to fight for every
thing they had, the entire family
were naturally possessed of great
physical strength. When Hudson was
boy of Is he had won considerable
fame as a wrestler, having thrown
al comers at several county fairs
Yet he never was able to beat hii
sister Lucy, four years his senior
who could throw him in less than /
minute. He attracted 90 much 1t.
tention rs wrestler that . New
York promoter induced him. to engage
in several professional bouts ct
lContinued on page thrvs)