The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-05-15
HOBBY RIDING
WITH
MAX CHAMBERS
FIREARMS

Not since the Chinese invented
gunpower and the Italians fired the
first musket in the 18th century has
so much interest been displayed in
firearms.
The pioneer spirit and American
self-reliance are the products of goCd
aim with a fiint-lock--DanielB oone's
rifle weighed eleven pounds and his
aim was as certain as the sunrise.
Until his death at SO in Charet, Mis-
souri,, he maintained that God had
Ordained him to conquer the wilder
ness" He was the agent; his rife
the vehicle. l have followed his
trail from Pennsylvania to Ken
lucky; secuted around his cabin and
through his cave on the Big Yadkin
near Lexington, N. c. The same
curiosity to see beyond the Blue
Ridge" that called Dan1, called me
to Cumberland Gap. Someday it
may call you. Boone is listed among
the ten great early Americans with
Washington and Jefferson. But
there were other men behind the
guns" Remember Lewis and Clark
and David Crockett? Can you name
others?
Recalling the perfect synchroniza-
ton of the modern sound movies it
is interesting to relate that the first
sound movies-about 1904-were
made possible by firearms when a
flicker photo" portraying the Bat
| tie of Manila Bay" was shown to
gold boom town audience. The
piano emitted weird accompani-
ment; the big battleship guns were
fired; smoke filled the screen; the
target was hit and shattered. The
piano stopped; intense quiet prevail
ed Then the guns suddenly swung
around directly at the audience.
Back stage the ambitious young
manager stuck the muZZle of shot
gun into an empty sugar barrel and
fired it just as the smoke belched
from the big cannons. His inten-
teions were good but his business
acumen was slightly misplaced. His
sound movies were a bit too realis-
tic for his audience which moved out
en- masse not taking time to open the
doors or windows. Who wouldn't
run from a cannon? Isn't good
run better than a bad stand?
Up and down the Peninsula there
are several very fine collections of
firearms and many more in the en-
bryonic stage.
We have right here ON the Penins-
ula the worlds foremost authority on
small firearms. For more than fifty
years Captain William Bruell has
followed this hobby, and has filled
his old colonial home on the banks
of the Marshy Hope at Eldorado with
more than 5000 guns and pistols of
every description and age. They are
displayed in racks hung on the walls
and kept in perfect condition. Each
one is complete and highly polished.
He whites away many happy hours
in his cellar workshop making lost
parts and cleaning old guns. Be-
sides his guns and swords he has the
telescope used by Captain Blythe in
"Mutiny on the Bounty. This year
he is President of the fredericksburg
Rifle Club which has membership
of twenty and owns it's own range.
Over at Seaford, Corporal G. Klett
Shockley of the Delaware State
Police is a ballistics expert and
champion pistol shot. He also
makes ammunition. At Denton,
William j. Towers has fine collec-
ton of modern guns. A boy at
Trappe High School collects cart
ridges Jackie Coogan and William
H. Hart of movie fame collect pistols.
While utmost care must be exer-
cised, the hobby of Firearms is a
most interesting sparetime activity
Do you have an old gun? Get an
! other and you'll have collection
started.
Books: Chinese Weapons-Rout-
ledge; History of Firearms-Pol-
lard; -Bashford-Dean
Collection ($20); Firearms in
American History-Sawyer Arms
Reference Club-Topeka, Kansas; U.
S. Cartridge Co.; Walter G. White,
Jr.-Asburnham, Mass.
Next Week: HOME WORKSHOP.
Coming: Fishing; Horses; Arch
cry; Swimming; Drawing and mod
els Contest 4; Autographs CONTEST
Stamps.
The largest American Linden tree
in the state Of MARYLAND ia believed