Year: 1861

An exhibition Of a new and unique cannon


took place yesterday afternoon at the foot Of


Thirty third street, North river. It is one OF


the most singular implements of war that has
ever been exhibited to the American people


and places Winans' gun entirely in the shade


sending balls at the rate of four hundred and


eighty per minute without any powder or an ap-
parent effort. The gun used yesterday in the
experiment had only an inch bore and was about
three feet long. This modest looking gun is
attached to wheel about four feet in diameter,
and not over four inches thick, looking like a
aauge, or, as some would call it, balance
wheel. On one side of this wheel, or hange, ia
a tube which connects the wheel with hopper,
in which are poured the balls in promiscuous
manner, as apples are thrown into the hopper of
cider mill, the machinery inside of this wheel
receiving the balls, carrying them around to
the gun barrel, and throwing them through the
bore of the gun at the rate mentioned above
simply by the centrifugal force, and at veloc-
ty almost incredible.


The motion Of this wheel is kept up by means
of cranks attached to cog-wheels, about five feet
in the rear Of the large wheel, or feeder to the
gun barrel, band passing from these wheels
to pulley on the side of the large wheel. The
gun that we saw in operation, using one inch
DhHcb was ny Ola luou NJ the Cra0k9 aH
motive power, one as feeder, pouring the balls
into the hopper, and the inventor of the gun in
the rear of all, taking aim and shifting the gun
at will from one direction to another. With
the power got up in this way balls poured out
OF the gun in perfect stream, and il tappeared
as though one continuous shower was being
hurled against the target, stationed about ftty
yards distant, most Of them going through three
thicknesses of boards. The gun was after
wards raised at an angle Of thirty degrees, and
its capacity as to distance tested The river at
the foot Of thirty.third street Is about one and
three fourths miles wide. The gun was station.
ed some distance back from the shore, and the
balls were seen to drop into the water amongst
the shad poles towards the west side of the
Hudson, at the lowest estimate one mile from
the starting point, and all this by centrifugal
force, or the arrangement Of the machinery to
use this throwing off power. ft.


When the machinery is put in motion it
sounds like threshing machine, and has like
hum about it. The only report about its firing
is the clank Of the balls passing into the large
wheel. They pass oft without the least noise,
no one knowing their departure until they strike e
the target at distance. The experiment yes
terday was complete success, and its operation
justifes the assertion that for the purpose of
putting down a street mob, no implement has
been invented its equal. No band of despera-
does could stand many minutes before an inces
SAINT FIRE of almost five hundred balls per min
ute. The same inventor has thirty two pound.
er on the principle of the gun completed. The
machinery works by means of steam, and will
throw fully as many balls as the small gun.


The inventor of this wonderful implement Of
war is Mr.. McCarty. He has spent some ten
years on the project, and has finally obtained
gun that bids fair to do all that his widest
dreams pictured to him.-N. Y Herald, Nav