THE MITRAILLEUSE ECLIPSED.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 740, 15 October 1870, Page 4

THE MITRAILLEUSE ECLIPSED.

> [MELBOURNE LEADSn.] There is an imminent probability that 1 the inventive genius of our Victorian mechanical engineers will add at least 1 another instrument of destruction to the existing long list of machines of this 1 character. By the outgoing mail will be forwarded to the Imperial military authorities a design for the construction of a new instrument of warfare, which in i several respects bids fair to eclipse even the terribly destructive mitrailleuse.?. The inventor is a mechanical engineer of some considerable ability and standing in this city, but he has expressed a desire not to place the details of his invention, or his name in connection therewith, before the public at present, we are precluded from giving anything more than a sketch of the general principles of the new machine of annihilation, or, as the inventor proposes to call it, " The mechanical volley." The machine consists of a number of rifle barrels ranged horizontally, side by side, on a light but rigid frame. The barrels will be of the regulation bore and pattern, but seven feet in length from the clr-unber to the muzzle. Wlien ranged in position they will present the appearance of a tray formed of long steel rods laid side by side and bound together on the lower face by pins and sockets, and thus protected from vibration, lateral or direct. Thus far there is nothing remarkable in the machine beyond the fact that its fire must be more destructive than that of the French mitrailleuses. Tn the last mentioned instrument the fire is concentrated in ons spot, while in the colonial "volley fiver " the effeot of the fire is spread in a horizontal plane, the most destructive of all possible directions. This, however, is one of the minor improvements on the French machine — the greater ones are still to come. In the mitraileuses the pieces are|charged after each fire by a new cartridge carrier being inserted, and thus some time is loai between the rounds in loading. In the " volley firer " this is obviated, and thirty rounds can be fired out of each barrel in as many seconds ; a self-acting mechanical contrivance loading and firing the barrels as rapidly as may be desired by the operator. In this lies the great; superiority of the weapon over all others, it the result anticipated by the inventor is achieved. The mechanical arrangement by which the rapid firing is secured is ample to the extreme. Under the ban-els, which it is proposed sha 1 ! be grouped into batteries |of twenty - five for each volley, runs a tray parallel to the battery, andimmediaj tely in contact with it. This tray is constructed so as to hold thirty rounds of ammunition for each barrel, or in all 750 rounds of ball cartridge arranged in thirty parallel grooves, so arranged as to fall immediately under the barrels which they are to supply. The traya are furnished with a Bpring arrangement by which the cartridges are forced forward to supply the demand, so that as one cartridge is taken up into the barrel, another is pushed forward ready for the operation to be repeated. The trays are constructed with a view of several being carried as a train to the battery, and, therefore, are provided with a closing slide, which enables the charged tray to be carried in safety from place to place as the exigencies of the circumstances may demand. When required, the. tray is slipped into a grooved slide and run into position, it is locked in place by a spring, and the

closing sli'le drawn, and the gun tlui placed in readiness for working This p-irt of the business is simple in t.Ve extreme. To the right of the gun is a small crank handle. Half a turn of this, an- 1 , the breeches of the barrehare thrown open find the firing apparatrs brought to half-cock. In opening the chambers i-he carca9e of the expended cartridge Js expelled, and the way cleared for the insertion of a new charge. Another half turn, and a cartridge (of which we shall have more to say hereafter) is lifted into each barrel by a series of lifting levers, acting in a manner somewhat similar to the percussion hammers of a grand pianoforte ; the breeches are closed and the battery brought to full cock. It only now remains to direct and fire the piece. Before, however, this can be described, an idea must be given of the mounting of the battery. The barrels and the charge tray, and all the mechanism in connection with loading and firing the piece, are mounted on a firm rectangular Bteel frame, which in its turn is mounted on a pair of six feet wheels, the frame working on a bearing, so as to admit of the bafciery being elevated or depressed at any required angle. The rest of the carriage of the battery is simply on the model of the ordinary field piece pattern, the elevation being governed by a "keyed screw." To admit of great accuracy in the aim, the battery is provided with an adjustable telescope sight, while for shorter ranges an ordinary rifle sight is provided, some slight modification being effected to render it suitable for the purpose of rapid firing. Tims provided, the battery can be easily brought into position, and then comes the firing. Adjacent to the charging crank is a small lever, which, on being simply depressed, fires the whole volley in an instant, or, if it is so regu • Jated, fire 3 the barrels in rapid succession, in the form of a rolling volley, from left to right, or the reverse,?as desired. The destructive character of such a fire can be easily imagined, particularly when it is remembered that thirty such volleys can be given in half a minute, and that fifteen seconds is all that is required to substitute a charge for the empty tiay, when the work of destruction can be recommenced, till the process is cut short by the heating of the barrels from the incessant firing. Even this drawback will be as much guarded against as is possible by the employment of cartridges of peculiar construction, which is one of the features of the invention. The explosive portion of the charge is contained in a light brass carcase, to which the bullet is fitted by compression. Thepointof ignition of the charge is in the centre of the cartridge, the needle principle being the mode of discharge adopted. These are a few of the leading features of this new and apparently destructive instrument of warfare, and from the detail drawings which have been prepared, there is every appearance that the new battery will" be found to work as well in practice as in theory. Its superiority over the vaunted French instrument is obvious, and may be summed up in a few words : — lst. Ib distributes its fire in the most destructive direction — horizontally, while the mitrailleuse concentrates its fire too much on one point. 2nd. It provides for the successive service of each barrel with thirty rounds of ammunition, while the French weapon only provides for one. 3rd. It provides for the transit of its ammunition packe.l ready for immediate service, the weight of the trays being more than compensated by the reduced weight of the carriage. The entire weight of the weapon when ready for service, will be, it is stated, under that of an ordinary six -pounder field piece, while the weight of the train will be governed, of course, by the number of the cartridges carried.