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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1152, 20 September 1882, Page 2

Sir Henry Parkes is about to forward to , the various Governments whom he reprei sented during his tour, a circular despatch i upon the wool and duties question, and a ; report as to the success attending his efforts, i A firm of engineers in Dundee have ini vented and patented a modification and im- ! provement on the ordinary form of gun I used for the purpose of projecting over the i hulls of wrecked vessels a light line by 1 means of which communication may be afterwards established with the shore. Some ; trials which have already been made of it . have been perfectly satisfactory. The following description of the gun is taken from “ Engineering The gun is 2ft. long, with a bore of 2}in., and Is 00 constructed i that the line which is to ba fired from it passes through the back end of the gun. In the experiments the line was ihot 400 yards I with 2oz. of powder, which would have sent t it farther had the line used on the occasion been longer. The cord is coiled in the form of a cap, and put inside of a steel canister. This canister is fired out of tire gun, and leaves the line streaming behind it. Tiie ' distance to be covered is simply a question of size of gun and canister. The gun was sent , to Birmingham and tested in the most thorough manner in the proof-house there. The twine used in the experiment was made of ; flux, ami carried 2701 b. dead weight with u I length of Oft, of tw|nn.”