THE SILENT RIFLE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9124, 18 April 1908, Page 6

THE SILENT RIFLE.

What with silent rifles, guns ifhatr will carry from Bondon to Paris, and weapons fired by electricity at the rate of over 10C-0 shots a minute, the warfare of the future promises to be as different from that of to-day as the latter is from that of our great-grandfathers. Of course it has yet to be proved that the silent rifle can do what is [claimed for it, but the claim of its inventor is sufficently startling. Mr Hiram Maxim, son of the famous Sir Hiram, is the inventor of this weapon which is to revolutionise war. Briefly, the idea is to shut off the sudden escape of the gases from the barrel, which makes the report, and compel them to escane slowly through a series of small holes. The weapon is not absolutely noiseless, for the escaping gases make a hissing sound, but this cannot be heard at any distance. The valve which closes the barrel is operated bv the bullet, and the device is said to be extremely simple. Mr Maxim has patented his invention, but is at a loss what to do next; the possibilities of his weapon are so terrible. The American Government, who have the rights of the invention, “realise that the new weapon has such awful possibilities that the important question has arisen as to how to prevent it getting into the hands of the criminal classes. The moral responsibility associated with such a weapon is most terrible.” Mr Maxim points, out that an assassin firing [from behind a hedge or fence, would escape with scarcely any risk [of detection, for the noise of the trees or [the passing traffic would drown the noise of the weapon, and no one would know how the victim died until he was examined. “This being so, yon will readily imagine that I feel appalled at the thought of the uses to which [[the [invention may he put. But I could not help myself, for I have the unfortunate inventive streak. The idea came to me as the result of an accident, and if I had not patented it someone else would have developed it, for it was bound to come. But as I realise that the invention threatens the peace and order of the country, I am leaving the Government to decide how it is to be applied. ”