THE BIRTH OF A MAXIM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8160, 19 July 1906, Page 4

THE BIRTH OF A MAXIM.

The deadly Maxim gun has many .«.'i ere u-»ta to undergo beioro it is ttualiy pi-ttl as lit for active service. Outwardly, it is not of very formidable appearance, in action its capabilities are too weil known to need comment. The number and variety of. tents to which cue of these weapons is put to ensure accuracy and reliability would, however, be an eye-opener to the uninlated.

The t.>st.s are divided into two classes: those undergone in the factory previous to tile httiug together of tho various parts, and the actual working tests. A .Maxim ha-s a single barret similar to that of a rifle, surrounded by a circular water-jacket. The Standard Maxim gun is at Enfield. This weapon is unique, every item having been specially constructed with the utmost possible accuracy. Even judged by the standard that obtains in gun factories, where the thickness of a cigarette paper too much or too little in certain places would be esteemed not a mere inaccuracy, but a deplorable blunder, this gun is acknowledged as a masterpiece. It was constructed and is use for reference only. Any question of accuracy of any one of tlie numerous parts, if in dispute, is referred to this- standard gun, the silent decision of which is hnal. It is, so to speak, a guage for the test guages that each and jevery competent part of a Maxim must pass before it can bo placed among those passed by the factory authorities as suitable to be assembled to form a complete weapon. The barrel must have several different shaped guages passed over the outside to ensure tiiat the formation is absolutely correct. Through the bore a steel guage is passed. This tiny rod must drop freely through, yet, at the same time must fit so exactly to the fdzo of the liore that if the thumb be placed over the bottom end. the air pressure will cause it to remain suspended at any point throughout the length of the barrel. Each individual item of the mechanism is tested in an equally careful manner.

After the- gmi "has Ixvti fitted and by the manufacturing nuthorit- • s at Kntiold. it is handed over to an . utiroiy separato dop.irtir.eiit, nhicli carries out actual filing tests. Within the tilting shc-d is a one mounting of a similar construction to thoie ur.cn which these guns .-.re rocunt-t-.l on Ward a ship, or in other permanent positions. The shoit sind-butt rango is more especially a test of tho working capacity. > large number of rounds Winn fired. A curiou- :t of the rapid fire is to make a .- t'unncl-shap«l hole d;;ep into the sand. Tho bnlleU aro easily collected when the trials are over.

It occasionally happens that, in spite of all the core and time expended upon the various parts, when fitted together ■nd actually at work some undetected irregularity assorts itself and requires :idjiistment, or possibly some item is found faulty, in »4ich casa the gun "s returned to the factory, -with a repcrt attached. If the working of the mechanism proves satisfactory, a practical test for accuracy follows. For this purpose the open six hundred yards range is used, tho effect of the firing being watched through a telescope. The actual firing and testing at times reveals individual eccentricities and irregularities in a weapon that can be detected ii no other "tray, 60 until expert Inspector* have pronounced it accurate ;from a personal observation, it cannot be passed for wrviee.

i. Every gun tested w numbered, and a ''.report of its behaviour filed for future 'reference if neoa>sary. Another duty of the testing department is to examine and report upon weapons that hare been issued for service, and. as sometimes occurs, subsequentl& returned for adjustment or repair. Maxims that have, been on active service are returned ajid overhauled, re prcrts brinj made of their condition. A most important item in the suco?6' ful working of a Maxim is the cartridg. belt. There is the samo peculiar imlivifl'r' itv about Maxim guns as is found ii: "hips from identically the sime plan, or the even morn familiar instance of railway engines of tlie same pattern. 'No two behave exactly alike. In each instance, it seems impossible to create an exact working duplicate. This in guns or rifles may possibly be accounted for by rmporceptible irregularities in the metal itself. Blight variations in tho temper of the barrels, and so on. It is a curious and inevitable trait found in all machinery.