CALDWELL MACHINE GUN.

DISCS INSTEAD OF BELTS.

RAPID RATE OF FIRE.

A cablegram published' on 'Monday stated, that the. Cakhyell machine gun has. been sold to a .'London "; firm A .iW JbpS.QQO arid, a royalty 'on air guns'prodiusd. . The [message also repo-rted tbiit substantial brders are expepted, .from the. British 'O^verniiient, juul'it is .laim/ed that the guii .lis. likely, t^o, displace the •Maxim. ' ■■'.'.- ■:■' '.'' '' A" .'".."

f The inventor OT , the gun is Mr T. F. Cald\yellA of Meibduriie,, who is flt present m England. A company .w/is form--..tigo|') tp enable, „iir Qildwgll s to briiigAhisj- ihyentiipn ltti)dei ; ' ;the:.npttco" of,. the iih'perjat authorities. Th e 11 eu' giui differs '^i' ' essjehtf fil' respepts f rtfm , the „ rff^Jiine ! gun. It. has t\^p ; ,^ wpikipg in' eolnbinatitJii' 'or ■separately 1 ; eacn" with a u rate<Jf discharge 'up; to, iffi shots; per niinute: Tlie ' ; jfin^untyioh/is 'carried iii* two discs, each ' containing ' 104 cartridges. In the Maxim gun the cart* ridges/ure, carried m tjej.ts ;of. 25Q, ; and •while tne 1 loading of 'tlie ' gunVtakeS ' about six seconds it is claimed that , a disc oh tlie Caldwell can be* changed to a third' of thaft-; time, ,;The rate of 'fire >from a * Maxim 'is practically restricted to /the . maximum . pf . $80. /rsu»lds; Aper minute,' the' automatic action being'entirely ' dependent on 'the . recoil . In the 'Caldwell the action is entirely automatic, the quit ; being" 'worked' -by 1 ' a handle, so that the l-atb of lire is entirely, under the contrpr of the operator. .The elimination of the " ammunition belt, w'i't-h Sits ever present -dangetr of jamming Abe; mechanism is rfegai'ded ' as one of. the • most important features of the iiewvgtin. Other, advantages claimed 'for tlie Caldwell are: -^Simplification, Of coiistijuction, the, ... breech , being .•; ilis'4 'sembled and reassembled m • about one minute ..without .the', aid .of -, tools ; ■; it weighs - qnlv' 381 b, ,*s, tigaifatX - the Mjaxim's. 6Gflb ;.. \t> .cany be/jprbduced ■« at oh^rquarter :.of the cost of the Maxim, and- it is ;,'fool proof. " A The water-jacket which ,c.on tains ,,. the 'two barrels . . .is similar • to .that of '•' the Maxim,, but it ha,'**, a. new ;steam yjilve.