The Jacob Perkins Steam Machine Gun,In the late 18th and early 19th century Jacob Perkins was one of
The Jacob Perkins Steam Machine Gun,In the late 18th and early 19th century Jacob Perkins was one of the world’s most talented and brilliant inventors. Born Newburyport, Massachusetts, among his many inventions were an assortment of steam machines, a high pressure steam locomotive, a machine for mass producing nails, a device for measuring ocean depths and pressure, an early air conditioner, and an early refrigerator. In the early 1820’s he finished one of his most unique and bizarre inventions. Inspired by devices created by Archimedes and Da Vinci, Perkins invented an early machine gun which operated using steam. Basically the gun consisted of a barrel mounted on a swivel, which was supplied with stream from a high pressure steam engine via a series of hoses. When a value was opened, a blast of continuous steam pressure passed through the barrel. On top of the gun was a hopper, through which the user dropped musket balls which would have been blasted out the barrel with the high pressure steam.One of the first to express interest in the Perkins Stream Gun was the famous British military commander The Duke of Wellington. Wellington certainly knew warfare, having commanded British Armies in Spain against Napoleon Bonaparte’s forces, and having defeated Bonaparte at Waterloo. Perkins demonstrated his steam gun to Wellington in 1824. Apparently during the demonstration, the gun was able to fire 1,000 rounds per minute using over 900 PSI of pressure. The balls fired by the gun could pierce 1 inch wooden planks and ¼ inch steel plates at 35 yards. Despite the success of the gun, Wellington rejected the design. Legend has it that Wellington thought the gun too destructive. Based on modern recreations of the design, it was more likely that the gun was not very practical. Modern testing of 19th century steam guns reveal that the concept was often to unreliable, prone to malfunction, hard to control, difficult to maintain consistent power and accuracy, while maintenance and repair of the gun was complex and time consuming. After his demonstration to the Duke of Wellington, Perkins demonstrated his guns to the French and the Greeks. Both once again rejected the design. -- source link
#guns#weapons#machine guns#steam gun#stream cannon#inventors#machines#19th century#history#gunblr