Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 06.djvu/86

MACHETE 60 MACHINE OUN MACHETE (ma-cha'ta), a cutlasS- iike tool or weapon, half knife, half cleaver, used either as a tool or a weapon in Cuba and other tropical countries. MACHINE GUN, a weapon designed to discharge in rapid succession '^arge numbers of small shells. There are two distinct types of machine guns — those which operate by hand, or other externally applied power, and those which utilize the force of the recoil or explosion. Under the direction of the Emperor Napoleon III., a type of mitrailleuse wag designed and manufactured by Com- mandant Relfye, but so much secrecy sur- rounded the gun that at the time of the Franco-Prussian War the lack of trained operators prevented the effective use of the weapon. The Gatling gun, invented in 1861, by Dr. R. J. Gatling of Indianapolis, had its vogue from the latter part of the Civil War to the Spanish American War, DIAGRAM OF MAXIM MACHINE GUN 1. Handle 4. Barrel 6. Nozzle 9. Elevating Screen 2. Firing Trigger 5. Water Jacket for 7. Feed Box 10. Front Sight 3. Rear Sight Cooling Barrel 8. Cartridge in Barrel A machine gun operates from a fixed mount, thus making it possible to cover any area, day or night, and is usually jacketed for water cooling, which charac- teristics distinguish a machine gun from an automatic rifle. Some authorities credit the first use of the machine gun to the Chinese, though their history, like that of other fire arms, is a matter of dispute. There are in existence guns of Chinese manufacture which carry dates of the early 17th century, but at this time various types of mitrailleuse, a gun which discharged several barrels at the same time or in rapid succession, were known in Europe. The early machine guns were more of a ■novelty than a useful weapon; although they could be rapidly discharged, a long time was required for loading, and the guns were heavy and unwieldy. The reintroduction of the breech-load- ing principle and the general use of the cartridge type of ammunition about 1860 paved the way for the true machine gun. and was by far the most successful gun of its time. A number, usually ten, of parallel barrels were securely attached to a central shaft. At the breech end HOTCHKISS AUTOMATIC MACHINE GUN of the barrel was a lock plate upon which there was a separate lock for each barrel, and over which was a hopper for am- munition. The main shaft was revolved by hand, the ammunition being fed from