Show A new bew the most astonishing fire arlu ariu arm ever exhibited in this city is the magazine rifle invented by bv captain meigs of lowell massachusetts this rifle which weighs but bait halt a pound heavier than the springfield regulation gun of the army and la Is no more inore cumbrous is capable of firing fifty charges of fixed ammunition in as many seconds and of being replenished with fifty cartridges in no longer time than is required to load an nril bril ordinary inary muzzle loading musket with a single charge we have seen it in the harm hanm hand of the inventor go through with the motions of firing thirty four times timea in half a minute tho neckpiece neek neck piece pieve as aa it is called of the block stock of the meigs rifle Js is a hollow bollow metallic cylinder dar the ammunition is arranged in movable racks fifty in each one ona of which at a time is placed within this cylinder and r ro FO o connected that by two motions and without a change in the position of the bands of the holder the spent cartridge is dropped and a fresh one brought forward to IN ita proper place pace in the chamber of the piece and A soldier with such sueh a weapon could precede his advance with a perfect storm of leaden ms lieb ilee he would be a whole company in the person of a single individual A platoon would do the execution of a regiment with all this tho the mechanism of the gun is very simple easily understood and not liable to get out of order the one on exhibition had bad been discharged thirty eight thou sand times put through the motions of firing millions millious of times and seems capable to repeat its experience it was waa bbown chown to the officers of thearty th the earmy army navy and ordnance bureau bureaus and a ai number of members of congress who were unanimous in pron pronouncing bouncing it a marvel of ingenuity and efficiency the inventor is still at work studying further improvements especially in ammunition and thinks he Is ili on the track of an explosive which will give kive better results than can be obtained from gun gunpowder po ader ashington washington lV capital |