THE GUN, AND HOW TO USE IT. 117 
away the metallic faces at their point of junction, so as to 
render the arm useless; independent of the fact, that if, as 
must necessarily be the case, the escape vent be contiguous 
to any portion of the shooter’s person, this fluid will 
seriously scorch him, and may set his raiment on fire. 
Secondly, the liability of the movable portion of the arm, 
and the crank which turns it, to become clogged by foul- 
ness, after repeated and rapid firing, so as to be bound, 
stiff, and, at last, wholly immovable. Thirdly, the com- 
plicity of their workmanship, the difficulty of cleaning 
them, their liability to get out of order, and their incapa- 
bility of ordinary repair. Fourthly, inadaptability to any 
but their own peculiar ammunition; and lastly—their 
want of symmetry, and consequent unfitness for fine, rapid, 
accurate and workmanlike shooting. 
To two of these faults, and two of the most serious of 
these, Sharpe’s rifle, which has of late acquired so much 
Kansas notoriety, is with justice held liable. The gaseous 
fluid does escape dangerously, where the two metallic faces 
slide one against the other, so much go, that I have seen a 
person seriously scorched,.in firing a few shots rapidly; 
nor can [ doubt that, after a few hundred shots, the effi- 
ciency of the weapon would be seriously affected by the 
burning away or melting of the metal; as occurs in the 
vents of cannon and the touch-holes of flint-and-steel 
guns, after much rapid firing. The other fault is its ex- 
treme clumsiness and want of symmetry. 
Perry’s arm, which I have mentioned above, and of 
which a sketch is inserted below, is liable to no one of 
these charges. 
