USA > Maine > Kennebec County > Wayne > History of the town of Wayne, Kennebec County, Maine, from its settlement to 1898 > Part 23
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But the "Maxim Gun" is the achievement that made his name famous throughout the length and breadth of the earth, and it can
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truly be said to be the gun "that fired the shot that was heard around the world." Who has not heard of the Maxim Automatie gun? It has revolutionized the world. The idea of this marvelous piece of mechanism occurred to him as a boy, when he received a violent kiek from firing a rifle. The impression never left his fertile mind, and when he had acquired wealth from his electrical inventions sufficient for the purpose, he set about to construct a gun in which he could utilize the force of the recoil to make the gun do its own work. His brain had never learned the meaning of the word failure. He expe- rienced difficulty in finding any one who possessed the required machin- ery to make the guns from his drawing's and instructions; and some there were who thought it an insane idea coming from an overtaxed and diseased mind. He then resolved to start a small factory of his own, which he did at 57 Hatton Garden and equipped it with suitable tools, and at last succeeded in getting the first experimental gun made, which proved entirely successful and more than met his expectations. It was then another task to get it before the public and on the market, and took a long time to make the people believe that a gun had actual- ly been made that would load and fire itself. The first person who came to see it was Sir Donald Currie, and shortly afterwards the Duke of Cambridge, and Sir Frederick Bramwell, then the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of Edinburgh and many other members of the nobility. The Prince of Wales complimented him on having made an entirely new machine gun, and one that was surely destined to revolu- tionize the world in the way of firearms. Some time afterwards the Prince and Princess and one of their daughters examined the gun and both fired it, the Princess highly congratulating him on being the inventor of the first automatic system of firearms. Several of the by- standers picked up the cartridge cases fired by the Princess and had them mounted in gold as keepsakes. But the proudest moment of Mr. Maxim's life, he says, was when he visited his old mother over in Maine, 80 years of age, when she fired it and with tears in her eyes turned to him and said : "I wish your father could see his Hiram."
The notoriety of this gun soon brought it in competition with all other machine guns, an opportunity first being given in Switzerland where the Gardner gun had beaten all comers. His gun rival had two barrels and weighed 200 lbs. and was mounted on a tripod which weighed 150 lbs. The tripod was mounted on sandbags, and the cartridges placed on a "kitchen-table" with tools and appliances that belonged to the machinery. Four men were required to fire it, one to
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turn the crank, another to point the gun and two to bring cartridges from the table and place in the hopper of the gun. They succeeded in firing 333 shots in a minute. The Maxim gun weighed but 45 lbs., its tripod but 20 lbs. with no sandbags and no "kiteben-table", and no one to assist him, and fired 333 shots in 35 seconds. Switzerland at once adopted the gun and gave Mr. Maxim an order. His next competitive trial was in Italy with the Nordenfelt, which shared the fate of the Gardner, and Italy also gave him an order. On his return to England he learned that in Austria extensive machine gun trials were taking place, and there he went. The Archduke Wilhelm, a brother of the Emperor, was present, and at the conclusion of the trial extended to him his hand, saying: "Mr. Maxim, I congratulate you on making the greatest invention I have ever seen in my life." The result of this trial was an order of 131 guns for Austria. At a trial in England he gave an exhibition with a gun weighing only 35 lbs. which astonished the onlookers by discharging it 775 times in a miunte. This gun with two others then and there exhibited were bought by the government, and to-day, they are in the So. Kensington Museum.
With his own countrymen he was not so successful, they refusing to adopt his gun until the present war with Spain was in prospect, when, last year, necessity forced them to give him their first order, one of $200,000 worth of guns. Recently he has patented another very long range gun of which the United States bought all he had on hand a few weeks ago.
Though he considers that his country has not treated him fairly in times past, having misappropriated his smokeless powder and gun mountings, yet he makes no complaint, but in this crisis has offered his services to his country, and designed a torpedo boat which will effectually resist all attacks of the enemy, as well as destroy them, and considering the fact that he is the greatest inventor, designer and dranghtsman in the world, this means something more than the yacht offerings of the millionaires. Though he can create the most warlike implements, yet he is first, last and always, a man of peace. For several years he has had factories in Spain, Portugal Sweden and at four different places in England. At the works in Erith, Eng., is the largest collection of high class tools in the world, a single lathe alone costing $10,000, and his workmen number 15,000. In New Jersey his guns are now being made which is the first manufactory of the kind in this country. The first Maxim gun fired in actual warfare
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was during the Sierra Leone campaign and the Matabele war; and a contemporary said that, "It was not Mr. Rhodes or Dr. Jameson who recovered the fairest regions of Africa from slavery and tyranny, but the genius of a Yankee, born in the State of Maine, who is known to all the world as Hiram S. Maxim."
It is gratifying to note that this man, who but a few decades ago was a barefoot boy, following the plough on one of the rough and unproductive farms in the "Pine Tree State," whose motto is "Dirigo," has received honors from every crowned head in Europe shown only to other monarchs. On the occasion of his visit to the Czar of Russia, a carriage and outriders were sent to meet him, a distinction shown only to kings. He has been decorated by every foreign country; wearing the badge of the Legion of Honor of France, and has been knighted by the Shah of Persia, the Queen of Spain, the King of Portugal and the Czar of Russia, and awarded the order of a Double Dragon by the Emperor of China, and the Grand Medjid by the Sultan of Turkey, some of these being the highest decorations a man can get.
Personally, Mr. Maxim is a man of striking appearance. He has piercing black eyes and heavy, black eyebrows, hair and beard abundant but snow white, not with the frosts of age, but mental study. He is of medium height with a powerful physique, which to him, is a matter of as much pride and satisfaction as his mental gifts, for both are essentials and inseparable in a life work of study and physical endurance. His wealth, accumulated through his energy and genius, does not abate his ambition, nor quiet his active brain, for he is nowhere so content as in his laboratory or study working out some intricate problem of scientific mechanism. His endowments by nature have neither been tainted nor perverted by the use of tobacco or alcohol. He is a bright light in all the scientific and educational societies in London, before which he frequently gives lectures, for which he accepts no remuneration, and is much sought after as an acquisition to dinner parties and other gatherings of learned men, who ply him with questions on all subjects, and he is ever ready with argument and explanation, interspersed with anecdote and repartee to respond, these funds seeming as inexhaustible as the mine of his inventive genius.
Hudson Maxim, a son of Isaac and Harriet Boston (Stevens) Maxim, was born February 3, 1853. He was a strong, healthy
HUDSON MAXIM.
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SAMUEL MAXIM.
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child, endowed with an extraordinary physique, which in youth, and riper years, enabled him to lead in athletic feats, such as running, jumping, wrestling and other kindred amusements, and especially where physical strength was an important factor. As a boy, his father said of him: "He had the strength of an ox and the courage of a lion." When a lad of seventeen, he carried the bed-piece of a fox- lathe up a flight of stairs, which weighed 500 lbs. How well this illustrates the fact that health and physical strength are essentials in the development of mind ! Who but he, possessed of these gifts of Nature, has yet been able to fathom the unexplored fields of this age of invention, with any marked degree of success ? His mechanical and inventive faculties, together with the power of concentration of mind, were a rich inheritance from his father. How well he has succeeded in improving these talents given him, let the entire universe speak, for his reputation is world-wide. His school advantages were limited to those of Wayne and a course at Kent's Hill ; yet his life has been one study and research in those branches intimately connected with his business pursuits. "A prophet is without honor, save in his own country." This adage has its exceptions when applied to inventors of the type of this Maxim family. In warfare they are revolutionizing the world. Among the latest of the many inventions of this member of the family, is a new system of throwing high explosives from ordnance, with much greater destructive force and effect than any now in use. A smokeless cannon powder of his invention and make has been adopted by the U. S. Government. A new method of producing calcium carbide, at a greatly reduced cost, is a product of his brain. We can here do little but refer the reader to the press of all countries now teeming with his wonderful achievement. His residence is Lon- don, England.
Samuel Maxim, the youngest living son of the late Isaac Maxim and Harriet B. Maxim, was born in Orneville, Aug. 14, 1854, and joined his parents in Wayne in 1873. His early life was one of hard- ship and toil. The days spent by most boys in play and the school- room, he spent at hard labor in the logging-swamp and on the farm. After coming to Wayne he attended school at Kent's Hill several terms, paying his way by teaching in winter. Since leaving school he has been a diligent student, giving special attention to Chemistry, Metallurgy and History. In connection with his studies he has col- lected an extensive and valuable cabinet of ancient relies and curiosi-
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ties from all parts of the world. Mr. Maxim has inherited his full share of the inventive genins which has made his elder brothers so famous. He has taken out several patents and made a number of dis- coveries the secret of which he prefers to keep, one of which is a new process of making and tempering steel, which has proved very success- ful. Mr. Maxim undertook the care of his parents in their old age, and resides on the Maxim homestead, about one mile south of Wayne Village. Ile has a family of three children-two sons and one daughter, viz: Charles Urban, Hiram Hudson and Harriet Ellen.
G. W. Walton is a native-born and life-long citizen of Wayne. His edneation was obtained in attendance upon the common and high schools of his native town and at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary, Kent's Hill. Thorough in all the branches he studied, he especially excelled in mathematics. He was a teacher at the age of eighteen. For more than thirty years, he taught from one to three terms of common or high school almost every year. As a teacher, he was always in demand, and terms of school were often postponed in order to secure his services. He has been a school officer of his native town by far the larger portion of the time since first elected to that position in 1858, and has served continuously since 1881. As town supervisor of schools, he was elected nine times, and was once appointed by the selectmen to fill a vacancy. He served as town superintendent of schools in 1895 and 1896. He always had the confidence of his towns- men as a faithful and careful school officer, who ever had at heart the best interest of the schools. At the annual town meeting in 1891, a unanimous vote of thanks was extended to G. W. Walton "for his interest manifested in the schools of the town and his able manner of conducting the same." He was representative from his District in the Maine State Legislature in 1867. Ever since the death of Hon. J. S. Berry in 1888, Mr. Walton has been chairman of the Republican Town Committee of Wayne. He was Auditor of the accounts of the town of Wayne for nine consecutive years, and holds that position now. He was census enumerator of the town in 1880 and again in 1890. He is a member of the Wayne Baptist Church and was for many years the Superintendent of its Sunday School. He has often been selected as referee in important cases and as appraiser of estates. He is a practical and progressive farmer and is a correspondent for several agricultural papers.
In 1866, Mr. Walton married Sarah E., daughter of Dea. Francis
G. W. WALTON.
CARRIE, Daughter of G. W. WALTON.
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Dexter of Wayne. Their marriage was blessed with two children, Carrie May, born in 1867 and Winfred W., born in 1872. Mr. and Mrs. Walton have a pleasantly situated residence, which, to them and their children, has ever been a happy home. Instead of leaving the place of his birth, and seeking his fortune in far-off lands, Mr. Wal- ton has seen fit to stay on the farm, to add by purchase to the ancestral acres of the homestead and has endeavored to win prosperity in the town of his nativity. A man of striet integrity, his word has ever been as good as his bond. Mr. Walton has always been identified with the true interests of his town and has aided in all its improve- ments. With him, the good name of his town and the welfare of its people are ever uppermost in his thoughts and endeavors.
"Such is the patriot's boast, where'er we roam ; His first, best country ever is at home."
Carrie May Walton was born Oct. 21, 1867. She was the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Walton of Wayne. They have one son, Winfred W., who was born May 6, 1872. He graduated from Kent's Hill in 1894 and married, May 2, 1897, Winnie A. Warren of Washburn. Carrie was always happiest when she could make others happy. At school she was quick to learn and a great favorite. She commenced teaching young and showed great aptness for this department of labor. She entered Hebron Academy in the spring of 1890. She graduated in June, 1891. Speaking of her, Principal Sargent says: "To a gentle and winning manner, Miss Walton added a firm, strong Christian character, which invited and never disap- pointed the confidence of her companions. A maturity and marked sincerity of sympathy, rare in one of her age, won for her in an un- usual degree the interest and sympathy of her teachers. Miss Walton possessed far more than the average mental and intellectual powers and was considered one of Hebron's brightest and most promising graduates."
She taught many terms of common and high schools of her native town. She also taught in Fayette, Hebron Academy and Poland and with success. In the autumn of 1892, she went to Washburn, as principal of the High School. Here she made many friends and taught with so much acceptance that she was continued in charge of the school and held the position at the time of her death.
She was married, Jan. 11, 1894, to Dr. H. S. Sleeper of Washburn. Her wedded life, though short, was a happy one. She was a devoted wife and did all in her power to promote the happiness of her husband
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and his business prosperity. She was taken suddenly ill Aug. 18th, 1895, and died the 24th. Principal Sargent, in speaking of her death says, "Her life was a short one but a complete one. The mem- ory of a life of this kind is an inspiration and comfort to those who knew her." A lady in Washburn, writing to Carrie's mother says, "We, all, every one in Washburn, loved dear Mrs. Sleeper. All we knew of her was beautiful and good." Her body was taken to the home of her childhood and laid to rest in the cemetery a short distance west of the school house where she taught many terms of school. Her death was a great sorrow to her many friends. Her memory lingers like the perfume of the sweet flowers that her former pupils still con- tinue to place upon her grave.
Charles H. Barker was born in Cornish, York County, Oct. 23, 1822. He graduated from the Maine Medical School in 1846. After practicing medicine in Buxton about four years, he came to Wayne and settled at Wayne Village in 1850. He was a man of good judg- ment and as a physician was careful and judicious. He had a large practice here and in the surrounding towns. So strong was his grasp on the confidence of the people that other physicians who came to Wayne found little to do till Dr. Barker's health became impaired by the severe strain of excessive professional labor. His active practice covered a period of more than thirty years. This long term of service made his presence familiar in nearly every family in town, and as family physician he is held in grateful remembrance. He freely gave his professional services to many from whom no pay was expected. He was a man of fine physique, courteous yet dignified manner and commanding presence.
He was elected to various official positions. He served the town as moderator, town clerk, selectman, treasurer and school committee. He was a useful and valuable citizen, active in everything that per- tained to the welfare and public good of the town of Wayne. He was a man of business ability and integrity and always loyal and true to his friends. In January, 1847, Dr. Barker married Mary A. Small of Limington, who died Sept. 1, 1854. Aug. 23, 1855, he married Abby C. Small, a sister of his first wife. She died Aug. 4, 1879. Dr. Barker resided in Wayne from 1850 till his death with the exception of about two years, during which he lived with his son in Winthrop. He died in Wayne, May 19, 1891. His living children are Dr. C. H. Barker, Jr., of Wayne and Mrs. Annie M. Arris of Danville Junction.
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C. W. Burgess, M. D., was born in Wayne, Sept. 24, 1844. He is the son of Bartlette Burgess and grandson of Benjamin Burgess, the centenarian. Bartlette Burgess married Rebecca Ham of Fayette. They had three children. Their oldest daughter, Josephine, married James Stetson, a native of Wayne, and a soldier in the civil war. Mr. and Mrs. Stetson with their three children now reside in Hawley, Minn. The youngest daughter, Angeline, is also a resident of Haw- ley. Their only son, Dr. C. W. Burgess, was educated in the schools of Wayne, Towle Academy and Maine Wesleyan Seminary. He went to Missouri and taught in the public schools of that State five years ; afterwards studied medicine at the University of Michigan and Chicago Policlinic. He has practiced medicine and surgery at Thomas, Mo., for a quarter of a century. He has been a member of the M. E. Church for the last thirty years and is a member of Grand River Medical Society and I. O. O. F.
Napoleon Bonaparte Hunton was the son of Peter and Betsey (Turner) Hunton, and was born in Readfield, Sept. 23, 1816. He came to Wayne in 1845. He had four brothers ; one of them, Well- ington, was a merchant in Wayne at that time. Napoleon Bonaparte taught school and was chosen a member of the school committee in 1847, a position he held for five consecutive years. He represented his town in the legislature of Maine in 1849. He was a polite and gentlemanly man, honest and upright in all his dealings, and univer- sally respected by his fellow-townsmen. In 1850, he married Orilla Danforth of Norton, Mass. Their marriage was blessed with one child, a daughter, Mary O. by name. She married George Johnson, the son of the late Holman Johnson of Wayne. They have four chil- dren, the oldest of whom, Sadie O., is a graduate of Hebron Academy and Dirigo Business College.
Mr. Hunton resided in Wayne till his death, Dec. 8, 1893. Mrs. Hunton was, for many years, a milliner in Wayne Village. She is a most estimable lady and now resides with her daughter in Brunswick.
Rev. Caleb Fuller was born in Paris, Nov. 12, 1805. His early life was spent on a farm, where he had good school privileges, and at the age of eighteen he became a school teacher, at which employment he continued until he entered the ministry. In 1826, he was convert- ed, and in 1828, joined the Maine Conference. He, together with
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Rev. P. P. Morrill, was appointed to Rumford Circuit, embracing twelve towns and plantations. In 1831, he was married to Miss Luda Monroe of Livermore, by whom he had two children, Mary, who died in infancy, and Mrs. E. K. Boyle now living in Augusta. Mrs. Fuller died in Wayne in 1845, where her husband was oc- cupying a supernumerary relation. The next year he located there, married Miss Elizabeth B. Swift, by whom he had two children; Abby, who died at three years of age, and Mrs. A. H. Davis of Bridgeport, Conn. During the eight years he lived in Wayne he preached constantly on the Sabbath, and served one year as Rep- resentative in the Legislature. In 1854, he was re-admitted to Conference and continued in itinerant work till 1871 when he re- tired from active work. He resided in Hallowell several years. The last six years of his life he lived in Augusta. He died in Bath while visiting his brother, Dr. A. J. Fuller. His remains were brought to Wayne and buried in the beautiful cemetery by the lake. He was a powerful and talented preacher in his day ; his intellectual and spiritual attainments were conspicuous. He took great interest in the young people. In 1883, through his efforts a nice bell was put in the belfry of the M. E. Church in Wayne with the understanding that the boys should have the privilege of ringing it on the 4th of July. His life was a blessing and a benediction.
James Clark was born in Ayer, Scotland, on Feb. 20, 1795, and his early youth was passed among the scenes and environments sur- rounding the birthplace of the poet Burns. His parents, although not wealthy, were of ancient lineage and much respected in the community for their hospitality, probity and piety. At the age of sixteen he was sent to Glasgow to study navigation; on account of his remarkable · talents he was graduated by a special course. He then went to sea as first mate, making a number of voyages to the United States, and became favorably impressed with the country. Afterwards he was promoted to the office of sailing master, which he followed for several years, entering nearly every port in the world. At the age of twenty- five he immigrated to America, landing at Portland, and making this his home for three years, where he learned the trade of cabinet maker. In 1823, he removed to Winthrop, and one year later married Miss Clarindine Bridgham of that town, who bore him nine children.
In 1830 he again changed his residence; this time he settled at Wayne, which became his permanent home. Leaving his family here
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in 1849, he went to Alton, Ill., remaining there for eight years acting as superintendent at the establishment of Pitt & Hanson manufactur- ers of reapers and mowers. Becoming advanced in years he resigned his position and retired from the active duties of life.
He was a practical Christian, an ardent advocate of temperance, and being a strong anti-slavery man, he became the warm personal friend of William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass. Our im- mortal Whittier was also numbered among his friends, and his letters from the poet are among the choice possessions of the family to-day. His manners were marked by gentleness and affability ; even the rudest felt at ease in his presence, while he was a fit companion for the most cultured and refined ; and though he lived to be over eighty years of age he never lost the freshness of heart which robs old age of half its sorrows. He entertained the deepest love for his adopted country, and no one cherished more sincerely than he the liberties over which the constitution has extended its high sanction. He gave three sons to serve in the war of the rebellion. His example was a blessing to all, and such immigrants, regardless from whence they originate, are certainly to be welcomed to our shores.
To employ his leisure hours during the later years of his life he again became a zealous student of mathematics, giving evidence of remarkable ability, and became somewhat conspicuous as a writer on problems and subjects pertaining to mathematics. Through this medium he became acquainted with the leading professors. Thomas Hill, president of Harvard college, paid a rich and glowing tribute to his character and mental resources, which appeared in the leading publications at the time of Mr. Clark's death. Although his manners and tastes were those of a refined and educated gentleman, he made himself a friend to every member of the community in which he re- sided, and it may be well said of him "sans peur et sans reproche." On the 8th day of November, 1878, at the mature age of 84 years, he died peacefully at the home of his daughter, who tenderly cared for him in his declining years. Three of his children are now living: James N. of Dorchester, Mass., Cyrus D. of Somerville, Mass,, and Mrs. L. R. Sturtevant of Wayne. Such is the brief history of the life of one who was a resident of this town for half a century.
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