The Puckle Gun 1700s

While rapid fire weapons are generally thought of as a 19th Century invention, James Puckle patented a rapid fire gun in 1718!

Check out this image of the gun from his patent:  http://www.wedmore.org.uk/puckle/James.htm

Rain’s Subterra Shells

Gabriel Rain’s bears the dubious honor of introducing landmines during the Civil War, during the Peninsula Campain.  His Subterra shells used as land mines and booby traps created a bit of a challenge for Union forces.  Click here for an article about Rains and his explosives work. http://maic.jmu.edu/JOURNAL/6.1/notes/robbins/robbins.htm

Rain’s deadly hanywork was put to use at Battery Wagner to fend off the attack by the 54th Massachusett- Rain’s Subterra shells were pressed into service as immense hand grenades.  This along with a heavily entrenched position helps explain the terrible loss of live in the 54th, whose service is recounted in the movie Glory.

Electricity on Show: Spectacular Events in Victorian London

From London’s Science Museum website comes “Electricity on Show” a four part paper detailing science exhibits – particularly electricity related ones -as public entertainment in 19th Century England.  Contains details of a number of interesting exhibitions, including mentions of Tesla and Jacob Perkins, mentioned elsewhere in this blog in connection with his steam gun.

http://www.fathom.com/course/21791714/session1.html

Museum of Retro Tech

The Museum of Retro Tech is a great collection of interesting technology – odd steam engines, early communications devices and more!

http://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/museum.htm

Da Vinci Drawings of Siege Engines

Follow this link for some beautiful drawings of siege engines by Leonardo

http://members.iinet.net.au/~rmine/Leonardo.html

Page also includes many interesting links many kinds of siege engines.

Mini Steam the Great Toy Steam Company

Just came across this site – has beautiful models of various kinds of miniature “toy” steam engines – their is nothing “toy” about the prices though =) http://www.ministeam.com/acatalog/shop.html

C.S.S. Manassas

After Ross Winan’s 1858 Cigar Ship, the idea of cigar-shaped vessels of war was widely circulated – coverage of his invention in Scientific American helped sparked the development of the David Boats, and perhaps F.D. Lee’s Torpedo Ram – which never got its iron shield, but was of similar shape and size.  While Winan’s sons tried to interest the U.S. and Russian Government in cigar-shaped gunboats, the Confederacy took a more direct approach with the C.S.S. Manassas.

This link has several great renderings of the Manassas well as several period engravings. http://www.cityofart.net/bship/manassas.html

U.S.S. Alligator

The Alligator was an early Civil War submarine built by a Frenchman – this site has a short history of the submarine and some nice images of the inventor’s hand drawn plans. http://americancivilwar.com/tcwn/civil_war/naval_submarine.html

A Steam Dinosaur

This is a link to a great story about the remains of what is perhaps the world’s oldest traction engine found buried and abandoned in the depths of an old mine.  http://www.ranger.demon.co.uk/aveling/aveling.htm

Canada’s First Locomotive

Yet another ancient steam engine – the Samson – Canada’s first locomotive … http://www.parl.ns.ca/samson/index.htm