Scotten “Anti-Cow” Steam Gun (1858)
Over the years many inventors sought to use steam as a weapon, but for most of them, the intend targets were enemy troops, but Steven Scotten of Richmond, Indiana targeted something more dreadful – cows!
Cows were a constant problem on early American railroads – cow catchers were eventually developed, not to save cows, but to keep them from causing derailments. Scotten had something more in mind – a steam gun mounted on the front of a locomotive that would fire gravel or other missiles at cows – see his patent at:
