COLT
COLT
town of 2000 or more inhabitants in the United
States, Canada, and Nova Scotia, illustrating his
experiments by administering laughing-gas. He
paid all his expenses and saved enough money to
continue his work. In 1835 he went to Europe,
secured his patents there, and returning early in
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1836, began to manufacture arms at Paterson,
N.J., with the "Patent Arms Manufacturing
Company, " with a capital stock of $300,000. The
first rude model had been changed into a pistol
with a rotating cylinder containing six chambers
discharging through a single barrel. Mr. Colt
used every effort to prevail upon the U.S. gov-
ernment to adopt the arm, and after an examin-
ation the committee reported, ' ' that from its
complicated character, its liability to accident,
and other reasons, this arm was entirely unsuited
to the general purposes of the service."' In Octo-
ber, 1837, Mr. Colt received a gold medal from
the American institute, and was elected a mem-
ber. The opposition of the government greatly
injured the sale of the arms, but many were sold
to the Texan rangers. Soon after the breaking
out of the Seminole war in 1838, he went south,
carrying some of his arms which met with
approbation. Fifty were piu'chased and General
Harney reported, " I honestly believe that but for
these arms the Indians would now be luxuriating
in the everglades of Florida." In 1839 a second
patent was taken out covering several improve-
ments, chiefly the loading lever. In IMarch, 1840,
a board of naval officers tried the arms and made
an unfavorable report, recommending them,
however, for arming boat expeditions, and ac-
knowledging the great superiority of the percus-
sion to the flint lock. A subsequent examination
resulted in the purchase by the govei-nment, in
1841, of 160 carbines. In 1842 the company failed,
and until 1847 all manufacture of arms was sus-
pended. Meanwhile, Mr. Colt became interested
in the offing telegraph, and in 1842-43, laid sub-
marine telegraph lines from New York city to
Coney island, and to the Fire island light, the first
submarine cables ever successfully operated. At
the beginning of the Mexican war in 1847, he
received an order from the government for 1000
pistols, which marked the beginning of his suc-
cess. In 1848, he returned to Hartford, his native
city, and began the manufacture of arms on Pearl
street. In 1852 the business had so greatly in-
creased as to warrant the erection of a new
armory, and he bought up a large tract of land in
the south meadows, enclosing it by a dyke one
and three-fourths miles long, and from ten to
thirty-two feet in height, for protection from
inundation. The armory consisted of three large
buildings, to which a fourth was added in 1861.
As early as 1854, he had sold to the viceroy
of Egypt 5000, and to the British government
200,000 revolvers. He was married June 5, 1856,
to Elizabeth Hart, daughter of the Rev. William
Jarvis of Middletown, Conn. See Armsmear : the
Home, the Arm, and the Armoi'y of Samuel Colt
(1866). He died in Hartford, Conn., Jan. 10, 1862.
COLT, 5amuel Pomeroy, lawyer, was born
at Paterson, N.J., Jan. 10, 1852; son of Christo-
pher and Theodora (DeWolf) Colt; grandson of
Christopher Colt, and of Gen. George DeWolf;
a nephew of Samuel Colt, inventor, and grand-
nephew of James DeWolf, United States senator
from Rhode Island. His great-grandfather. Gov-
ernor William Bradford, was of the sixth genera-
tion from William Bradford of the Maijjlou-er.
Samuel P. Colt received his early education at
Hartford, Conn., at Bristol, R.I. , and at Antlion's
granunar school. New York citj'. He was grad-
uated from the Massachusetts institute of tech-
nology in 1873, and passed a year travelling in
Europe. He was graduated at the Columbia
law school. New York, in 1876 ; was admitted to
the New York bar in Maj^ 1876, and to the Rhode
Island bar in 1877. He was aide-decamp on the
staff of Gov. Henry Lippitt, 1875-77; a mem-
ber of the general as-
sembly of Rhode Is-
land, from Bristol,
1876-79 ; assistant
attornej'-general of Rhode Island, 1879- 81 ; and attorney-gen- eral, 1882-85. He founded the Indus- trial trust company of Providence, R.I., in 1887, and re-organ- ized the National rubber company of Bristol in 1888, being president of both or- ganizations from
their foundation. He was also president of the National eagle bank ; vice-president of the First national bank of Bristol, R.I., and a director, sec- retary, member of the executive committee
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