The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-03
INVENTOR AND DESTROYER.
MORE CONCERNING JOHN ERTCssON's
REJOLUTION.IRY TORPEDO.
How the Mnn Who Invented Turret Ships
Now Proposes to Make Them Useless
What He Thinks of idisou's Phonvgrnpt.

How the Man Who Invented Turret ships
Now Proposes to Make Them Useless
What He Thinks of Edisous PhonVgrnph.
Just now do not wish to utter another
word to be published concerning my torpedo
bont.' CAPT John Ericsson said to a reporter
for THE Sun yesterday. 8" AS you will readily
undcr7land. there arc important reasons why
It il desirable to avoid giving too much pub
Lefty to the inventions OF engines Of war, at
least until they are complete. Ny boat is not
complete. shall finish 1t us soon as il prac-
tcablr. for it is desirable to gct it oil my hands
that may 20 on with my work on the solar en-
gincs. That is my grcat work. All tho models
that you see belong to IT,"
AS he spoke the vigorous and earnest old man
gave wide sweep Of his arm. and pointed to q
score Of strange and elaborate models. highly
polished and for THO most part protected 10y
large glass covcrs-mctaic disks Of dazzling
brilliancc. cylinders pistons, ccccntrlcs gauges.
rcaectors. and convex and concavc glasses.
The famous inventor wont on, in reply to n
casual question: Il have lived in New York
for forty years. II lis my home. This has been
the field 81 my principal achievements. 1t will
yet witness the greatest triumph Of ALL"
Where have been since the war Here.
right hore; experimenting, constructing. de-
stroyina rcconstructing advancing always
toward thc goal. the llrality which men call in
vention, have been at work ON my solar
II WINS very evident In his tone and manner
even more than his wOrd~-that engines Of de-
siru AMI slaughter I'LL only "a small space
IN Erirssuns heart however much the fame
The turrct2 oh yes. / invented that the
turrct for war vessels, but did not think 1t
worth while to patent the idea All | mndc out
OF II was from tho contract for building
the great Dictator and ten other vessels. and It
Is not to be supposed that contractor loses
/ mOney II he has a fair contract. But lhut was
all isut for my idea-that which fairly earned
on the construction of those Dssrls. Tho United
States built some seventy turret monitors in AN.
and siucc then an the world has been building
them. The Turks have built more than any
othcrMation. believe
" Did NOT the invention Of armorcd furrcts Of
! iet u revolution in naval architecture Z!
believe 500 Can't. Errcson answered:
then general adoption seems 90 have been
| practical acceptance OF the value OF the ih'en-
" And now that YOU have set all the world 10
! building turrctcd war vessels. YOU proceed 10
an i'm ention that renders them useless. ="
- il appears. have rot the slightest doubt
| oi the t,riGdo ana boat eii"etng all that have
| claimed, the inventor answered with a smilr.
Aud that is. mat your lule noat 1870 feet
long. viii travel with such velocity a. to over
! take the rwiftest war vessel. Guiding all missiles
| that can be hurled at her carry atorpt dc which
| viii shaiter and sink the strongest chip, anu
That Is What confidently expect to. do"
" Then. having invented a war vessel capable
do that viii destroy the war vessel you will nat
| uruly next invent some contrivancc that Will
| 81 IN" torpedo ut nangit ana so thing- w'll be-
The Inventor laughed heartily. Int ouly said
. II is possible. We shall see. Oi h.'cnlinE
" l. not the power you propose 10 he, olop on
| your tot "do boat altogether urprr"ed"uioit
! OhlH"'edrnir,. yes; Astounding and uilh-
| cult. no; not that can see The staten -ut all
! ready uubushci by IHE sUN WIS correct in all
! it, details 4 small hpat moved upon the same
principle ~ that which will ho employed In tn"
/ one now building. hat only with compressed
! air a. "a motive power. ran some distance 1T the
| rate uf 1ny-thre" miles an hour. In The large
one | shall u" steam. | shall have two twenty
| fpur-ineh cylinders but do moi purts.o now
| t. tell what pressure | shall employ nor the"
| means by which shall attain speed greater
| than that "t The swiitst railroad train. nm
tions. and no dodm Of my doins lust what cx-
| icct To do.
! outlined by her ribs ~ she lies on the ways In
| the Drlamatcr Iron Works. II unlike that III any
other vessel. or rather II j. an eXnggeration II
the sharpest and narrowest models cXtant. BY
| comparison with the hulle of other vessels built
for speed, TINS one II ~ "a trout among catfish.
ana one can readily imagine that II she ilonts al
/ all. she viii he rs capt Ericsson says. " like
| racrhorso Il, -;'i" q 'nri horse,
Ericsson nlinsItll never visits the works. his
ASSISTANT. Mr. lhHso. experimenting ~ his
stcal. and generally staying four or live hours
within three or four months. Tho foreman
sass he mover saw such Il model or heard Of
will be rs solid Us single piece Of iron. and
| that she VIII - 70 like lightning
The draughtsmen in the office ~ the works
say that the nearest approx imation 10 such
combination Of power and slza in naval
! architecture was in torpedo boat con-
| structeI here four years ago. 10y order
| of Col Lay. for the Egyptian Government
| That vessel mad only feet beam. and was only
! - feet ia length vet she carried Engines "apa-
| bic Of develop ng 336-hOrse power. working at
! a pressure Of loj pounds, She had pair OF
| lOXlO-inch cylinders. With a single screw
making 273 revolutions per minute she made
| over II miles per hour. That was probably tho
| greatest power. smallest boat. and highest
| speed. all together. ever known.
Nothing can be learned Of the Ericsson tor
| pedo definitely. until such time n Ericsson
! himself chooses 10 make its details known. In
general way II l. understood that il will be- Il
| case of some high explosive rugged in front Of
| the torpedo boat. or pushed out and operated
| through a great hole in her stem. The firing
! Will be by either electricity or compressed air
probably the latter, The Inventor claims that
| IL VIII differ from all other torpedOoS.
II wis demonstrated 10y experiments In Cher
| hOurg harbor last year That the most form!-
| daily armed and equipped iron ship Of war is
| absolutely at the mercy of n few pounds Of sub
merged dynamite. Experiments conducted in
| this country. OIL Willctt's Point. l.. L.. al New
| port and elsewhere have all tended to the same
| conclusion.
MIR Ericsson. in n further dcsultory CONVEX
satiOn about recent grrnt inventions. said of
| Mr.. Edison's monograph that the explanations
| given as 10 the causes that produced its Won
| derful results We're not satisfactory; that there
must be some factor which had mover been
made known. and which alone could account