Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-06-03
THE BEST TORPEDO.
SOMETHING THAT MAY REVOlUTIONlZE NAVAL
WARFARE.
Terribly Effective Engine Of Destruction That
Has Created Furors in EurOpa-Wbat
the Inventor Says
Of It.

New YoRK, June IN. Scott SimmS,
the inventor of the SmS-EdiSon tor
pedo. has lust returned from u trip TO
Europe. where, at various military and
naval headquarters, he exhibited sue
cesSfully the swift engine of war that
promises 10 become most formidable
feature OF future operations. All fer
eign Governments whose representa-
tives have witnessed the performance
Of the torpedo have become Impressed
with its advantages over the automatic
tOrpedOeS that are now in use, because
il combines in higher degree than its
competitors the essentials OF the ideal
torpedo, namely, long carriage, unusual
speed, ability 10 change its direction,
definite mode of propulsion with easy
control and great power OF explosion.
The Sims Edison torpedo is no new
thing 10 army aud navy officers OF the
United States, as il has been tested sat
isfactOrilv many times in the waters
near this city, but to the authorities on
the other side of the water il was YER
table surprise. The foreigners had no
idea of the speed and awful power of
the li,tle boat. Exhibitions were given
several times in the Mediterranean, and
Mr.. Sims has made arrangements with
the Socite AnOnyme deS FORCES Etchan-
tiers de la Mediterranee for the manu-
facture of the boats, and they will be
gradually introduced, he thinks, into all
the governments Of Europe An En-
glish company will be composed of three
EngliShmen, three Americans and three
Frenchmen.
There is only one other torpedo in
the world that amounts 10 anything and
that is the Whitehead, which created
such destruction in the hands of the
Chiliau insurgents not long ago, when
the Escanalda was blown out Of the
water. The SimS-EdiSOn torpedo Is
superior 10 the Whitehead, according to
Mr.. Sims, because the latter cannot be
counted upon % hit the mark in more
than one out Of twelve shots. and TO Sc
cure a hit the operator must get within
q range that can be diSaStrOuSly COW
cred by the fire of the enemy'S machine
guns. The range of the SimS-EdiSon
torpedo is unlimited.
THE most general means OF protect
inc the hullS of vessels from the attack
OF torpedoes," said Mr.. Sims, sis by de-
vices of bOOmS and nets, which are run
out and around the ship. l have heard
il said that in the light Of recent eXpe-
rience on the Cailian coast all the yes
sells of our navy are to be provided with
crinOline protection. But these devices
would bv no means suffice TO keep out
the Sine Edison tOrpedOeS, because they
explode at the moment they touch the
net and, according TO General Abbott'S
figures, $50 pounds of dynamite ex-
ploded at a distance of twenty-five feet
from the hull would blow the largest
ironclad out of the water. Nets are
usually hung over twenty-five feet from
the hull and, moreover, our tOrpedoeS
carry 500 pounds of dynamite, which Is
twice the amount upon which General
Abbot bases his estimates.
Besides the 500 pounds in the tor
pedo proper there is space provided
between the float and the shell
whore 1000 or 1000 pounds
more can be stored. us added charge
would. of course, retard the speed OF
the torpedo, but it would more than
make up i'm its destructive results what
il losses in acceleratiOn. n torpedo
loaded with this enormous charge, II
run close TO the store batteries, naval
docks, or other structures at the waters
edge, would blow them into SplinterS.
II necessary it could be run up on the
beach. close beside Il town, and there
exploded. Two thousand pounds OF
dynamite exploded at the Battery, for
example. would probably wreck or other
Sviso damage all the buildings on the
lower end of the island