New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-12
A SUBMARINE DESTROYER
SATISFACTORY TEST OF THE NEW oi"'-
EDISON TORPEDO.
IN ATTAINED A SPEED OF TWENTY MILES AN
HOUR AND WAS UNDER PERFECT CoN-
TRoIs-MANY GOVERNMENTS
INTERESTED.

INTERESTED.
The ofrcial test of the new sims Hdison eleo,.0
.o-nado inst completed for the United states "ofo
ment took place yesterday afternoon at the 1oVo,,
ont tornedo station Wlllets Point, ana the resui'
D..a,n.d rere extremely satisfactory. The run was
made for the purpose OF testing the sPeea vi VIZ
oran The tests for driving and other evolutions W
- ho,S later The boat on trial yesterday Is the
,otest invention in the line OF electric fish torpeuoc'
n is driven, steered and discharged by electricity
II has a cable OF high insulation and two ana o'o
third miles in length, being over LOU feeb 'oneN
,hen ANY OF the ten boats heretofore built for INC
Government by this company. The BINS hdiso'.
weapon has attained its great Importance on account
It's speed the torpedo Just built having about twice inc
speed OF any other made By the SimsEdson Company'
The contract price OF the boat is s12oOO ana IL 10
claimed that it fuhIs all conditions of long range
great velocity chaneeable directions sure ana con-
trollable motive power and great exploding oroo'
Il is made TO carry under ordinary circumstance"
pounds OF dynamite, which is enough to destroy uio
most powerful ironclad even when exploded ho u''
lance Of fifty feet from the vessel assaeu IL -
constructed. however, that II can readily DO mani
carrv a charge of 1900 pounds OF dynamite winch IL
s,n,oded nj the battery for.exampe, would probably
wreck or damage all the buildings on the lower Gnu
OF the island The weight Of this death dealing engine
ls 900 pounds and its length Is thtyone lce'' WIN
a diameter Of twenty five inches. The mo'oI "n.
generator are Thomas A. Edison's invenuoh'' ~
there is an electric current unlimited In amount anu "
all times under control Of the operator az the nc,
This weapon Of war had been In the ""'er oAi' UNIV
previous to the launch yesterday.
Tho Government was represented at the trial DIV
Colonel W. r. King in charge OF the torpedo sOaio',
at Willet's Point and the exhibition was "lInesso
bv number OF army and navy Officers repros0h,
OF foreign Governments and promiheh. eieo
Among those present were Lieutenant sea'on ochVuo
;ta criiaq VpguvinS 4,
y,ent.nant C. McR winslow, Of the United e's'es
tor.do boat cushing: Llcutcnants H. L. sattery and
n Kent of the United States Naval Reserve AiDer0
voatz United States Navy: Captain l.. G stouuaru'
Of the revenue cutter Grant; Captain hanuei 'V1'
.,r.s p.rhoza of the Brazilian Navy; Arthur L.
Nacedo Brazilian Consul-General; o. j. NORA oi''i
cal,or 10 the Brazilian ConsulGeneral' Cnen "o"S'
Chinese Consul-General W. L. Booker Br1tsh ooh'
~, C.nersI. pemetrus ~ Botassl, Consul General for
Greece: A. NJ. Townsend manager OF the Hong hons
Rank: Everett Frazar president, W. scou BINS
caneraI manager and w. NJ Deem, treasurer OF the
Sims Edison Electric Torpedo Company Aaron van
derbilt Charles E. Rushmore. Ambrose snow D. W.
Harvard w. j. Dewitt, Frederick Pearce, ~. ~
Wilson. " F. Palmer Charles NJ Daley ana oU,er9.
The launching Of the submarine boat was the WORK Vi
only few minutes, and W. Scott Sims the coinventor
with Edison of the torpedo at once began u h''ph'
late the keys Of the apparatus through winch lhe
alar current s transmitted TO the motor In the tor
nedo The missile daIted off at high rate OF speed
So rapdlv did it go that the float was constantly SUI
rerged and when It was a distance Of 1000 feet nom
The dock all that was visible was the tiny united STATES
sa at the STERN The boat exceeded all former speeds
~ Government torpedOes by making twenty miles an
bour steering 10 the right and left or any desired
oora. and slowing down at the will of the operator
- forged ahead distance of about 400 feet, was
et.r in semicrcle and then returned to the start
ing point Mr. Sims bringing the torpedo to fnn sop
IN 'front.' OF the spectators. 1t had travelled about
% 900 feet IN about six minutes, the timo averaging
twenty miles an hour, or two miles moro than the
contract with tho Government requires. the success
was complete no defect whatever having been dis
| covered IN the torpedo craft
Colonel King who directed the test for the Govern
rent aid al consider it quite satisfactory trial
The boat was under perfect control ana traveeu
out hitch. think however that II eau noAo "0''0
Mr.. SIMS the inventor of the torpedo; said; The
test was faultless Everything operated Ike cioGh
work The speed Of the torpedo VIII be m tn, ~
three miles hour in excess OF rs record OF
The construction Of the torpedo Is the simplest magl
able and the arrangement and principles OF operation
Of The various electric devices make II foregone con
ciuson that all Of them he relied upon to DO their
duty at any desirable moment ana uhder any cohui-
| ton whatever . w.. A.. o.,,,
tend the manufacture Of his torpedo boats nj factory
which has just been established near llavre lie mas
recently received a number Of invitations from foreign
Governments TO visit them and exhibit tne torpedo'
one Of these came from Turkey. Cir william Arm
strong of England. has also extended an Invitation
and placed at Mr. Smss disposal one Of his vessels
itat,on came from the British Admiralty. who want an
eybhltion on Stokes's Ray. The Governments OF Ger-
many and Italy have alSo asked that they have an op
| portunity to test the torpedo.