The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-10
he Has q Patent he Thinks
Would Have Saved the Maine.
,llaPENTTaAslE TORPEDO MT.
q !; Asr1xs. oa.a.. 1>as Ms NJ
vensien Was UseA Without As
tAorfty 70 Protect Japanese War.
shipa Against Chinese rsrpeaees
--sn seattle % Hls Way TO Dawssa
win seek Gold Instead Of Glsry.

I. b. Abraham has spent considerable
time and money n perfectnx and attsmpt-
ing to introduce :, TORPEDO netting Tor -
protection Of sh!ps-ot.war. He has trAs-
easd over The unleed .ssates and 70 foesisn
countries. paying his way by work - n
expert mechanic. sxytAg - interest PRONE
inent people In his creation. bat al 70 -
arafl. A poor snvsntof, he now thinks, -
deserving the symreehy Of Ill mec. and ~
decided 10 50 70 Dawson and search Tor
goid. rather than again attempt 10 secure
recognition from the waS department In
Washington.
Abraham Is = Frenchman. q years Of
age. He has lived In this country - ieng
that be says he would light onA of hie
own countrymen who dared speak 0tnre-
spsesfuily Of the Stars and StripesL Quits
recently he Was working In the unAchire
shops. Of Johannesburg. Africa, ana 10
here On his way nC1th. TIE dec1aratto0 e
war against Spain turned his Thoughts
sfroU The miDn Of the Yukon e his M
ventioa. aad recalled the difficulties no
had encountered n seeking to have hin
torpedo netting adopted.
h. appeared In tho Office OF the Post
! Irte4isencer yesterday with . model
3dias4aAand bu1dA OF patent deeds ana
4corr@kp Edenee.
Il an eeNa =! ssyss the United States.
he said. na&lne Aimeeif. IL my in-
magnificent battseshlp would have BEEN
aafiodt today" He fondled piece Of metal
netting AZ he spoke. It was made up Of
oblong LINKS Joined together In IN endless
chain. strong yes pliable.
This can DO used In several wAya" he
continued "It could be hung out IN front
OF ships advancing into a mined haxbor
an 70 anf wit oatnk oss
explode them before they could damage
the vessels. unless, OF course. they were
arrxnxsd to b. fired from the shore ~
sssactRicitN II hnch links were u1ed the
sf4t:nx could bo stretched around Ghlp
sfor belt armor and would give = resistan0o
equivalent 70 fourteen-inch stsel plaas.
The greatest German authority on torpo-
! dose nantenas ShAt no torpedo now Ia ~
.stence can s.rike vessel moro thar ten
Z 11e& below the water line. II would not,
therefore, be accessory TO have netting %
hen1ath the sesaei's hull. but atmply 10
drop It on either side Of the shin - Il
would hang down ten feet below The
walexs surface.
! s In reading OF the Japan-China waY you
law that tospeioes exploded Intellectually
against the nets used By the Japanese
Wen, those acts were made exactty uko
: this model. My idea was simply sto1eu.
At the outbceak Of the war went 10 he
Japanese minister ana explained my Dian.
was treated with great conxdecAtlon
and the minister paid close attention % IN
II had to say. He told me he would -
me again, but never did %. AftNrwnrd
found out that nets such - sh0Wed ~
sJapance0 minister were manufactured un-
der his diirettion. and used with success In
the war;
s During tAe Dfaxilian war I went there
and saw tile leaders. was sent frCm
ona head Of tieua ftrnenA In naetlSnp gacS1lY
NM that the only way that I could 20
anytniqg wAs by offering someone - or
20 Per cent. for h.s influence. I told them
what ! thought before I left nd
dose Af giving . percentage FOR influences
nt another time. I invented an axle HTuooo
once and gave a member of congress -
hnaf interest In the patent - intrcduoo ft
on ono or the railroads. He did 70, a3aA t
was 30 successful that several roads ~
gan 10 rsH II. a syndicate was formed 10
handle the grease, bat have never ~
acefsaes1 cents from its sale
There II no chance for the poor inve0t.
or. have been turned down again ard
sssgejn. and am tired OF II. In Francs
talked with several prominent men, ana
they went 50 far AZ 10 say II was eood
Thing. But when they asked where wns
staying and learned that Il Was with :
rrfva<e family, instead OF SO day hoeet
knew th~y would drop the mattef. IL
lakes money to push anything before the
public. and I'm going to tho Kiondiko
after SONS coin. Ny search Tor glory =