The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-05-19
ELECTRICITY IN WARFARE.
What Inventor Edison Can Do te
Help the United States
Conquer Spain.

81 can produce light" said Thomas
A. Edison in his laboratory at West
Orange the other day, that will render
absolutely harmless SPANS terrible
torpedo fiotillas we read SO much alb slt.
Science has found way to DESTROY The
mines Spain has planted in the harfors
Of Cuba. More important still, sci@lce
tells us how we can march our arIl aes
from one end of Cuba to the other this
summer, and in the rainy seaso1s too,
and lose hardly a man from the Eread
malarial and yellow fevers."
Ae TO certain published Statements
to the effect that Mr.. Edison hadSin-
vented electrical apparatus that will
work all kinds of destruction in Gaze OF
war, he said:
''All such statements are imaginative.
No such things are needed, nor does
science do its work through any such
methods. Science does it's work in
legitimate and straightforwardiway
and it stands ready to-day to afford the
United States army and navy just what
1t needs.
"As to the light that renders,
lutely harmless these terrible torpedo
fiotillas? Well, the torpedo boat is a
demon of darkness only. 1t is an enemy
that creeps upon its foe in the night
In the daylight it is as useless as the eye
of an owl. In the day time it can be
seen and blown to pieces before it gets
near enough to do any damage.
In order that an object may be OBJ
served distinctly the light must be be-
hind it. 1t must appear in silhouette
Ignite g bonfire behind a tree, for in
stance, and you can see its outlines dis
tinctly.
by the use of chemicals which ignite
and produce a light when brought into
contact with water, the ocean can be
lighted up for about four square miles
about any of our vessels. This is an
ample distance to render a torpedo
boat useless, for the moment the latter
appears within the horizon of the little
span of day thus made she becomes
easily visible, and within two minutes
she can be riddled by the modern rapid
fire guns.
The chemical I suggest can be
thrown out from the ship or feet it is
to protect from guns of peculiar con-
structfon. 1t is all very simple and not
SO expensive as might be imagined"
The wizard was asked to elaborate on
his idea of protecting the health of the
army of occupation in Cuba.
Science can do d great deal for that
army he replied. II am willing to lay
a wager that I can take 100 men into
Cuba and spend the summer in the
worst districts of the island and not
lose a man, no not one. And the same
thing can be done for the army
How? The solution is as simple as
standing the egg on end. All that is
nessessary is care and a little knowl-
edge. Let nothing go into the stomach
of any man that has not beeW boiled;
nothing that has not been subjected to
Pig degrees of heat. The problem is
easy. Yellow fever be bowed! Excuse
my emphasis, but 1t is as easy whipped
as yellow soldiery.''
Mr.. Edison said he had no plans for
the destruction Of the mines in the har-
bors of Cuba. He would leave that to
the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius and the
dynamite cruiser Nictheroy, which, il
has been reported. the United States is
to buy from Brazil. How these little
vessels can make a harhor safe by lit
orally blasting way for our warships
has been told in the Press. Besides. the
army engineers are well up in counter
mining. Mr.. Edison thought he could
not help the army and navy much on
mines. He said we would have great
advantage in the mine question because
Spain has no boats like the Vesuvius
and the Nictheroy.
Mr. Edison said he had no doubt that
electricity would play an important
part in the war, ard he poirr,~S out that
the Spaniards have little or no inventive
genius. In this particular, he said, the
Americans would have a great adj
vantage.
All in all. Mr.. Edison isn't worried a
little bit about the outcome of a war
with Spain.-N. y. Press.