Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-25

the Confederate army. and this friendship
led to a later one between Ambrose Nc
Evoy and the physicians famous broth
er. James Mcneil Whistler. which tasted
for over forty years.
Confederacy Used His Shells.
McEvoy's first invention was a fuse to be
used in shells, and was shown by the
young soldier to Lee. Go and see Brook. -
was the generals terse comment, the ref
erence being to Col. Brook. who now is
head Of the Virginia Military Institute, and
who then was in charge of the ordnance
department of the Confederacy. Brook
instantly saw the merit of McEvoy's idea.
adopted ii forthwith, and shells of the
type suggested thereafter were turned out
in millions at the Richmond arsenal 1t
was many months later that McEvoy
turned his attention to the problem OF
submarine mines, which he solved SO
brilliantly.
Ambrose McEvoy came to England at
the end of the war. married and settled
down. AS the only man who knew any
thing about submarines mines. he did not
lack for attention from the British admi-
ralty and England is defended today by
his mercurial circuit closer. Another Of
McEvoy's later inventions was the spar
torpedo. which remained In general use
unit! the advent Of the Whitehead,
and the famous "Elswick sights" were
also devised by him.
1t seems unlikely that the full story Of
the British admiralty's dealings with Am
brose McEvoy would make pleasant read
ing He told his family of devices re-
fused by MY Lords" and finally adopted
after the patents on them had run out.
and of similar breaches of faith. APP
parently the results were disastrous for
the inventor. Orders came to him from
other countries. 1t Is true. but 1t was
internationally, and by the time Charles
lnI
in more than once at his fathers door.
And as a consequence the young author
Of David Ballard" who had hoped to
go to Cambridge, was compelled to re-
linquish that dream and go into his
fathers business as soon as he left
school.
Model for Shaw Character.
Ambrose McEvoy is the original Of
Anthony Unde rshaft in George Bernard
Shaw's play. Maj. Barbara" Mr.. Nc
Evcy died in 1905. but some time before
then his younger son had met and made
a fast friend of the author of Man and
SuEerman." AS a consequence the play
wright and the inventor of the submarine
met once or twice, and 1t was these meet
ings and the occasional references made
by Charles McEvoy to his fathers career
which led Shaw to take Ambrose McEvoy
for his model when drawing the maker
of explosives" as a foil to his Salvation
Army lassie. Maj. Barbara.
Incidentally. there is good and sufficient
reason for believing that If the young
author of David Ballard had not de-
cideG to invent plots for plays instead
of inventing engines of war. he might
hin self have achieved results in the lat
ter direction. which even his sire would
not have dsdained. For Valparaiso har-
bo" at this moment is defended by q SUBJ
marine anime which practically owes its
construction to Charles McEvoy. The I'M
finished plans for it were his fathers
legacy to the young man. The result
was a conglomeration Of apparatus. COM
plete but for the essential thing-the cir
cui. which Ambrose McEvoy had not
worked out. To his son, then whose
early apprenticeship in his fathers shops
now stood him in good stead. fell the
task of breathing the breath of life into
Ambrose McEvoy's unfinished schemes.
and without the secret this at first looked
impossible. After weeks of work. how
ever. he discovered solution which prac-
tically made the whole invention his own.
and SO the Chilean government got its
apparatus complete