The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-08

side ornaments in future to the better
protection OF decks and bottoms. The
speed Of the ships themselves will al
ways tend to allow them to maintain
their distance from the enemy.
The mine is fixed and therefore a
passive form OF weapon Whitehead
in 1854 started the development Of a
mine moving under It's own power and
carrying an explosive charge.
The torpedo after many years was
developed into a miniature crewless
submarine. travelling at an average
speed OF 20 knots over a distance OF
1000 yards, steering a very straight
course. The explosive charge Il car
ries against the unprotected bottoms
of warships Is said to be 400 pounds In
the late German Schwartzkopf. In
striking a ship II presents the same
destructive efficiency as do the small
types Of mines. and its work could only
be equalled in gun fire by a tremendous
concentration OF many high power
guns firing over a considerable period
OF time, In spite OF every possible
: perfection. hitting moving targets with
torpedoes is extremely difficult. and 20
" " ptl 'tllN. mus - tDllSlutItu ECOu
practice. In the Russo-Japanese war
believe that only SO per cent. of the
torpedoes fired hit the mark. On &C.
count OF this difficulty in hitting the
targets many inventors turned their
minis to devise methods TO control the
course of t~orpedoes.
Brennan in England devised a dirig-
ible torpedo controlled by wires. which
never became practicable. So impor-
tant. however, was this work consid-
cred by the British Admiralty that
Brennan was paid s5S7. 900 for the in
vention. Sims me Edison ard other
workers developed electric cable rom
trolled torpedoes. but II was necessary
for the coming of radio telegraphy to
provide the Ideal and practicable
method for controlling moving bodies
from a distance.
Admiral Fiske Of our navy and Prof.
Ernest Wilson OF London first con-
ceived of the control of torpedoes by
Hertzian or wireless waves. but they
n man other inventors along his
line only reached the paper stage.
Some crude models both here and
abroad have been built to demonstrate
the po;entiality Of the wireless control
of torpedoes. but these devices can
easily be duplicated by any high school
boy interested in wireless.
To produce a real weapon OF in
terest TO hard headed military experts
was a task which has meant the ex-
penditure OF more than $500. 900 and
the surrounding OF difficulties which
those who worked on paper never
knew existed, II took one patent to
cover the general idea OF torpedo con-
troll by wireless. but we have applied
for more than 100 patents to cover
inventions of fundamental Importance
in overcoming difficulties the exist
ance Of which Is only known to a
few engineers In the Cons Artillery
Corps ana In my laboratory.
The accuracy OF control OF the wire
less or radio torpedo is such that n
ten loot bamboo fishing rod one and
a half inches in diameter and floating
upright can be struck ten out Of ff-
teen lime when the operator Is on
shore three miles away. The five
misses were not more than six feet
away from the rod.
In prophesying the field which this
new weapon will fill II II necessary
to realize that modern warfare il
waged by the intelligent cooperation
of many weapons, The military in
ventor must understand broadly the
field he IL supplying and not he
blindly snnguine concerning tho util-
ity OF his weapon. He must endeavor
to understand the limitations OF his
Weapon Just as much as he believes
in It's potentiality, and In this way
he will apply II TO a field of work
where It will give its Gates efi-
cheney.
1t is necessary that throughout our