New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-18
Explanation of the Boom
erang" Torpedo People
Saw at Sea
Secret Experiment
Was Taking Place
Invention May Force Sub.
marines to Fight in
Open With Guns
IstaS CosrrsprdmcsI

tStaA Co.rspUdsnSI
WASHINGTON, Sept. l7.-1homas
A. Edison has contrived q mechanism
to defect torpedoes from their courses
il was said here to-day. According to
report, the device has been tried with
success on several destroyers and has
been installed on some liners.
1t Is believed here that theextrsordis
nary gyrations Of q torpedo which
missed big American liner which are
rived yesterday at an Atlantic port
were due, not as the passengers and
some of the ships officers seemed 10
believe, to some new wrinkle developed
in a German laboratory, but to the
genius Of Mr.. Edison.
A Boomerang Torpedo
The futile missile was described by
] the passengers as q "corkscrew" %
( boomerang" torpedo. One Of the
ships officers was quoted as saying that
it was a new model Of torpedo, one he
had heard pursued a corkscrew course
toward its mark, to make dodging diffi.
cult, and If by any chance it was avoid
I ed by the vessel would turn and strike
it from the opposite side.
The erratic course described by tho
observers is said to be characteristic
Of the effects obtained by Mr.. Edison's
device in practice, and the final leap
from the water or abrupt change in
( direction Is seen as the final result
when the approaching torpedo came
within range Of the full strength OF
2 tho diverter.
! Il is asserted with confidence that
the American liner was one Of the ve.s
sells on which the instrument had been
installed. The work Of equipping other
vessels is going on at q rapid rate
Tho expense and time necessary "a
install the defence are said 10 be in
significant when the service rendered
is taken into consideration.
Daniels Il Silent
Secretary Daniels OF the Navy De-
partment refused TO discuss the matter
when asked about it tonight.
Merchantmen now are almost uni.
versally armed with guns for protec-
ton against submarines and this, is
has been noticed. has caused . decided
falling of in the number which fall
victims TO she'll Are from the U-bosts.
With the Edison device perfected to
the state indicated by the adventure Of
the American liner, It is freely prophs-
sled that q means has been found -
check the ravages of the U-bosts.
Mr. Edson's interest in submarines
became plain long before the United
I States entered the war. IL was after
/ an explosion on a submarine in the
/ navy yard in Brooklyn that he made
/ the acquaintance of that sort Of craft.
! He visited the scene of the accident
which was due 10 defective batteries,
went through a submarine. asked nu-
! merous questions and impressed his
officer hosts with his intense interest
in the subject.
At that time his interes. was centred
BY the explosion on methods Of making
submarines safer for their crews. Ii
was reported several times that Mr..
Edison was engaged in evolving an i'm
proved battery which would render the
subsurface boats more secure. So far
as Mr. Edison himself was concerned
his comments were limited 10 the sug-
gestion that il would be a great i'm
provement il the submarine could
breathe like FISH.
From that enthusiasts argued that
the inventor was thinking of complet-
In. device which would operate after
the fashion Of the gills Of a fish.
When ne became an industrious her.
nit at Eagle Rock. however, It was
generally believed that he had sban-
doned his earlier plans and had turned
kis attention 20 protecting the United
States from the undersea neril