Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/576

542 electricity for the propulsion and guidance of movable torpedoes for harbor and coast defence. His torpedo is a submarine boat, with a cylindrical hull of copper and conical ends, supplied with a screw propellor and rudder. The power is electricity generated by a dynamo-electric machine on shore or on ship-board, and by its means the torpedo is propelled, guided, and exploded. During 1879 this system was tested by Gen. Henry L. Abbot, of the U. S. engineer corps, at Willett's point, and since that time the U. S. government has purchased ten of these boats having a speed of ten to eleven and a half miles an hour. These boats carry from 400 to 450 pounds of dynamite. Mr. Sims has now in course of construction a boat, to have a speed of eighteen miles an hour, which is to carry a 250-pound charge of dynamite.

SIMSON, Sampson, philanthropist, b. in New York city in 1780: d. there. 7 Jan., 1857. He studied law at Columbia, but after a few years' practice retired to his farm in Yonkers. and de- voted himself to charitable and benevolent work. He wa- founder of the Mount Sinai hospital, and bequeathed large sums to Jewish and general in- stitutions, inrluding 850.000 that, after the death of a nephew, should be paid " to any responsible corpurati.in in this city whose permanent fund is established by its charter for the purpose of ameli- orating the condition of the Jews in Jerusalem, I'.-ili --tine." By decision of the state supreme court on 29 May, 1888, this amount, with thirty years' interest, was paid to the Xorth American relief society for indigent Jews in Jerusalem.

SINCLAIR, Carrie Bell, poet, b. in Milledge- ville, Ga., 22 May. 1839. Her father. Elijah, a nephe -. of Robert Pulton, was a Methodist clergyman who at the time of his death conducted a seminary for girls at Georgetown, S. C. The family removed to Augusta, Ga.. where she contributed poetry to ili -( ieorgia Gazette." She published a volume of " Poems " (Augusta, 1860), and during the civil war wrote lyrics commemorating incidents of the battle-field and praising the Confederate cause, some of which were set to music, while devoting herself to supplying the wants and alleviating the sufferings of southern soldiers in Savannah. After the war she made Philadelphia her residence, and wrote for periodicals. Her war-songs and other poetical productions were collected in " Heart Whis- pers, or Echoes of Song " (1872).

SINCLAIR, Peter, Canadian member of par- liament, b. in Argyllshire, Scotland, in 1825. He was educated in his native place, emigrated to Prince Edward island, engaged in farming, and was elected to the house of assembly in 1867. He was a member of the executive council from 1869 till 1871, and again in 1872, when he acted as gov- ernment leader, and was a member of the board of works. He was elected to the Dominion parlia- ment in September, 1873. and re-elected by accla- mation in 1874, but defeated in 1878. He was chosen to the legislature of Prince Edward island in 1882, and again in 1886. He is a Liberal, and in favor of reciprocal trade with the United State*.

SINGER, Isaac Merritt, inventor, b. in Oswego, N. Y., 27 Oct., 1811; d. in Torquay, England, 23 July, 1875. He was a machinist, and devoted himself entirely to the study of improving sewing-machines. After years of close application he succeeded in completing a single-thread, chain-stitch machine, for which he received a patent. In the early part of his career he was assisted by Edward Clark, a wealthy lawyer, by whose aid he was enabled to establish a factory in New York. The Howe sewing-machine company sued him

for infringing on their patents, but the matter was finally compromised. He then had some difficulty with Mr. Clark, in consequence of which, while each retained an equal interest in the machine, its manufacture was placed in the hands of a company. Mr. Singer soon became wealthy, and, leaving this country, resided for some time in Paris, but later removed to England, where he lived in a curiously constructed house that he built in Torquay.

SINGERLY, William Miskey, journalist, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., 27 Dec., 1832 ; d. in Philadelphia, 27 Feb., 1898. He was educated in the Philadel- phia high-school, and trained to business. From 1859 till 1881 he was connected with the city rail- ways, and since 1877 he was the publisher of the Philadelphia " Record." His newspaper was the instrument for correcting various abuses. In 1884 he effected arrangements by which the people of Philadelphia obtained fuel for one quarter less than they had paid. He built 700 dwellings in a previously unimproved suburb of Philadelphia. Besides his finely appointed printing-office, he conducted extensive pulp- and paper-mills at Elk- ton, Md., and devoted much attention to breeding beef and dairy cattle and trotting-horses on model farm* in Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

SINNICKSON, Thomas, patriot, b. in Salem county, N. J. : d. in Salem, X. J., 15 May, 1817. He received a classical education and became a merchant. For many years he sat in the provin- cial council of New Jersey, and in 1775 he was a delegate to the Provincial congress. He was a cor- respondent of the committee of safety, and sened as a captain during the Revolutionary war. being present at the battles of Trenton anil Princeton. After the peace he was a member of the legi-ila- ture, and on the adoption of the constitution of the United States was elected to congress, serving from 4 March. 1789, till 3 March, 1791. He was elected again in 1796, and served from 15 May, 1797, till 3 March, 1799. He was presiding judge of the court of common pleas for many yea;-.

SISTIAUA, Sebastian (sis-te-ah'-gali). Mexican missionary, b. in Teposcolula, about 1690; d. in Puebla in 1756. He became a Jesuit in 1704. and, after finishing his studies, was assigned in 1718 to the missions of Lower California. In 1721 he re- solved to explore the northeast coast of the penin- sula, and, leaving Loreto, he followed the coast up to latitude 31 N., discovering three good ports with plenty of spring-water and an abundance of hard woods, and also founding the mission of San Ignacio. After many years of successful miion- ary labor he returned to Mexico, dying in the college of the order in Puebla. He wrote " Rela- cion de un viaje a la Baja California y de los descubrimientos hechos, con pianos de los puerto*. remitida al Virey de Mexico" and "Notieia de la Mision de San Ignacio con sus echo pueblos." the manuscripts of which were used by H. H. Ban- croft, the historian of California.

SITGREAYES, John, jurist, b. in New Berne, N. C., about 1740; d. in Halifax. X. C.. 4 March. 1802. He studied and practised law in New Heine. was appointed an officer in Richard Caswell's regi- ment of militia in 177(1. and served as his aide-de- camp at the battle of ( 'amden in 17^11. In 17 s ! "> he represented Xorth Carolina in the Continental congress, ami in 17N<>-' he' was a member of the N'orth Carolina legislature, leaving that body on being appointed Tinted States district judvv for North < 'arolina.

'''SITGREAVES. Samuel''', lawyer, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., Itj March, 1 7<U ; d. in Ka-ton. Pa., 4 April,