The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-07-16
MIR. EDISON TO HEAD
INVENTIVE BOARD
PROPOSED BOARD TO ASSIST IN
PERFECTING NAVY.
The Submarine Peril Especially to Be
Considered By the New
Body.

t1OD from secretary DanlelS 10 l. eau
an advisory board of civilian inventors
for bureau of invention and develop
ment to be created in the navy de-
partment.
Mr.. Daniels idea of utilizing the in
ventive genius of Americans in and
out of the military and naval service
to meet conditions of warfare shown
in the conflict on land and sea in
Europe is outlined in letter written
last Wednesday asking Mr.. Edison
whether as a patriotic service to his
country, he would undertake the task
of advising the proposed bureau. The
plan is to have several men promi-
nent in inventive researcI- associated
in the work
among the problems to be laid be-
for the investigators, the secretary
mentioned submarine warfare, adding
that he felt sure that with Mr. .Edi-
sens wonderful brain to help them
the officers of the navy would be able
Ito meet this new danger witt new
devices that will assure peace to our
country by their effectiveness.
A True Patriot.
''I have been intending for some
time" Mr.. Daniels said in his letter,
"to write you expressing my admira-
ton at the splendid and patriotic
attitude you have taken, as reported
in the public press, in refusing to de-
vote your great inventive genius to
warlike subjects except at the call OF
your own country. have
deferred writing, however, because, at
the same time, l wanted to take up
with you anot= =er matter to which
have given a great deal of thought
a matter in which 1 think your ideas
and mine coincide. There IS
a gery great service that you can
render the navy and the country at
large and one which 1 am encouraged
to believe you will consent to under
take.
zone Of the imperative needs of the
navy, in my judgment, is machinery
and facilities for utilizing the natural
inventive genius Of Americans to meet
tthe new conditions of warfare as
shown abroad, and it is my intention,
if a practical way can be worked out
to establish a department Of
invention and Development to which
all ideas and suggestions
can be referred. There is at
present no adequately equipped de-
partment to which to send them for
ahe careful study required. In addi-
tion, our naval officers, particularly
those at sea, are in a position to note
M-ere Improvements are needed and
to devise ways in which these i'm
provements can be made They have,
however, neither the time nor the spe-
cial training, nor in many cases, the
natural inventive turn of mind needed
to put these ideas into definite shape.
A Great Opportunity.
Were there a place where they
could be sent to be worked out and
perfected, 1 am sure we would get
many noteworthy improvements from
this source alone. There are,
unfortunately, no officers now detailed
who can take time from the mass of
work which they are called upon to
90 in order to devote it fully to study
ing new suggestions and Inventions
The department is also unprovided
with the best facilities for work or
pure experimentation and invention
witt. the exception or our testing sta
ton at Annapolis, which is yet small
affair.
q have in mind general plan Of
organizing such department.
I feel that our chances of getting the
public interested and back of this
project will be enormously increased
if we can have, at the start, some man
whose inventive genius is recognized
by the whole world to assist us in con-
sultation from time to time on mat
ters of sufficient Importance to bring
TO lis attention. You are recognized
by all of US as the one man above
all others who can turn dreams into
realities and who has at MS COM
mand, in addition to his own wonder
full mind, the finest facilities in the
world for such work. What want to
ask is, if you would be willing, as
a service to your country, to act as
an advisor to this board ITO take such