West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-07-15
EDISON moNoRED
Great inventor Accepts Position as
Head Of Advisory Board mt the Re-
quest Of Secretary OF Navy Daniels
considers II Duty lie Owes TO His
Country

'itdtlol lTOu secretary Daniels TO
head an advisory board OF civilian in
ventors for a bureau of invention end
development TO be created in the navy
department His acceptance will 20
forward at once TO Washington. where
the new plans await word from the
man who can turn dreams into reali-
ties"
Mr.. Daniels idea OF utilizing the in
ventiye genius OF Americans I'm and
out OF the military and naval service
TO meet conditions of warfare shown
In the conflict on land and sea I'm
Europe is outlined I'm 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 i'm special lines of inventive re-
search associated i'm the work.
Among the great problems to be
laid before the investigators the secre-
tary mentioned submarine warfare.
adding that he felt sure that with Mr..
Edison's wonderful brain to help them
the officers OF the navy would be able
TO meet this new danger with new
devices that will assure peace to our
country by their effectiveness"
II have been intending for some
time" Mr. Daniel said I'm his letter.
ITO write you expressing my admira-
ton at the splendid and patriotic atti-
tude you have taken, as reported in
the public press. in refusing to devote
your great inventive genius to war
like subjects except at the call of
your country. There is a very great
service that you can render the navy
and the country at large and which
am encouraged to believe you will
consent to undertake as it seems to be
in line with your own thoughts.
zone of the imperative needs OF the
navy, i'm my judgment, is machinery
and facilities for utilizing the natural
inventive genius of Americans to meet
the new conditions of warfare as
shown abroad, and it is my intention,
If practical way can be worked out
as | think IL can be, to establish at
the earliest moment a department of
invention and development, to which
all ideas and suggestions, either from
the service or from civilian inventors.
can be referred for determination as
to whether they contain practical sug-
gestions for us to take up and perfect
We of course receive many sugges-
tons, but our only way of handling
them at present is to leave them to
various bureaus already overcrowded
with routine work. and il is not al
ways possible to give the necessary
attention to propositions that are not
so definitely worked out as to make
them Immediately available for the
service Ideas which contain the germ
or Improvement cannot always be Civ
Ell the attention they deserve. as there
is at present no adequately equipped
department to which to send them for
the careful study required.
We have, of course, in the navy
department energetic and wide-awake
bureaus. headed by experts i'm their
particular lines of work, who devote
all the time they possibly can TO a
study of this problem. They have
made important contributions to the
improvements in the implements of
naval warfare. and are doing all that
is possible with their other large dut-
les. There are. unfortunately. no Off
GERS now detailed who can take time
from the mass of work which they
are called upon to do in order to de.
vote 1t fully to studying new sugges-
tions and inventions.
Il have in mind a general plan Of
organizing such a department which is
still very hazy as to details but which.
in general way, meets, so far as the
navy is concerned, with our ideas of
such department for the government
in general. / want to use such faciIi-
Ties Tor experimental and investigation
work as we have, under the direction
OF men particularly selected for abil-
ity shown in this direction, to whom
would be referred all suggestions of
new devices sent in to the department.
who would work out such ideas TO a
practical point. l feel that our chan
ces OF getting the public interested and
back OF this project will be enormous
~ increased if we can have, at the
start. some man whose inventive gen
JUS is recognized by the whole world
TO assist us i'm consultation from time
TO time on matters of sufficient imporf-
ance to bring to his 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
his command, in addition to his own
wonderful mind, the finest factories
in the world for such work
What want to ask is II you would
be willing, as a service to your coun-
try. to nc, 40 an advisor to this board
to take SUCH tfinca as seem to you To
l." OF value but which we are nor ST
present, equipped to investigate. and
to use your own magnificent facilities
IN such investigation If you feel It
worth while
For our part we will endeavor not |
to bother you with trivial matters. as |
we will probably have sufficient faciH-
ties TO handle such small matters as |
they come up. There is a great deal
TO ask. and ]. unfortunately. have moth