Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-10-11
THOMAS EDISON
OVERCOMES GAS
SEA Wasp PERIL
New Battery Invention Which
Does Not Generate Deadly
Chlorine Fumes


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Chlorine gas, the death dealing
fumes OF which are the principal ter
rer Of men on submarines. has been
conquered by Thomas A. Edison, who
has invented new battery for sub
marines after I'VE years Of painstak'
ling effort.
Miller Reese Hutchinson, personal
Representative Of Mr.. Edison. gave to
the New York World recently a de-
scription of an official government
test at the New York navy yard which
| Mr.. Hutchinson said proved beyond a
shadow Of a doubt that a storage bat
terry for submarines has been evolved
which under no conditions can breed
death-dealing chlorine gas-the most
dreaded of undersea sailors foes.
For the tests this afternoon" Mr..
Hutchinson said, Capt George E.
Burd, Industrial manager of the navy
yard. sent a tug far out to sea to get
pure sea water in iron drums that ney-
er had been used before. (
II had prepared 100 miniature cells
and these were placed in q tank hold
Hing the pure sea water. The tank was
Theoretically sealed. except for lit
lille pipe, With the government OIL
GERS we waited half an hour and then
applied the, most sensitive tests
known to chemistry to find chlorine
gas. There wasn't the slightest trace.
Tests Were Conclusive. -
I'VE waited another short period OF
time and tried the tests again. They
still were negative. It was proved abb
solutely that the new submarine bat.
terry will not produce. chlorine gas.
The officers who were present with
Capt. Burd will make an official report
to Washington. - - e. .
Mr.. Hutchinson said the new bat.
terry Is made of iron, nickel and pot
ash, instead of lead and sulphurie
acid, and the containing vessel Is OF
STEEL not hard rubber.
The new battery had its begin
ming, Mr.. Hutchinson continued,
when four lieutenants in the subma-
rtne service were 50 deeply impressed
with the danger from chlorine gas that
they called on Mr.. Edison In July,
1910, at their own expense, and asked
him to try personally to develop bat
terry free of that danger.
For two years Mr.. Edison put most
bf his time and great deal of money
into the task and in 1912 evolved the
cell he was after. AS q natter Of fact
it was all right then, but Mr.. Edison
becomes pessimistic after he has a
task completed. So he started right
out to find the weak points and In
june. 1914, be decided k md Tenles
IL ~ X !, yyssSs Ae 81 -
undetwent = Hard Test.
At that time the New York navy
yard had rugged up platform which
rolled and pitched just like a sub
marine, listing to an angle OF from IS
to so degrees. And for ten minutes
4 day it was fixed so that 1t bumped
like this and Mr.. Hutchinson hit the
reporters knee a resonnding thump
with his fist. .s
''Welt, all the manufacturers we're |
invited to send cells to be placed on
this test platform and we sent three.
II is certain our cells are the only ones
on the platform now. They were put
there In July, 1914, and they still are
on the job. s.
~They have been discharged and |
charged 500 times, which represents |
ten years OF active service, as sub. I
marine In peace time averages only /
one charge and discharge q week.
The navy department gave us an
order to install new Edison battery |
and the Ed now IL fifteensixteenths
equipped. The battery we have in
stalled Is only so per cent as big as /
it could have been and weighs but |
ia 900 pounds, compared with the
49,, 1000 pounds of the equipment 1t +
replaces" -. H. ., 80"
Tested on Atlantic Coast. =
Asked what he knows concerning I
the new battery. Lieut.. X. B. Gritten.
den, commander of the first submar-
inc division, said today he has known
of its existence for some time and
that he has heard 1t Is being tested |.
out In actual service On q submarine /
on the Atlantic coast. - =
From all reports, the battery seems
to be big Improvement over the
present type" he commented. How
ever, Edison himself hasn't made any
claims for It as he says 1t hasn't been
tested enough yet to suit. him."
When Star.Bulletin reporter in
quired il It is probable that sets OF
the new battery will be installed on
the FL, F-2 and F-3 when they reach
Mare Island for extensive repairs and
Lieut. Crittenden said he
did not know.