The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-11-23
uNDERSEA PHONES
Guard new YORK
Inventor Has Plan TO Save City
From Surprise Attack.
WOULD DETECT SUBMARINES

Recent Capture" of City by Hostile
Fleet Pointed Out as Indication That
Coast Is Not Properly Defended--in-
struments Pick UP Sounds Under
Water.
In the early morning of Oct. % a
fleet consisting of ten battleships. six
torpedo boat destroyers and five mine
sweepers under the cover of a fog
which the searchlights of Fort Totten
and Fort Hamilton could not pene-
trate, slipped past the big guns guard
ing the entrance of New York harbor
and captured the city. Had less
friendly chief than Commander Harris
Lansing been the victor the city now
might be reduced to ashes.
The surprising part of the coup was
that it was accomplished not only with
all the forts on fun war footing for
the war game, in which they were par
ticipating by order of the navy depart
ment but also with ample warning
that the attempt TO take the city would
be made.
81 see no reason why the feat could
not be duplicated under similar con
ditions in actual warfare" Edward f.
Chandler, an engineer and inventor,
who has devoted much study to the
subject Of coast defense, said "Ihe
capture Of New York was through no
fault of the forts themselves or
through a lack of ulertness on the
part of the defenders. The capture
was not Que to the superior strategy
of the enemy feet, which however,
did avail itself OF every advantage Of
fered.
"The capture was made possible by
peculiar weather conditions, which
more than Offset the natural advan-
tages of land batteries over naval ar
tillery. On the morning of Oct 2S,
between 1 and o'clock In the morn
ing, there was heavy fog. Under
the curtain of this fog the heet with
all lights doused except small screen
ed light in the stern Of each vessel TO
guide its nelghbors, dashed under the
nose of the big guns and was of Nor
toms Point before it was discovered
Forts Then Useless.
after the fleet had slipped through
the limited arc of fire of the forts the
guns were useless, and had there been
no fleet in port to engage the enemy
there would have been nothing to de
ter him from engaging in the fascinat-
ing pastime OF wrecking the various
landmarks of Manhattan Island.
even with the weather conditions
good, however, it would be possible for
an enemy fleet to escape the fire OF
the forts and to go within range of
the city by the use of tricks which
have been successfully demonstrated
In mimic warfare"
Mr.. Chandler for some time has been
insisting that nothing should be left
to chance in the protection of New
York.
",rhe harbor should he protected
against the possibility of surprise
attack under the cover OF unfavorablt
weather conditions, a smoke pail, tn,
glare of searchlights or, In fact, any
kind of ruse TO throw dirt In the gun
ners' eyes," he asserts.
Mr.. Chandler Is the inventor of {
system of submarine microphone'
which, he says, afford positive and alb
N q a a 4
tack from the sea. The submarin,
microphone Is nothing more than al
under water telephone transmitter
These delicate waterproof Instrument
pick up under water sounds and sent
| them over wire to receiver OF
shore. With station In the fort con
Meeting with the system of micro
phones spread out In checker boar,
fashion on the bottom Of the entranc
to the harbor II would be possible I'm
der all weather conditions and despit
darkness or the glare Of searchlight
and without the aid Of searchlights no
only to locate the direction from whlc
any enemy vessel may be approachin
long before 1t comes within range, bu
also to determine its speed and dire(
tiOn and its approximate positiO
when 1t coples within range, so tina
the fire of the forts can be concentrat
ed on 1t even though 1t cannot be seer
Mr.. Chandler asserts.
Protects Against Surprises.
1t should be explained that the ocea
floor about the harbor entrance woul
be divided up into squares with micr'
phones on the corners, these square
being accurately charted and the exa'
range of each known In the fort.
the buzzlng OF the mlcrophOnes aroun
square No. l,527, for instance, ind
Gated that vessel was passing ov'
that area n hail of explosive steel coul
he hurled on n moments notice on tn,
spot from every gun in the fort.
the vessel survived that "baptism I
fire It's new position would be ind
Gated at once In an adjacent square /
the sound of its propellers in the de-
ta cphp1oripp nnrg