The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-10-24

| they are coming in at that rate per week,
I with a variety and range of subject cor
responding to the numerical product II
has become a serious problem how these
Inventions shall be treated In way
which shall not give occasion for COM
plant. the impression prevailing evident
| ~ that on account OF Secretary Daniels
inventions board some new assurance ex-
sts for the favorable consideration or
adoption of all sorts of inventions
Indeed, large part of the communica-
tons that are being received are impa-
tient protests against the delay in action
or circumstances against the failure to
accept suggestions. One correspondent
last week called attention to his dis
covery that there is being produced in
this country for use in the army a shell
similar to that which he invented" three
years ago. The complainant evidently be-
lieves that he has been robbed OF the
fruits OF his ingenuity. although. OF
kourse, the explanation is that. the man
invented something which was already in
the service. a
In connection with a Wall Street runor
recently that the Submarine Boat Cor
poration l. 70 start an infringement pat
ent suit against the Lake ToTpedoboat
Company of Maine. whose works are at
Bridgeport, Conn. the Post of that city
reviews the history OF submarine boat
litigation. 1t quotes Lake company ON
city as saying:
THE Lake company builds only the
even keel submergence type OF SUBJ
marine and does not use any OF the
diving type principles, which are direct
" the opposite Of the even keel principle
OF operation.
When Capt Lake started. his nrst
company, the Lake Torpedo5oat Conn
T.Y-= h. IfIl
pany started patent suits against II. The
matter rests where it started.
Another corporation was started and
financed, and IL is the Lake Torpedoboat
Company OF Maine. which has nothing in
common with the existing Lake Torpedo
boat Company OF New Jersey. which has
the c. and G-3 business, In which the
Electric Boat COMPANY alleged infringe
ment The Lake Torpedoboat Company
of Maine is the contractor for the l. and
n boats, in which no Holland devices are
being used. The Maine lake Company
bid recently for four to six submarines
to be built at Bridgeport. and offered the
government the use OF ITS even keef
patent for something over $4,000 royalty
fee per boat. The submarine. corpora
tons interests offered its patents for
81 900. provided eight boats are awarded
to Holland people TO build"
The War and Navy Departments are
in receipt of an unusual number OF
new inventions. all OF them having
been suggested by the trench warfare
in Europe. Many relate to the protec-
ton against the use OF gas in attacks.
and the devices are of all grades OF
usefulness and degrees of ingenuity
from a simple cloth covering for the
face to an elaborate structure to be
worn on the shoulders and composed
of rubber tubing
Another favorite object of invention
seems TO be the periscope. consisting
of arrangements of mirrors which will
permit q view of an enemy without the
exposure of the observer to fire. Still
another subject of interest appears to
be the hand grenade. which has always
been a favorite invention on the part
Of outsiders. who believe they have
something new to impart to the meth
DDS of warfare. One inventor has writ
ten to the Washington officials stating
that he has observed that his device,
with slight improvements, has been
adopted by the allies in Europe under
circumstances which he believes Justify
the suspicion, that his invention was
stolen.
TT is not without interest" says the
Naval and Military Record. of London.
that the Americans should propose to
continue making three-gun turrets.
which are 10 be mounted in the bat
tleships authorized by Congress in its
last session. The new departure is be-
ing persisted in without experiment.
and some critics on the other side of
the Atlantic urge that undue risks are
being taken. This disposition OF the
guns has been adopted in the Pennsyl-
vania, Arizona, Idaho. Mississippi and
California. as we'll as in two later bat
tleships. and none of these vessels has
yet had its armament tried. The Amer
lean Navy Department is showing it,
self more courageous even than the |
when il laid down the
which was a far less
risky experiment. The British author |
titles built the original ship OF the new
type as rapidly as possible and she -un- |
derwent her steam. gunnery. and other |
trials before the keel was laid of a !
further vessel of the battleship type
The explanation of American policy |
which is put forward. apparently semi |
officially. in The Army and Navy Reg
ister,' is that so far as concerns any |