New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-24
Sl,5oO,0OO PLANT
TO TRY WARSHIPS
Edison Suggests Testing
Station at Tidewater to
Prove Out New Ideas.
TO REVOLUTIONIZE
CONSTRUCTION PLANS
Naval Advisory, Board Inspects
Battleship and Submarines
at Yard.


In the first long address Of his life
Thomas A. Edison. chairman Of the
Navy Consulting Board, explained to
mis- colleagues yesterday at their meet
ing in the navy yard the plan which he
had evolved for the construction OF
naval experimental station and research
laboratory.
This. in Mr.. Edison's opinion, Is
matter Of necessity for the evolution
OF more efficient lighting ships. More
properly speaking, as he. explained, his
plan calls for a tryingout station for
inventions and Improvements in naval
architecture rather than a laboratory.
Here, il the government adopts the
suggestion Of. the inventor, each new
plan for increasing The strength, Of war
vessels will be tried out thoroughly by
staff OF trained men and its worth
will be estimated accurately. Under
present conditions departures in
battleship construction are incorporst-
ed into the plans for a vessel, and 1t
ia at least three years before the ship
goes into active service and demon
stratcs the worth or uselessness Of the
principles under which it has been
built
Trying Out Plant for Warships.
Mr. Edison described at length his
proposal for the erection of such a
trying-out station. placing its cost at
81 500 900, and adding that hundred
acres Of land at tidewater would be
required for it's operations. The three
rear admirals who came from Wash
ngton to meet with the Navy Consult
ing Board D. ". Taylor, chief of the
Bureau of Construction; Joseph
Strauss, chief of the Bureau OF Ord
rance. and X. s. Griffin, chief OF the
Bureau of Steam Engineering were
hearty in their Endorsement Of the
project.
Under present conditions" Rear Ad-
miral Taylor said, every warship built
is more or less Of an experiment. 1t
is impossible with our present fscili-
ties to gauge accurately the ultimate
usefulness of any new idea until 1t Is
embodied in a vessel. This idea Of Mr.
Edsons is just what the navy needs
The inventor also offered, in the
event of the government showing in
terest in his plan, to have the speciti-
cations for such a plant drawn up IN
his Offices at Orange at his own ex-
pense.
Advisory Board Inspects Vessels.
The meeting addressed by Mr.. Edi-
son was held in the afternoon. The
morning was taken up By the board IN
inspecting the navy yard. The civilians
who hope to strengthen the efficiency
and power OF the feet visited the
dreadnought New York, the destroyer
Wadsworth. the new oil burner, and
the submarines Ed and XII, the for
mer equipped with the Edison subma-
rine batteries and the latter the most
up-to-dste Of the navy's underwater
craft.
ut was interesting to watch their
reactions" one Of the officers who &C
companied the board said afterward.
Many Of these men had never been
close to lighting ships before. Many
suggestions were made not definite,
but showing that their authors were
deeply in earnest in their lnvestlga-
ton. believe that they Will evolve
good many plans Of great benefit to
the service and the country at large.
Following luncheon at the home of
Rear Admiral Usher, the cOmmandant
of the yard, the board met in the Adj
ministration Building for its final con-
ference before adjournment until Feb
rusry 9.
Mr.. Edison's proposal took up the
major portion of the meeting. Frank
J. Sprague, chairman of the sub-com-
mittee on electricity, announced that
his body was studying the torpedo with
an idea of replacing the pneumatic
motive power used at present by cleo
tricity. The heads Of the various
ether committees reported progress.
Henry A. Wise Woods resignation
has not yet been received by the board,
and little comment upon his action was
forthcoming from members yesterday.
Thomas Robins, secretary of the
board. when questioned, said merely
that he regretted that Mr.. Wood had
seen fit, from conscientious reasons, TO