Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-07-13
EDISON TO HEAD
A NAVAL BOARD
wizards Genius at the Service Of
the Nation.
TO STUDY NEW WAR DEVICES
Bureau Of Invention Will be Created.
Annapolis the Probable Site.

Thomas A. Edison, says a despatch
from West Orange, n. j., has accepted
an invitation from Secretary Daniels
to head an advisory board OF civilian
inventors for Bureau of Invention
and Development to be created in the
Navy Department.
His acceptance will go forward at
once to Washington, where the new
plans await word from the man who
"can turn dreams into realities" Mr..
Daniels idea of utilizing the inven-
tive genius of Americans in and out of
the military and naval service TO meet
conditions OF warfare shown in the
conflict on land and sea in Europe, Is
outlined in letter written last We'd
nesday, asking Mr.. Edison whether, as
patriotic service to his country, he
would undertake the task of advising
the proposed bureau. The plan is to
have several men prominent in special
lines of inventive research associated
IN the work
Among the great problems to be laid
before the investigators the Secretary
mentioned submarine warfare, adding
that he felt sure that with Mr.. Edi-
sons wonderful brain to help them,
the officers of the Navy would be able
ito meet this new danger with new de-
vices that will asure peace to our
country by their effectiveness
Annapolis will probably be chosen
as the site for an important expert
mental station which the NavyDepart-
ment has determined to establish for
thep urpose of testing inventions de-
fleet in time of war.
A comprehensive scheme to furnish
the government a better opportunity
to obtain the benefit of such invent
ions has been adopted by Secretary
Daniels. The character and scope of
the plan will be announced soon. Mr..
Daniels says that Mr.. Edison has not
notified him formally of his accept
ance, but today Mr. Edison's repre-
was in Baltimore last night, will have
conference with Mr.. Daniels on the
subject of the establishment of the
board OF experts and naval officials
will carry out the plan.
Secretary Daniels says that a
chance sentence in the article written
by Thomas Edison a few weeks ago
had flourished and grown and multi
piled many fold until it had brought
to head the important new system for
the consideration and acceptance of in
ventions designed to assist in naval
defense. In that article Mr.. Edison
said that war could be made more ter
rible, but that no effort of his would
be exerted to accomplish such a result
unless his country should be in need
of it,
This suggested TO Mr.. Daniels that If
possible the country ought to have the
assistance of Mr.. Edison and men like
him of worldwide fame and inventive
genius, and if he had asked the invent
or if he would be willing to become
the head of board of men of highest
standing i'm the scientific world
One of the first problems for the new
bureau will be that of improving the
Navy's submarine and aeropfanes,. An
imperative need of development in
| these two branches of the service is
L lcNOSHlLSu, IOT ultuOuSu A1utIlCttn Et-
Mus was the first to conceive them as
realities. their development by the
American Navy has been slow. There
| is at present no American-made en-
gine satisfactory for aeroplane use.
nor have submarine engines or bate
ries been perfected to the satisfaction
of naval officers. MIR. Edison is the
inventor of new batteries being placed
on the latest submarine craft. from
which great things are expected.
| Secretary Daniels has not decided
what officer of the Navy would be best
fitted for the position of chief of the
proposed bureau. The names of sew
eral have been mentioned, including
Rear Admiral Fiske, former aid for
operations and now assigned to duty at
the Naval War College, Newport Rear
Admiral Strauss. chief of the Bureau
of Ordnance, and Rear Admiral Tay-
lor. chief of the Bureau of Construct
ion and Repair