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
J.. ! =. Chlorine Fumes

! Chlorine Fumes
Il Chlorine gas. the death dealing
fumes OF which are the principal ter.
Eror OF men on submarines, has been
fecnquered by Thomas A. Edison. who
has invented new battery for sub
marines after FIVE years Of painstak-
ing effort.
Miller Reese Hutchinson, personal
Representative OF Mr.. Edison. gave to
1.-THE New York World recently de-
tscription 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
Etery for submarines has been evolved
which under no conditions can breed
tdeath-dealing chlorine gas-the most
threaded Of undersea sailors foes.
For the tests this afternoon" Mr..
EHutchison said, Capt. George e.
IBurd, Industrial manager of the navy
yard, sent tug far out to sea to get
lpure sea water In iron drums that nev-
er had been used before. ze2
Il had prepared 100 miniature cells
and these were placed In a tank hold
ling the pure sea water The tank was
Theoretically sealed, except for a lit
! Tile pipe. With the government OIL
Icers we waited half an hour and then
applied the most sensitive tests
known to chemistry to find chlorine
lgas. There wasn't the slightest trace.
Tests Were Conclusive.
I'VE waited another short period OF
time and tried the tests again. They
still we're negative. 1t was proved abb.
selutely 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.
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-
rine service were so deeply impressed
with the danger from chlorine gas that
they called on Mr.. Edison in July,
1910 az their own expense and asked
him to try personally toldevelop q bat
terry free of that danger.
For two years Mr. Edison put most
cf HIS time and a great deal Of money
into the task and in 1919 evolved the
cell he was after As hlnatter OF fact /
1t was all right then, but Mr.. Edison
becomes pessimistic after he has a
task completed. SO he started right
out To- find the We and I'M
june, 1914, he1deci41 ah6k had Tenes
died every flaw 8 8 :. $, :
Underwent ! Hard Test.
AT that time the New York navy
yard had rugged up platform which |
rolled and pitched just like sub
marine, listing to an angle of from 10 |
to SO degrees. And for ten minutes
Il day ii. was Fixed so that 1t bumped
like this, and Mr.. hutchinson hit the |
reporters knee a 4Eeseunding thump
with his fist. 80 IL
Well, all the manufacturers we're
Invited to send cells to be placed on
this test platform and we sent three.
It Is certain our cells are the only ones
on the platform nows They were put
there in July, 1914, and they still are
on the job. i@Aa
& They have been discharged and
charged 500 times, which represents I
ten years of active service, as a sub
marine in peace time averages only
one charge and discharge week.
'.The navy department gave us an
order to install new Edison battery
and the Er2 now is fifteen-sixte enths
equipped. The battery. we have In
stalled is only 80 per cent as big as
1t could have been and weighs but
114,000 pounds, compared with the
$4,000 pounds of the equipment. 1t
replaces" So ... -.
Tested on Atlantic Coast. -. -.
Asked what he knows concerning
the new battery, Lieut. K. B. Crftten-
den, commander of the first submar-
inc division, said today he has known /,
of its existence for. some time and
that he has heard it is being tested
cut in actual service on submarine
On the Atlantic coast, s..- .. /
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 Il as he says 1t hasn't been
tested enough yet to suit him."
When Star-Bulletin reporter In
quired If 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