The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-07-21
Edison Will Serve
ACCEPTS DANIELS PLEA FOR
BUREAU OF INVENTIONS
TEST PROBLEMS OF WAR

Wizard of Flying Spark to Head New
Board Which Will Provise Scien-
tific Defenses Against New Perils
Submarines to be Considered
Especially by New Board.
Thomas A. Edison accepted on
Monday an invitation from Secretary
Daniels to head an advisory board of
civilian inventors for bureau of in
yention and development to be Gre
ated in the navy department.
MIR. Daniels idea of utilizing the
inventive genius OF Americans in and
ont Of military and naval service to
meet conditions of warfare shown in
the conflict on Jend and sea in Eu-
rope is outlined in letter written
last Wednesday 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 proml-
nent in inventive research associated
in the work.
Among tae problems to be laid be-
fore the investigators, the secretary
mentioned submarine warfare. add
irg that he felt sure that with Mr..
Edison's wonderful brain to help
them the officers of the navy would
be able t'to meet this new danger
with new devices, that will assure
peace to our country by their efec-
tivenesS."
ssI have been intending for some
time" Mr.. Daniels said in his letter.
'.to write you expressing my admira-
tion at the splendid and patriotic at
titude you have taken, as reported in
the public press, in refusing to de-
vote your great inventive genius to
warlike subjects except at the call Of
your own country =. I have de-
ferred writing, however, because, at
the same time, wanted to take up
with you another matter to which l
have given a great deal Of thought
matter in which I think your ideas
and mine coincide. >. There is
very great service that you can
: render the navy and :ile country at
large and one which I am encour-
aged to believe you will consent to
undertake.
zone Of the imperative needs Of
the navy, in my judgment, is ma
chinery and facilities for utilizing the
natural inventive genius of Ameri-
cans to meet the new conditions OF
warfare as shown abroad, and it is
my intention, if a practical way can
be worked out to establish "a
department OF invention and develop
ment to which all ideas and sugges-
tions -. can be referred. =.
There is at present no adequately
equipped department to which to
send them for the careful study re-
quired. In addition, our naval Off
GERS, particularly those at sea, are in
position to note where improve
ments are needed and to devise ways
in which these Improvements can be
made. They have, however, neither
the time nor the special training, nor
in many cases, the natural inventive
turn of mind needed to put these
ideas into definite shape.
seWere there a place where they
could be sent to be worked out and
perfected, am sure we would get
many noteworthy Improvements from
this source alone. There are,
unfortunately, no officers now detail
ed who can take time from the mass
of work which they are called upon
to do in order to devote it fully to
studying new suggestions and inven-
stions. The department is also un-
provided with the best facilities for
work or pure experimentation and in
yention with the exception of our
testing station at Annapolis, which
is as yet a small affair.
..rI have in mind a general plan OF
organizing such a department.
5 feel that our chances of getting the
public interested and back of this
project viii be enormously increased
il we can have, at the start, some
man whose inventive genius is recog-
nized by the whole world to assist US
in consultation from time to time On
matters of sufficient Importance te
bring to his attention. You are rec
ognized by all of us as the one man
above all others who can turn dreams
into realities and who has at his COM
mand, in addition to his own wonder
ful mind, the finest facilities in the
world for such work. What l want
to ask is, If you would be willing, as
a service to your country, to act as
an advisor to this board to take such
things as seem to you to be Of value,
but which we are not, at present
equipped to investigate, and to use
your own magnificent facilities in
such investigation if you feel II
worth while This is a great
deal to ask, and i, unfortunately
have nothing but the thanks Of the
: navy and, think, Of the country at
large, together with the feeling OF
service to your country that you Will
hare, to offer you by way of recon.
pense; yet so clearly have You shown
your patriotism that feel justified
in making this request.
1--WE are confronted with new
{ and terrible engine of warfare in the
submarine, to consider only one OF
the big things which I have in mind
and I feel sure that with the practical
knowledge of the officers of navy
with department composed Of the
keenest and most inventive minds
that We can gather together, and
with your own wonderful brain tc
aid US, the United St;--es will be able,
as in the past, to meet this new dan
ger with new devices that will assure
peace to our country by their ecec-
tiyenesS.
with you, it might be well to as
sociate few men prominent in spe-
cial lines of inventive research, and
I would like to consult with you as
to who these men should be. It is
OF course, your aid that rely upon
most and if you are not able, for any
reason, to do this, I will frankly hes
itate to undertake the matter at all
Should you feel like accepting the
task, however, I know the relief
which the country would feel in
these trying times at the announce
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