Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-11-06
F-4DISASTERIS
BROUGHT UP FOR
USE in CAMP AIGN
National Defense League Takes
Submarine Accidents as
Text for Protest
DANIELS UNDER FIRE;
HIS ASSISTANT ANSWERS
absurd" Says F. D. RooSe-
welt in Reply to Latest
Criticism
Especial star Bulletin COrrespOndencs)

.iiNGTON, ID. C., Oct. 2l =
A thinly-veiled but wicked attack on
Secretary Daniels marked the closing
days OF the national campaign. Incl
dentally, President Wilson and Tho
mas A. Edison we're nearly tarred
with the same stick. The charge was
made by the National Defense League.
ii involved the E-2 accident in New
York and referred 10 the IA disaster
in Honolulu. The matter as set forth
by the leagueNSpllows:
ITO remove the rapidly growing i'm
preston that the support Of President
Wilson by Thomas A. Edison is the
result OF deal with Secretary Dan
iels," said a statement issued by the
National Defense League today, the
report OF the board of naval officers
which investigated the. explosion in
the submarine E-2, should be publish
ed.
-Four hours after the accident oc-
CURED in which four seamen were
killed and IL injured board was APP
pointed by the assistant secretary OF
the navy to investigate whether the
explosion OF Edison's batteries was
tuC CduSt VI Tie ulSdbt6I.: dCCi-
dent occurred on January Is and moth
ing has been given out by Secretary
Daniels on the subject, despite the
frequent requests that have been
made by the newspapers for informa-
tion on the subject
What About Suppression?
Can the fact that the batteries in
the E-2 were from Edison's factory
have anything TO do with the suppress
sion of the report and the indorse-
ment Of Wilson by Mr.. Edison?
The public Will never know until
this report and subsequent one from
the board which conducted compare
tive test OF storage batteries, is given
10 the press.
while the administration is issn-
ing so many notes upon the subma-
rine controversy with Germany it
should have something to say upon
the submarine issue an the Navy De.
partment.
"a Disaster
When the FL met with disaster in
Honolulu harbor Miller Reese Hutch
inson Of the Edison Company declared
that IL was due to the defective bat
teries which were used by the Navy
Department. The board which inves-
tigated the F-4 accident was unable to
determine just what was the cause of
the disaster. Secretary Daniels, how.
ever. took the word of Thomas Edison,
chairman of the naval advisory board,
and Mr.. Hutchinson, who Sc also a
member of the board, and purchased a
number of Edisons batteries Mr..
edison and Air. Hutchinson declared
that they had solved the problem of
batteries for submarines.
Before the E-2, which was equip
ped with the Edison batteries, left the
dock IL blew up and 1t is stated that
the Edison batteries purchased for the
t-S will not be used Navy officers
ARE said to have refused to go down
in submarines equipped with batteries
which are manufactured in the factory
of the chairman OF the naval advisory
board.
Whether this is true or not can be
determined bv puh'ination of all of
the reports and correspondence now
on file at the Navy Department on
the subject. Silence on this subject
by MIR. Daniels is suspicious"
When his attention was called to
the statement issued by the National
Defense League, Acting Secretary of
the Navy Roosevelt said:
This is an old story and was
threshed out at the time the explosion
took place on t"a submarine Ed. Ev.
cry single battery for use on the sub
marines purchased under the present
administration has been selected upon
the recommendation of the technical
board, consisting Of naval officers and
experts. Mr.. Daniels and myself are
the only civilian members of this
board This board die recommend
that the Edison battery be used on
the Ed after giving il most thorough
test. She Navy Department is now
making experiments in the hope OF
getting rid of the gas in the subma.
rines, which resulted in the explosion
on the E-2. The intimation contained
in the statement issued by the Ma.
tional Defense League has no founda.
ton in fact whatever It is absurd.
HIlPAN ppEcInENT