The sun., 1916-01-24
THE E BOAT DISASTER.
Responsibility for the Explosion Put
Squarely on Washington.

To THE EDITOR OF TIE SUN-Sir. over
a year ago a man Of exceptional in
ventive ability. who happens to oc-
cupy high executive position in one
Of the chief public utilities Of this
town, devised a complete solution Of
the long vcxed problem Of rendering
harmless the gases emanating from
storage batteries. His apparatus has
been in use here ever since and on
large scale in two prominent plants.
and the air In the confined quarters
in which the batteries are Installed has
become as breathable and as safe as
the air in the street.
Being advised last spring OF the
need for overcoming the dangers OF
battery fumes In submarines and desir-
ing to find out by actual examination
the conditions of available space, &c.
in these boats official permission
from the commandant OF the Brook
lyn navy yard was sought to visit
the vessels there present AS Thomas
A. Edison short time before had
been invited to do the same thing. and
to the accompaniment OF much news
paper trumpeting had in fact done so,
the request seemed not reasonable.
Although the purpose and object were
carefully explained. a refusal was re-
ceived, and the official explanation was
that a stringent order had been is
sued by the Navy Department pro-
hibiting any one from looking at the
insides of submarines. As most peo-
pie know little about the internal ar
4. .ltN
cult to imagine a more effective way
in which possible competition with
the Edison" battery could have been
choked of.
That this battery would evolve hy-
drogen under certain conditions was
perfectly well known to electricians IA
miliar with such apparatus; and poign-
antly so to the commander OF the E-2,
who has testified that as far back
as last September he reported the dan
ger 10 the bureau OF steam engineer
ing OF the Navy Department, and
asked for the provision Of some means
Of revealing the presence Of the odor-
less and tasteless gas.
The letter seems to have landed IN
a new variety of the slough OF how
memorial for annoying suggestions
from overZealous young officers Be-
sides might IL not be rather a refiec-
ton on the Edison" battery IL the
Department should too publicly require
/: to he accompanied with some con-
trivance 10 protect people living with
Il from being blown up" Was 1t not
indsCree; for a mere Lieutenant, even
If he thought il possible that that
fate might he his. TO ask for apparatus
which would at least reveal the condi-
tion Of the battery and which would
show instantly whether or not the
cells were reversed and generating hv-
drogen gas. especially when the pro-
moters Of the scheme didn't approve
of IL: 50 there the matter stood until
men were killed and mangled. and
then this neglect seeks palliation in the
miserable excuse that somebody in the
navy yard was sent shopping for a
Hydrogen detector" and could not find
any in the market.
II anything more were needed "a
! fasten the responsibility for this dis
aster on the Navy Department il Is
only to ask why. instead Of chasing
elusive hydrogen detectors' around
/ the market place, 1t DID not cal upon
! its own Naval consulting Board
| Three months ago the Secretary Of the
! Navy. creator Of thSt curious institu-
! tion, proclaimed il to be organized tc
give expert advice when called upon
in the hiC problems the navy is al
ways trying 10 solve
| IL No Of 10 N.
marines big problem? or does Il
I rank below an obvious willingness tC
, favor a project To- sell something I,
J the Government? If The Navy Depart
ment could neither appreciate MOI
overcome the difficulty. while it shoul,
not perhaps no required 10 cXp'a!r
why it did not appeal to the automo'
bile makers or tho mathematician;
! or the miners or the railway builders
Or the scronauts Of that board. fol
! no one expects them to know amy NOR,
about such technical matters when ap'
| piled To- the navy than An equal array
Of dentists. publishers. hotanists, law.
ycrS nr musicians. al least " may b,
questioned why il neglected and ap'
| parently turned down the chemists an,
| electrical engineers
The Consulting Board cannot plcat
that its attention was not otherwise
called to the matter. II was squarc,N
asked in a weekly newspaper of No
Vember s. 1918. whether the hoarC
proposes to pass on the merits OF it,
chairman's already offered battery
If not, why mott"
The Navy Department does no, seen