Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-07-10
U. S. INVENTORS
IDEAS BASIS OF
U-BOAT TRIUMPH
Adoption and Development
Responsible, Local Naval
Constructor Says
PERFECTED ENGINE VITAL

Through the adoption and development
Of the Ideas OF American naval architects
and inventors, the German merchant sub
marine Deutschland came into the perfec-
tion by which she was enabled to make
the 4OO0-nnIle trip across the Atlantic in
1e days and arrive safely in Baltimore with
her 1oOo-ton cargo 1t was through the
direct adaptation Of me plans Of Simon
Lake, Of bridgeport Conn, that the
Deutschland was prepared for the epochal
voyage making half of II under water.
This, at least is the assertion of Will
liam A. Dobson, naval architect, who has
planned submarines that have been built by
the William Cramp & Sons Ship and En-
Eine Building Company, Of Beach and Ball
streets, his employer.
Germany" said Mr.. Dobson, us in the
advance Of the remainder Of the world In
the perfection OF submarines, and that per-
fection came through the adoption of Ameri-
can ideas.
A PERFECTED ENGINE.
Germany Is ahead Of us now in her per-
fection principally because she has dew
eloped the Diesel engine. heavy oil engine
that is the most adequate of Its KIND. Inc
Deutschland was equipped with this IAesei
engine. other features OF their updersea
boats however, are similar to those OF the
United States.
''Smon Lakes, of Bridgeport, Conn, was
she inventor OF the first merchant sub
marine which later developed into the sub
marine torpedoboat. He showed his ideas
20 the Krupp firm in Germany In 1905 and
afterwards asserted that the Krupps had
taken his ideas and used them without
offering any compensation l believe this
is so because I met Lake over there at the
time and knew that he had the plans which
later were developed in Germany
When Mr. Dobson read of the Deutsch-
lands remarkable adventure he said he
had been looking to see something OF the
sort" 1t Is only the working out OF tho
German submarine naval warfare, he said,
for II ts merely step from naval submarines
10 merchant submarines. There will be
many more things of greater Importance
accomplished by the undersea craft Mr..
Dobson prophesied. 80 far as long voyages
by them are concerned. as far back as 1906
or 1907 a trip was made from italy around
to Stockholm, Sweden.
Most of that trip, to be sure, was
above water, but IL pointed the way
nevertheless to what could be done. II
foretoltened the coming Of the Deutschland
blockade runner
Mr Dobson said the safe voyage OF the
Deutschland should be a lesson 20 the
United States authorlties-should show
that the United States is not immune from
undersea attacks.
"It Is a greater lesson TO our naval and
military authorities" he said, than to
any one else. They should see by II that
we are not safe from attacks and moro
consideration should be given to those
inventors who have presented devices by
which we can be protected to some extent
from submarines and undersea blockade
runners.
= There is an invention now before the
authorities that is not being given the con-
sifer9tion It warrants. II Ii vessel TO be
stationed at the bottom Of the ocean for
the detection and destruction of submarines.
There is another invention of system
of mines that hear'-mines to be laid
In the harbors that are equipped with
telegraphc and seismograph-lke instru-
msnts that locate submarines within certain
limits of territory.
ENCOURAGE HOME INVENTORS
These devices are not being given the
consideration due them The inventors, in
order TO receive rewards for their study
and work. may have 10 go to Germany to
market them, just as several such American
things adopted by Germany have caused
us 10 marvel at the ingenuity of Germany.
II is natural that these men should so to
another country when the American
authorities are so apathetie about defensive
measures
'-simon Lake. before the war, went to
Germany with his plans for a submarine.
His submarine was one that sank bodily
instead of diving. The Germans now have
that type OF submarine and as we have
seen. have used It very advanta geously.
These boats Of which the Deutschland is
a direct descendant, was first made by the
Lake Submarine Boat Company of Bridge
port Conn.
'Arhs United States Is now using them
with the exception that We have not tho
highly perfected Diesel engine. The Elec-
tric Boat Company. however. is making
here in the United States submarines with
special heavy oil engines
-Undersea craft have a future. They
will yet do far more remarkable things
than the Deutschland has done"
RACR m HOSpITAI. pATTPNT