The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-05-07
PLAN FOUND TO
COMBAT U-BOAT
Naval Consulting Board Has
a Method, Declares
Saunders
EDISON HAS
GIVEN HELP
Other Members of Board
Declare Themselves Skep-
tical of Successful Plan

! New York, May William L. Saun
ders, chairman and director of the nava
consulting board, Saturday made the fol
lowing announcement:
The American inventions which have
been submitted to this board and test
ed by its subcommittee give assur.
ance that the submarine problem will be
solved. We now have a plan, in which
several newly-invented devices figure
which viii accomplish the elimination of
the German undersea craft"
Within less than six hours after the
startling announcement had gone forth,
four prominent members of the naval
consulting board--three of whom attend.
ed the meeting of the body week ago
in Washington-had expressed them
selves as skeptical over the fact that an
actual working plan for eliminating the
submarine had been evolved. They were
Hudson Maxim, DR.. II. L. Baekland.
Frederick Julian Sprague and Alfred
Craven.
Mr.. Maxim, in his usual picturesque
way, offered to bet "his head against a
eocoanut" that no effective device thus
gested that there had been some mis-.
take" and asserted it would be harmful
to report the solution of the problem
is in sight at this time"
Thomas A. Edison, president OF the
board, is convinced that no scheme ade-
quate for dealing with the U.boat men
ace has yet been evolved the New York
Tribune was informed from an authori-
tative source. He was reported Saturday
afternoon to have contributed materially
to the plan referred to by Mr.. Saunders.
The navy department at Washington
professed TO know nothing of the plan.
Officers there were somewhat mystifed
and tried all the afternoon unsuccessful
ly to reach Mr.. Saunders in New York
by telephone.
Elmer A. Sperry, inventor Of the gyro-
scope and member Of the naval con-
sulting board, declared that Mr.. Saun-
ders announcement was quite correct"
Following the announcement by W. L.
Saunders, chairman of the naval consult.
ing board, that plan for combating
the U-boat menace has been perfected
Mr., Saunders late Saturday responded
to many requests for further details of
the plan. His answers to questions were
for the most part carefully guarded.
II am not believer in theory" he
said. Il believe in practical work The
Germans have been doing all the often
-ive work so far, while the allies have
been on the defensive. The new plan
offensive operations on an
extended scale The result win be to
narrow the field Of operations of the
submarine.
Mr.. Edison is not directly response !
Die for the new device, but he is respon
'ible for the development of certain inn |
1ortant phases of the plan. He has for
many months been giving all his time to
laboratory work.
"The navy consulting board has been |
considering inventions at the rate OF 35 /
day for the last three or four months. |
)ut of the vast number few sugges
ions have been obtained which are to be I
lsed in the proposed plan.
Eve have been at work six months
IN this problem, but we began to con
entrate on it on February /" said Mr..
WAS this due to the German ulti-
natum?" he was asked,
Eyes" he replied. 1T was easy to
ee that difficulties were not far off ~
Mr.. Saunders went on to say that the
5 subcommittee had been working by
themselves and jointly in formulating
he best way to meet the U-boat men
ce. He declared that the men on the
ommittee were trained chemists, min
ng engineers, electrical engineers, etc,
nd that their ingenuity was combined
n working out the plan. The problem
{ dealing with U-boats was treated as
ne would move in a chess game. Where
weakness showed itself in the fabric
here the committee reinforced their eff
Drts to fill the breach. The members
the board worked continuously.