The Washington times., 1917-08-12
EDISON'S BOARD
DISCUSSES PLANS
TO FIGHT U-BOA7

The Naval Consulting Board OF the
United States. OF which Thomas A.
Edison is president and Peter Cooper
Hewitt vice president, has just issued
its first official bulletin, THE Subma-
rine and Kindred Problems"
1t can be stated that. although the
board. which is made up Of the best
engineering brains in this country.
confronts most intricate problems, its
members are confident they are on &c
way to their solution.
OF the anti-U boat devices submit
ted to the board very many depend
for supposed efficiency upon electro
magnates and magnetism.
The board reminds inventors and
others that "a magnet which can lift
twenty tons when placed in contact
with an iron plate of that weight. will
not lift two-inch cube of iron or steel
In separated from II a distance Of two
feet. A torpedo weighing approx
mately $500 pounds, and travelling at
a speed OF twenty-five to forty-hve
miles an hour. will not be DETECTED
to any practical degree by any known
application OF magnetism. and il T.
not believed that cny enemy torpedo.
mine or submarine will ever re found
in a position to be interfered with ef
fectively by any electromagnetic
means, however powerful. Besides
there Is no known method OF charging
the sea with electricity or shooting
4 bomb OF electricity or charging the
atmosphere with eIectrocuting cur
rent"
Problems Board Faces.
The most important OF the prob
lens which the board faces are
| stated thus:
(aD Means OF discovering the ap-
/ proach OF a hostile submarine and 10
| eating il SO as to permit OF prompt
| action for combating its attack
| (bl Protection of cargo-carryinE
| ships BY nets, guards. and screens.
CcD Protection through decreasing
the visibility OF vessels.
Id Methods OF destroying or blind
| ing a hostile submarine
/ To make it less difficult for would
| be inventors to help to solve .he~-
! problems. the bulletin discribeg the
capabilities Of the modern submarine
; for offensive operations. and recitas
! these primary facts, among many
others.
The latest type OF submarine being
used abroad has surface speed Of
at least seventeen knots and a sub
merged speed OF probably less than
/ ten knots. II running near the sur
/ face the peTiscOpe might be raised. a
quick observation taken. and lowered
again within thirty seconds. II. how
ever, the submarine is on the surface
and matches uncovered. from one to
! four minutes will be required to com
pleteIy submerEe. depending upon cir
cumstances.
sound Recorders Needed.
Various sound recording devices
are now being carefully tested by the
| board, as well as special forms Of
telescopes and field glasses. search
/ lights and projectors. scientists and
! inventors should try to improv. these
methods and to find supplementary
/ cnes. They must bear in mind that
I the air bubbles in a t"rpedO's wake.
/ caused by the exhaust air from its
prGpellinE engines. q" not reach the
4 surface 81 the water until after the
. torpedo has Travelled from 30 to 200
/ feet toward its target.
Not one 81 the many devices to
protect carEU-carrying ships by nets
b or screen has been adopted by the
Navy Department or the mercantile
marine Such devices are heavy and
retArd the speed Of the ships. Few
ships having speed OF fifteen knots
or more have been torpedoed; pTac-
tically 100 per cent OF the slow ships
attacked have fallen victims. In no
: other field have so many suggestions
or 50 many duplicates been present
ed to the board.