Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-08-03
Army Of Greatest
Scientists Solving
Vast War Problems
INV Henry NJ. Hyde.l

TBy Henry M. t1Su
WASHINGTON, Aug 1.-THE commit
tee on location Of airplanes by souno'
of which G. w Stewart is CHAIRMAN
and which was sent by the navy to d
navy station to make tests for PERIOD
of two weeks, has presented full re-
port to the navy and to the research
council, in which it Is shown 7tnat tn's
committee has satisfactorily solved inc
problem of the accurate location OF
noises by sound In its work the com
mittee was able to locate sources oi
sound with an accuracy of one degree.
THE subcommittee on the develop
ment of telephony between alrships VI
from airships to the ground mas
brought that problem to a satisfactory
solution
Progress on Submarines.
PROGRESS is being made in tests ana
Investigations Of various devices ~,
submarine offense and defense anu
members of committee of the counci'
cooperating with the special sup
marine board of the navy department.
are living at a submarine station, de-
voting their entire time to such IN
vestigations.
It would be easy to take the last
monthly report of the national research
council, from which the above extracts
are made. and build from 1t mos'
lurid and sensational article. In 1act
if it were permitted to tell the ful
truth about what the various commit
tees Of the national research councL
have already accomplished, the story
would be startling in itself. But the
backbone Of its membership is made uI
of hundreds Of scientists who abhoI
sensation.
1.-THE public need expect no black
magic or sensational marvels from us,
said Dr. George E. Hale, once OF Ch''
cago and the Yerkes observatory, whs
is chairman of the national research
council ut Is our work to help ap'
ply the principles Of science to the
problems of war. We are striving tc
add certain useful devices and discoV'
cries to the resources Of the military
and naval arms Of the government
Superb Organization.
1t would not be fair to the research
chairman to obscure the Importance OF
its work. Certainly in its great task o.
winning the war, with Germany the
United States is to have the full sup
port of it's scientists. Perhaps never
has country at war-not even Ger
many itself-had behind it in grea,
national crisis such complete ane
comprehensive organization OF SCI.
entffic leaders of the great engineering
societies, with missions Of scientihs
and military men from Great Britain
France, and Italy, and with experts O.
the army and navy devotfng mos
Of their time to the solution OF wal
problems. Fl
So comprehensive is the field which
the council thru it's many Tamhca
lions Is covering, that at. hrst glance
some Of its activities seem, quite un'
connected with the present crisis:
Widely Scattered,
| Take a glance, for instance, at tn
report of the subcommittee on botan!
Ia subject apparently remote from tn
problems Of war. At the head OF TIM
| subcommittee is DR.. John NJ. Coulter
6: The University Of Chicago It ha
discovered in the shape Of q hithert
i waste material eatisfa cta..y substt
tute for cotton in the manufacture Q
high explosives.
It has been working to find ne1
sources for rubber, SO vital and
costly a product in many war 'mechan
4 isms, and It reports the problem wei
towards solution"
il At has undertaken the old problem 9
4 producing strains Of wheat and othe
4 cereals which will be disease-resistin
and expects that some disease-re
sisting strains will soon be available
\ It has found common weed whic