Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-10-11
Admiral Benson Tells of Meth
DDS Adopted to Foil
Submarines.
EDISON INVENTION IN use
8moke Bombs and Smoke Screens
Are Proving Effective-Camou.
fiage Employed to Surpris-
ing Extent.

count Of the success of the devices
being used by American ships as a
means Of escaping or destroying Ger
man submarines is given by Admiral
Benson, chief of operations of the navy
Several of the methods under trial at
present, one of them the invention of
Thomas A. Edison, the admiral regard
ed as inadvisable to describe, but he
discussed without reserve the devices
In general use on merchant ships and
naval vessels.
1t was admitted that the naval con-
vOy furnished the most effective safe
guard against the submarine. Admiral
Benson thought that the number off
conveyed ships sunk was even less
than the average up to a month ago,
when it was estimated that only one
half Of I per cent fell victim to the
submarine. The impossibility of con-
vOying more than a small per cent of
the merchant fleet leaving American
shores, however, has made necessary
the adoption Of other protective meas
ures.
Devices Employed.
Among those most in use on mer-
chant ships, the admiral said, were
"smoke bombs" and smoke screens.
Camouflage also is being employed to
a surprising extent but particularly
on naval vessels. The smoke bombs
are merely containers filled with chem
icals which when cast overheard
throw off a dense black smoke, obscur-
ing the ship from an attacking subma-
rine.
A great variety of experiments in
camoufage have been tried on naval
vessels. They have been painted ev'
cry hue of the rainbow that might
tend to merge the ship in it's back
ground and make it indistinguishable
to investigating, periscopes Admiral
Benson said many Of these devices hao
been demonstrated to be of great
merit. Warships, too, are equipped
with detectors which indicate the prox'
unity of other ships.
More and more of the merchant
ships, of course, are being armed so as
to be able to give good account OF
themselves in encounters with the
U-boats, and experiments constantly
are going on in the navy to improve
the weapons of Offense employed
against the submarine. A special en-
deavor is being made to perfect the
operation of depth charges so that II
may be possible more frequently &c
"pot" the U-boats as they submerge
or as they run along with only their
periscopes showing.
Balloons are employed on the ships
for observation purposes, but their use
is not at all new.
It was said today, in contradiction
of a recent interesting story, that nc
invention had been perfected in the
United States navy which would en-
able an attacked ship to defect the
course of a torpedo once 1T was hred
This report, according to Admiral Ben
son. had no foundation whatever.
Biqqer Submarines.
Another report which has been max
ing the rounds is that German sub
marines recently have been making II
a practice of sparing all passenger
ships they encounter. The only basis
for this belief, it was said, is the fact
that fewer passenger ships have been
sunk. They have been attacked, how
ever. but in most cases have escaped.
There have been no German subma-
rines near the American coast since
this nation entered the war, so far as
the navy department has learned. A
submarine has been sighted nearly in
mid-Atlantic, but that is the nearest
approach one is known to have made.
The navy department has evidence
that Germany is increasing the size OF
her submarines nearly to the proper
ton of small cruisers. This evidence
was obtained by ocular observation IN
mart. and also from the fact that the
submarines now are mounting guns OF
nearly six inches in bore. Fragments
of shells falling on merchant ships
have disclosed the size of the guns.