The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-05-11
TlAN IL vavSh
U.BOAlJ U.VlSED
EDISON SAID TO BE LABORING
~ HOURS EACH DAY TO
PERFECT SCHEME.
WAR TO BE OFFENSIVE
Naval Advisory Board Says kici
Canal To lie Attacked by
New Invention.

the ravages OF German submarines
on maritime commerce has been sub
mittcd by the Naval Advisory Board
This was announced today by w. l..
Saunders, chairman of the board.
IIo said the plan was n solution of
the U-boat problem. He said that il
had been proven by actual tests along
the Atlantic Coast.
The scheme is not merely a defeu-
siyc measure against the submarine,
Mr. Saunders said. II called for of
ensive operations on an extensive
scale.
Thomas Edison, who is president
of the board, did not originate the
scheme, Mr. Saunders said, but the
inventive wizard, he said, had been
working tirclossly to perfect its many
phases. Since the declaration of war
against Germany, Mr. Edison and his
assistants have been trying thousands
OF schemes suggested 10 block Ger
Qany's uudcrsoas warfare, now ad-
h,tedly the greatest menace to the
European Allies and their new Ameri-
can partner, the United States.
Behind the program submitted to
the Navy Department il all of Edison's
practicability and all of Edison's def
I'LL in accomplishing. the seemingly
impossible. Announcement of the
scheme by the chairman of the board
dispcllod doubts that II might be
merely another academic idea devoid
of practical use. And that the board
made experiments before making
their find public. left little doubt in
the minds of naval officials that at
least the wars greatest problem had
been unravelled
American Brains Win.
II the plan works. as few doubt,
American brains will have done what
European bullets have failed to do in
four years OF warfare.
No announcement was made of the
details of the scheme. Mr.. Saunders
explained that announcement of 1t
had been made at this time to allay
the fears of Americans, aroused by
recent expressions by American and
British officials that the U-boat was
beginning to crush traffic between the
United States and Europe.
Mr.. Saunders took pains today to
dispel any suggestion that he was
theoretical in his findings.
IL am not believer in theory"
he said. II believe in practical work.
The Germans have been doing all the
offensive work so far while the Allies
have been on the defensive.
Tho new plan contemplates Of
fensive operations on an extensive
scale. The result will be TO narrow
the end OF operations OF the sub
marine.
MIR. Edison is not directly re-
sponsible for the new device. but he
is responsible for certain important
phases of the plan Mr., Edison has
been giving all of his time to labora-
tory work for some weeks. /,
1 "The Naval Consulting Board has
been considering inventions at the
rate of thirty-Gye a day for the past
three or four months. Each Of these
suggestions. or inventions, has been
considered and tried out by n special
committee OF The board. Out OF the
vast number, a few suggestions have /
been obtained, which are to be used .
in tho proposed plan" /
He said the new device would be .
effective on land as well as on the .
seas.
zone part OF the scheme involves .
destruction of submarines: the other .
involves destruction on land" he ex- ,
plained. ut may be permissible to (
say the new plan will utilize the pre-
sent methods of combating submar-
ines, namely the use of destroyers,
submarine chasers, aeroplanes, OBJ
servation towers and other devices"
Mr.. Saunders would not venture to
say how soon the scheme would be
tried in actual warfare. ha said II
could be applied within reasonable
time"
1.-The board does not wish to give
tho impression that all other war
preparations should be abandoned.
II is Just as necessary now as IT ever
was and recruiting should be CON
tinued.
Go After Them.
when you want to eXterminate
rats and hornets you go after them'
That's what we ropose to do now.
The field of operations viii be mar
rowed gradually,
"My statement giving my personal
opinion MS to the ultimate success OF
[the effort to solve the submarine
problem was not authorized by the
.,l ,,o. tho Navy DgDaTtmput,'