The sun., 1917-05-10
SPERRYINVENTS
U-B0AT KILLER
Author of Gyroscope Sub
mits Plan That Amazes
Naval Experts.
EARLY TESTS ARRANGED
Device Requires No Elaborate
Preparation and Is Of
fcnSive Nature.

' WASHINGTON. May e.--THE suN cor
respondent learned tonight Oh u,uues-
tionablc authority that the Naval Con-
suting Board has submitted 20 Secre-
tary Daniels and his advisers a definite
and completed plan TO cope with the
German C-boats which has proved a
the service here.
1t was this plan which W. l.. Saun-
ders, chairman of the board. had refer
ence to when he announced on Saturday
that he believed the, submarine problem
solved. Heads OF various branches of
the navy who have admittedly been
sceptical and believed Mr.. Saunders too
optimistic have unanimously changed
their views since the meeting at the
home of Secretary Daniels last night.
Strict censorship necessarily bars dis
cussion OF any of the technical features
of the plan. but II is within bounds to
make the following announcement, which
should be of the greatest interest to the
British and French commissions here as
we'll as to the general public:
The plan is based on a novel anti
+, submarine device or invention which IL
theoretically sound and which Is radi-
cal departure from any inyention put
into operation or heretofore thought OF
Elmer \. Sperry. inventor OF the gyro-
scope compass and orc OF the leading
Inventive geniuses in tne United States
/ navy, is the inventor.
Earl! Decision Expected.
Within two or three weeks the Navy
Department will have completed prac-
tical tests Of the Invention under the
guidance of naval officers from various
technical b:anches in the service which
Will show definitely wnc;:.er or not there
, is any unforeseen obstacle IN the way
OF putting tho invention to use.
I The invention Is of such a character
that 1t can be put into operation in the
/ war zone almost Immediately. 1t re-
Quires no elaborate preparation or con-
struction work, but can be made q factor
In the campaign against the C-boa. this
i summer.
The invention is Chiefly in the nature
of direct offensive operations against
the submarine. 1t is not merely destined
to protect merchantmen or to reduce the
ravages OF the C-boats. but Is calculated
to eradicate them altogether.
! The extent OF the effectiveness OF the
invention against the submarines, pro-
! vided expectations OF the Navy Depart
n,ent are not disappointed. will depend
! merely on extending its operations from
limited shores to broad sweeping
scale Init!a, operations on a small scale
wilt be begun, II is contemplated. while
the so-called branching out plan is be
/; ing put into operation.
Not q Dissenting Voice.
Following the conference at the home
| Of Secretary Daniels last night and
after further conferences to-day there
was not a dissenting voice among all
the naval experts present as to the
value of Immediately rushing the tests
TO completion within the next TWO weeks
The nearest approach to a possinistt
statement made by any officer or official
OF the board present at the conference
was: 1T Is an invention which the
Government must certainly give thor
ough trial to before considering Other
means, of combating directly the T.
boats"
1t is understood that Mr.. Sperry. ha'
been at work for months on the inven
ton. The work of the Naval Consulting
Board has been Of material assistance
however. Much OF the information o.
which Mr.. Sperry has made use ha'
been gathered by him in London. whcr'
he has been getting access to many
secret facts concerning the German sub
marine operations.
Secretary Daniels declined to mak'
any comment to-day, but said he ha'
, no objection to a general account o
the results of the conference last nigh
between himself and his naval adviser
and the members OF the Naval Consult
ing Board. Mr. Sperry was present a
this conference. The other members o
the board were W. l.. Saunders. chair
man; Lawrence Addicks. chairman o
the boards committee on naval prob
lens Thomas Robins and Benjamin &
Thayer.
views Radically Changed.
The naval officers who were ad
mittedly sceptical but have now rad
, ically changed their views are Admira
Benson, Chief of Operations Chief Con
structor Taylor. Rear Admiral Grimm
chief Of the Bureau OF Steam Engineer
ing; Rear Admiral Grant Chief OF tn
submarine Service, and Capt. William
Strother Smith. 1t is said tonight tina
the naval experts OF the British an
French Commissions have not yet bee
informed of the Sperry invention, bu
that they would be called into consulta
ton later.
Rear Admiral Sir Dudley de Chair
naval head of the British war mission
lreferred TO efforts to drive the subma
rlnes from the war zone In speech
made to American naval officers ct a RI
ception rendered him tonight by III
Navy League.
AS a practical proposition" he salt
~ will he six months before the fu
weight OF n merchant shipbuilding Pre-
crammc can be felt. Decisive result
mus, be- can be and am confident vi
bc achieved before then By the combine
efforts OF our navies. To clude the sui
marines Is not enough. We men OF III
navy will not bs content to Kill tn
bear by running him to DEATH