The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-08
TROUBLE AHEAD
FOR SUBMARINES
Ford Chaser Designed Espe-
cially to Carry a Device
Perfected by Edison
CAN DETECT U-BOATS
LONG DISTANCE AWAY
The tFlivvers'' of the Sea to Be Built
in Large Quantities at the Detroit
Plant-Contracts Also Given for New
Type Of Concrete Ship.

Plant-Contracts Also Given for New
Type of Concrete Ship.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7-Coincident
with the expectation of huge subma
riue drive conceived as the last despair
ing blow of Germany at her enemies
upon the sea comes the announcement
that the answer to the German plan
is to be found partly in the new tiiv-
ver' boat soon to be turned ont in
great quantities by Henry Ford at his
shops in Detroit. Yankee inventive
genius has been busy with a great many
devices intended to put the submarine
out Of business and the world will know
little or nothing of some OF them until
the war is practically over. But the new
Ford submarine chaser will be designed
especially to carry device perfected
bv Thomas A. Edison. who for several
months has been working III conjunc
tion with the naval consulting board.
which is composed of some Of the most
eminent scientists in the United States.
The device itself IS submarine detec-
tor, microlhone.
Several months ago this microphone
was perfected to a large degree, and il
was installed upon number of British
and American scout boats with fair
success 1t recorded the motion Of n
submarine s machinery under the water,
and. gave & fairly good working idea
Of the distance Of the submarine. Later
not only could distance be gagged. out
the navigator could determine with ac-
cuIacv the direction from which the
sounds were coming to him. On a quItt
object the invention succeeded perfect
lv, but its operation was interfered
with seriously by the vibration of the
vessels CARRYING il and the noise of the
machinery. 1t was first tested on de.
| strovers and submarine chasers, the
noisest and swiftest craft atioat
/ The crowning merit of the - fiivver
! boat is that it Is adapted 20 carry the
F.! Edison detector. Its invention was NOT
| contemplated until the hearing device
1 had been tried out upon all kinds IF
! craft and it had been learned that some
! thing peculiar and individual must be
| designed to take care of the problems
/ created by its failures to do its best
| upon the deStroyer~ and chasers. The
! answer was the hiVver' boat which
may he described roughly as cross
! between a destroyer and a submarine
| chaser in size but without the noise an |
| vibration of either The Edison detee-
tor. il is found. works perfectly upon
this type Of vessel, 50 well that il is
/ possible to determine within mile the
exact location of the proving I boat
/ Henry Ford IS to build these ships in
great quantities. They must be sent
through the lakes and the st. Lawrence
10 the submarine zone Details regard
ing their construction are guarded with
the utmost care, but the plans for max
ing them are so comprehensive that
nothing carr be permitted to interfere
with their production, as they can nc
made anywhere. The work Of the
- ilivver will be different from that OF
the destroyers Their purpose will be
primarily not to sink submarines, since
their small size precludes their carrying
heavy armament, but rather to guide
=. the destroyers and other fighters to sea
areas where the submarines are known
: to be. They viii be equipped Will
hight owered radio plants, by means ot
! which they can communicate with the
! vessels always in waiting TO hear theil
news. The new German submarines are
so huge that they have little fear of the
small submarine chasers and they ar,
almost a match for the old style destroy
, crs. For this reason the 1" fiyvers
need not be so large as the destroyers
for size would mean merely waste O
; material and power But the littl,
boats will be well armed for olfensiy,
work and viii carry guns which vii
give them at least a fighting chance il
close quarters. One of their best quail
: titles will be speed
e 1t IS Of striking interest in this con
r nectlon, also. that this week the shin
e ping board has begun making contract
: for new type of concrete ship. Thes
$ ships are fabricated, not poured, an,
G they are said to avoid the inheren
: weaknesses of concrete vessels hilbert
constructed which often have develope,
c at certain points in the hull. The ney
L vessels may be launched upright an
II NOT upside down, as some other con
!! crete ships have been. SO practical i
the new ship declared to be that it
promoters declare that the time is no
tar distant when concrete vessels 200
IS feet long and of $50 feet beam may b
launched, if anyone wants a ship @
that dimension. The ships viii be buil
lie in California, as concrete work to b
t continuous must always be carried o