The Washington herald., 1918-03-26
U. S. MAY CALL
upon INVENTOR
Eihu Thompson May Ad.
vance Ship Program,
Holland Believes.

Eedal symbolized Mr.. Thompson's
aehteyements, which are not only
represented by over 500 patents. a
large number Of which "embody prin-
eiples so wide in their application
That they might almost be classed as
physical laws, but also his master
discovery OF electric welding. one Of
the great inventions of the last gen.
Grafton" In these words President
Maclaurin, Of the Massachusetts, In
sdtute Of Technology, referred to
Mr.. Thompson's achievements when
presenting the medal to him
It may be that the "so-called mas
ter discovery Of the electric welding,
one Of the great inventions OF the
last generation" will speedily be so
utilized as greatly to speed up the
production Of oeean-going steamships.
For announcement has come from
Washington that already the gov
eminent is preparing thoroughly to
experiment with electric welding ap-
paratus for the purpose of discover
ing whether it may not prove to be
the one solvent needed whereby the
government can secure q large num-
Der Of ocean-going vessels within a
snort time.
The special modification or ap-
paratus which 1t is understood - to
be used for the purpose Of expert
mental tests as to the efficiency of
kelectric process for welding parts
Of q steamer heretofore brought to-
gether by the riveting process, is
reported to reflect the inventive
genius Of one of the employees OF
the Erie Railroad Company.
Whether that be true or not the
fundamental principle in electric
welding was discovered and devel-
oped by Elihu Thompson about
twenty-six years ago 1t was at the
time when the larger use of the
dynamo. itself a woodworking
invention Of electricity for many
Industrial purposes, that Mr.. Thomp-
son after patient research and long
continued application TO laboratory
work, brought forth the new cleo
trio welding apparatus.
New Process.
II the work accomplished by the con-
tractors who have. been building GER
tain sections OF the new subway of
New York City Is to be accepted as
excellent proof of the efficiency of the
electric welding process, then there
capacity OF that process swiftly, eco
nomically and thoroughly to fabricate
ecean-going steamships.
This process speedily repaired the
German steamships that had been In.
termed at New York.
In the old days the blacksmith ac-
complished welding by heating the
metal IN the forge and then by pres
sure exerted by hammer blows bring
ing the elementary parts into perfect
fusion so that the iron or steel thus
became identical in all its parts. -
After Mr.. Thompson discovered the
process whereby electricity could be
used for welding the parts of. mallea-
Bile ironI steel, copper and. today,
aluminium, men of capital became in
terestedl in the discovery.
A company was originated at Lynn.
Mass, which at the time, was the
home of NJ. Thompson. Most of the
capital was furnished by men who
were engaged in the manufacture of
shoes.
The corporation, known as the
Thompson-Houston Company and
which was one OF the first to under
take the development Of electricity
for Industrial purposes, was a Lynn
corporation.
1t subsequently became the basis Of
that great consolidation now known
as the General Electric Company, of
which a man who was formerly a
shoe manufacturer. in Lynn. Mr.. Cof-
finS has been the highly successful de-
veloper.
So Also In England.
A corponation was promoted in
II
the Thompson electric welding pro-
cess. 1t appears, however, to have
been found necessary at first to
perfect certain improvements in
the process in order to make it
commercially available.
The fundamental principle of the
process discovered and perfected
by Mr.. Thompson involves the pass
ing of q large volume OF electric
current at low pressure through
the contaeting services of the met
ais to be welded.
The electric resistance Of the
metal at the contracting services
became so great that they are i'm
mediately heated to a welding tenn
perature..s Pressure is then applied
mechanically and the current turn
ed of and in a little while there Is
produced q perfect weld. There
are several types OF the Thompson
apparatus, q description of which
would be too technical for a lay
man to understand.
Should the apparatus now under
way at icertain shipyards demon
strate the adequacy OF the Thomp-
son process, supplemented perhaps
by certain notifications or i'm
provements upon the process, to
build oeean-going vessels without
riveting so that the entire struc-
ture of the ship is practically COM
posed of one identical piece Of met
al and should this be so rapidly,
shapely and easily achieved as the ex-
perts believe 1t will then be reasonable
10 speak Of Mr.. Thompson as having
unconsciously 1t is true, perfected an
apparatus which is to prove of inesti-
nabIe value in the construction of
ocean-going vessels for the United
States Government
Mr.. Thompson personally is not well
known to Americans, although his
name has become familiar In asso-
citation with the development of cleo
tricity for commercial purposes. 1t
was said Of him at the time he re-
eeiyed the Fritz medal that greater
than his work had been is the man
himself. Not merely because of his
contributions to electrical engineering,
the applied science which is now the
most characteristics OF this age, but
because Of other service which he had
given to the world" OF English birth,
but for many years an American citi-
zen, he was spoken Of as fairly well
Representing the minds, few in every
generation that produced a great and
"a WTnOn naffnnaI ro