Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-02-15
SAYS sH,p Is uNs,nkAsLE.
Enstnssr oornsIly Confident His Plan
Will Defeat u-eoats.

OAY0 0ntp u ONSSNNA0ee.
Engineer DonnsIly Confident HE Plan
| Will Defeat U-Boats.
Warrington, Feb. 14.-W lliam T.
Donnelly. the marine engineer. Who, as
member Of the ship protection COM
mittee. devised the system of buoy
ancy boxes to make American trans-
ports and the new ships e the crncr-
gency fleet corporation in7ulnerable
against attacks by German submarines
and practically unsuitable by torpe-
does, said that no test Of his plan had
been made With the system now in
stalled on the Lucia by thu naval con-
cutting boarl er any other committee.
but that no one had denied that hi.
plan was en- ,ttive in keeping ship
afioat after she had been struck by
torpedo He gave also a fuller account
Of the details Ct the plan than the one
given on Saturday night by William
L. Saunders. the chairman Of the ma
val board, at the dinner Of the Univer-
.sity Of Pennsylvania club.
| Il was eager to have test Of the
plan in some dry dock before the ship
was sent thru the submarine zone
with any sort Of cargo" said Mr.. Dom
nelly. 'taltho am confident that the
plan for making ships unsuitable will
be successful. MY system Of buoy
! ancy boxes. as call them. was INSTALL
ed in the Austrian ship. the Lucia.
while she was in dry dock for other
repairs, and, altho it was planned to
open the seacocks while the vessel was
still In dry dock, to find out whether
the ship was unsuitable, there was q
hitch somewhere, and the test was
never made. The system was installed
in a southern port to take aboard a
cargo. 1t looks as il we were going to
leave the test Of the system to the Ger
mans.
II have been working on the plan
since the early part Of the war. when
the German submarines began to sink
80 many merchant ships. Several
months ago the naval consulting board
ana the United States shipping board
decided to appoint . committee ON ship
protection to devise both defensive and
Offensive plans for the U-boat cam
paisn. General Cocktails then chair
man, Of the shipping board, appointed
Rear Admiral H. II. Bosseau AZ his
representative: the naval consulting
board appointed A. II. Hunt and those
two men chose. me a. the third mem
her.
my nrst proposal for the protection
OF American ships was this system Of
buoyancy boxes, and the outline Of the
plans. - given BY Mr.. Saunders is
correct. In building dry docks pick
ed up tho idea that . ship would re-
main adoat with holes all thru her IL
We could put into the hull Of the YES.
Pei enough buoyancy 70 resist the
down dragging pressure Of infiowing
water. The idea Of the buoyancy box
IL. therefore, only the idea Of the dry
dock put In the interior Of q nip.
The Lucia has In her about 1000
OF 10000 buoyancy boxes. and believe
that II this ship were struck by q tor
pedo and flooded the buoyancy boxes
would enable her to double her dis
placement OF water" continued MI.
DonnellE IN emphasizing the assertion
OF MT. Saunders that the Lucia would
hsws The buoyanuy Of watse~losyed
schooner laden with lumber.
NJ. Doonelly then gavs aAAitsooal
details q the systam Of bouyanoy boxss
on tia Iucaa Most - these 0oxGa are
thrss feee higA twe 6Dst thiek, aAli one
1eot deep. Thay aEo mAdo q ordinary
Pine such - = used IN making boxes
for canned Goods. ard then covered
With skin o. ealvanlsed metal such u
- used IN making ordinary water
bueksta. The skiny - both airtight and
lwateEtisAt. tbs bones a1s flttaa IN
Hines around tho 0hIp, both, above and