Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-09-12

the United States Of wonderful listening device,
or submarine detector, which very close to
driving the Hun submersibe from the ocean, and
would have done SO, in the opinion of naval ex-
perts, had the war continued through another
summer.
AS soon. as the United States entered the war
the navy department formed a special board to
develop ways and means for combating the U-boat
peril, then growing to alarming proportions
This board consisted largely of officers from the
bureau of steam engineering, of which Rear Adj
miral r. S. Griffin is chief. 1t called to its assist
ance in an advisory capacity many noted engineers
and scientists from industrial concerns including
the General Electric company, represented by DR..
wv r. Whitney, director of that company's
search laboratories.
Commander G. S. Mcdowell, U. S. N, served as
executive secretary of the board, while the other
advisory members were Col. F. B. Jewett of the
Western Electric company, and Prof. r. A. Mill
kan of the University of Chicago
Development headquarters were established at
New London, Conn. The General Electric COM
pany in conjunction with the Submarine Signal
company of Boston started an experimental field
station at Nahant Mass. and were later Joined by
experts from the Western Electric company.
Ont of the activities of these two groups Of
scientists there was developed the American
listening Device an instrument which proved to be
able successfully to detect submarines while sub
merged within range of anywhere between and
II miles.
Even with the signing of the peace treaty little
can vet be known of the details of this device 1t
is, however an instrument using the principle OF
sound-wave transmission through water in new
and startling way and it depends for its oil.
rection-getting qualities the peculiar and little
understood faculty of the human ear to detect the
direction of sound by the shifting of sound from
one ear to the other as the instrument was re-
volved.
AS soon as the device was considered practical
the General Electric company undertook its man
ufacture on a large scale in Lynn, Mass. develop
ing three kinds of listeners: One which was hung
overheard from the deck of submarine chasers an.
other which could be trailed off the stern and
third which protruded through the hull of the
vessel American destroyers chasers and subma-
r:nes were at once equipped with the instrument
When the submarine detector had been turned
out in sufficient quantity, the navy department be-
Heved that the allies should get the benefit of the
invention at once. A special service party, in
charge of Capt r. II. Leigh of the bureau of steam
engiraacing, was formed to take samples of the
apparatus abroad and test it under actual condi-
tions before the British admiralty. The instru-
ment was likewise demonstrated to the French
and Italian navies. The party consisted, besides
Captain Leigh, of Lieutenant Carter, U. s. N, En-
sign WEIGH q. S. N. r. F.. six enlisted men, G. E.
Eveeth, c. F. Scott, and T. P. Collins Of the Gen.
era Electric company representing the Nahant
group and w. L. Nelson Of the Western Electric
company who was connected with wireless devel-
opment They sailed November %, 1917 and
Joined the British grand fleet at Scapa Flow in
the Orkney islands during the first week of the
following month
The admiralty and the supreme war councii
shortly afterward adopted the American device
and from that time on submarine patrol work was
revolutionized.
Defensive tactics which had been employed
since 1914 were now no longer the sole reliance
Fighting Ships instead Of patrolling the steam
ship lanes looking for a stray sub to poke its