The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1919-03-14
GOING GERMAN NAVAL
TOOLS ONE BETTER
Last DAYS or War l'roduCh Many
Inventions To Nuliify Their
Worst

LONDON. March 10 one or tho
most successful DEVICES invented bv
british naval experts In the war
iim" was one known as II "blistcr."
ana served 20 protect ships against
'nrpcdurs. II is an outer steel cas-
Ing nNcd tn the Sides or ships All
NJ Ils technical details of construc-
ton have not been revealed. but nn-
val experts assert that ships
equipped win hlis'rrs run no greater
rlsk from undcrsca attacks than
from surface fighting dangers In
tho war the Germans torpedocd sew
nrnl blister ships but In every case,
u IH asserted. the vessels were able
10 reach port nnd be repaired
Sir T. n r D'Eyncnurt director
M naval construction, invented the
blister which wax first attached to
four old cruisers Patiently the navy
waited for test FOR two years. thcn.
100 June. 1917. the cruiser Grafton
while WeaminE at 10 knots. was
struck nruidships hv u torpedo fired
from a German submarine only IN
yards distant Tho blister. which
uuc, ont from the cruisers side
aoul.J5 feet exploded the torpedo
gnd lie Grafton steamed back to
port with only a slight list.
Torpedo Menace Met.
Improvements were made on the
hliNtorR ana they were fitted to tho
sister monitors Erchus and Terror
Iioth thoSe vessels, mounting iJ-inch
guns, homhardcd the belgian coast
Tor months Roth were torpodoed
within week ana hut for the pro-
'octing blistcrs they would hnve
hcon sunk Three torpedoes struck
the Erehus two hitting tho fora
part Of the monitor where the blister
lnp"rs of ~ a precaution tho
Erchus was hcached but II was aft
rrwafd found that she was loss Sc
verely damaged than had been
thought ana she was subsequently
repaired No ship ever before sur
viNcd three torpedoes
The navy now has about 10 blister
ships In commission, Including some
~ tho first battle cruiser squadron.
The new drcndnauRhts Rodney.
Howe and Hood are being fitted dTso
with blistors
Other Inventions
A self propellng proiectile charged
with 500 pounds of 4 ~ r was per.
fected by the naval experts only a
short time before the nrmistlce was
signed. II is believed to have
strengthened materially the power
and effcctIvcngss pf the British fleet.
The proJccti@ can be discharged
without cpncuHslon rom small boats
or light platform, exploding on the
contact, or when fitted with a
special device, below the water. thus
serving the purpose OF a depth
charge
An apparatus for throwing a
flame for a distance OF 2tO feet, as
water is thrown from hose, was
riRRcd on one OF the vessels that
took part In the raid on Zeebrugge. o.
hut before II could he used a she'll
from the enemy batteries put 1t out
Of action.
Another invention In a gun TO fire
signals from submerged submarines,
II sends n star shell 500 feet Into the
air.
Turn Night Into Day.
several kinds of smoke screer
were invented, most Of them for the
purpose OF battling U-boats A
powerful flare equal TO a million
candle power was another achieve
ment OF tho naval inventors which
was used with great effect against
enemy submarines waiting on a the
surface AZ night 10 attack merchant
ships These flares. suddenly ignit-
ed. turned night into day, and In the
straits OF Dover alone II u-boats
were caught by their aid and sunk.
The work OF developing these In
ventions was carried on by the royal
naval experimental station near
London. Its staff comprised OF 2b Of
Dcers and Jose men. all experts
either In research or constructlonal
work most Of them being chemists
or engineers