The Elk Mountain pilot., 1919-09-11

d M<7A~eM1 r.: ssssz>es
7HATEyFR plans Germany may be
making for the next war" II in truth
.NA/ she is or ever will be capable of car
!" ryng them out, 1t is certain TINT the
Ivy submarine will play part In Eer
schemes.
J !
81 "A The submarine is dead. The o.
AHy6fH boat peril has vanished forever. never
WdG8hXM to- be resurrected.
MHN The collapse of submarine warfare
llM158U during the closing months of the Eu-
VKNW ropean conflict ana the prediction that
wv Its resumption may never be seriously
enred ugnirr. was the result Of the invention In
he United Suites of u wonderful listening device.
r subma rine detectOr. which came very close to
irving the Hun submersible from the ocean, and
vonld have done so. In the opinion Of naval ex-
sfTts. had the continued through another
umiler. '" '3'' '-"-'-
As soon as the United States entered the war
he navy department formed d special board to
sevelOp ways and means for combating the U-bOat
serii. then growing to alarming proportions.
This board consisted largely of officers from the
urenu of steam engineering. of which Rear Ad
nlral Il. S. Griffin is chief 1t called to Its assist
.nce in an advisory capacity many noted engineers
md scientists from Industrial concerns. including
he General Electric company, represented by DR..
v. Il. Whitney. director of that company's
enech laboratories.
Commander C. s. Mcdowell. U. S. N. served
0ecutlve secretary OF the DOnrO. Wnlle the Otner
dvisOry members were Col F. b. Jewett Of the
Western Electric company. and Prof. II. A. MILL
I'm of the University Of Chicago.
Development headquarters were established ut
New london Conn. The General Electric COM
,any 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
Out 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
e miles.
Even with the signing Of the peace treaty little
can yet he known of the details of this device. II
g. however. an instrument using the principle of
,ound-wave transmission through water In a new
md startling way and 1t depends for its d.
.ectiOn getting qualities on 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
soved.
As the device was considered practical
the General Electric company undertook Its man
nfacture 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 of the stern and a
third which protruded through the hull of the
vessel. American destroyers. chasers and subma-
rfnes were at once equipped with the Instrument.
When the submarine detectOr had been turned
leved that the allies should get the benefit of the
Invention Mt once A special service party. in
charge Of Capt r. II. Leigh of the bureau of steam
engineering formed to take samples Of the
appar atus abroad and test 1t under actual cOndi-
lions before the British admiralty. The instru-
r.ent was likewise demonstrated to the French
and Italian navies. The party consisted, besides
Captain Leigh. of Lieutenant Carter, U. S. N. En-
sisn WEIGH U. S. N. r. F.. six enlisted men. C. E.
EyeIeth. C. F. Scott and T. p. Collins OF the Cen
eral Electric company. representing the Nahant
sroup and w. L. Nelson of the Western Electric
company who was connected with wireless devel-
ooment They sailed November %, 1917 and
Soiped the British grand fleet Mt Scapa Flow in
the Orkney islands during the frst week of the
following month
The admiralty and the supreme council
shortly afterward adopted the American device
and from that time on submarine patrol work was
xevolutionized
Defensive tactics which had been employed
ssnce 1914 were now no longer the sole reliance.
TIN war was carred into the enemy's territory.
Fighting ships. instead Of patrolling the steam
shIp lanes looking for . stray Sub" to poke it,