Cleveland County herald., 1920-11-18
EDISON DEVICES AIDED U. s
 NAVY DEFEAT U-BOATs.
Listener Warned of Torpedoe. and Drag" Enabled Ship. to Make
 Quick Turns to Escape.

publishes the following dispatch from Washington:
 The part American ingenuity play in winning the war is disclosed in history of the Naval Consulting Board of the United States, made public by Secretary Daniels today.
 The volume reveals achievements which, if projected a decade ago, probably would have been ridiculed as visionary" Chief among these was device by which the launching of a torpedo could be heard on ship board 4,00O yards away-or further than torpedo can be effectively launched from a submarine.
 This invention was but one of a score or more contributed by Thom- as A. Edison, president of the board. MT. Edison appears to have been the moving spirit of the board. For saking his laboratories at the out break of the war, he practically be- came a naval officer. He spent most of his time in the Navy Department offices here, and took long deepsea cruises that he might be in closer touch with the problems to be solved His Listening Device" Because of the German submarine menace, ship protection claimed most l of the attention of the board. To this problem MT. Edison devoted his 1 traditional twenty-hour working days, and after overcoming many of obstacles finally perfected his listen ing device.
 This contrivance was in the form of an outrigger suspended from the bowsprit of vessel and containing an immense photograph diagram. By means of compensators, the noise of the vessels engines was oblitera- ted, thus making it possible for the device to work perfectly even when the ship was blowing tt full speed through the toughest seas.
 With this device boats moving l. 1 700 yards away could be readily heard while the vessel was going full speed. A submarine bell five and one-half miles away could also be heard while big storm was in pro- gress and the boat also proceeding at full speed.
 MT. Edison followed this invention with device for the quick turning of a vessel whenever the detector indicated that torpedo was coming in the vessels direction He did this by means of strong conical can vas bags. A heavy rope was at- tached to the mouth of the bag, and a light rope, in a slip knot, to the tapering end.
 The Drag" for Quick Veering
 When cast into the sea the mouth opened, filling the bag with water and thus acting as a drag. By pulling | the lighter rope the small end of the bag was opened. This let the water out, instantly relieveing the resist ance. Four of these bags cast from the side of a 5000 ton vessel laden with 4,000 tons of coal caused it to turn ninety degrees from her course in two minutes, with an advance of only 200 feet.
 Night sailing of ships next attract ed his attention. By working day and night over the records of sub marine sinkings he discovered that I not more than per cent of the sink ings took place at night.
 Mir. Edison commenced to work out i his plans for the ship to sail in and out of the danger zone at night; to forsake the old standard lines of travel as much as possible; to anchor | through the day in comparatively shallow waters and harbors where submarines could not approach them iteaming only at night to other ports | of anchorage on the way to their destination.
 Strategic Maps
 MT Edison nrenared A new set If