The New York herald., 1920-01-10
SAYS SUBMARINE,
/. NOT DEsTR0YERS,
BEAT SUBMARINE
General Hines Declares Facts
Not in Accord with Pop
ular Impression.


speaking at the dinner held last evening
in the Hotel Astor in termination of the
convention which organized the National
Foundation for the Develop
ment of American Inventions and Ameri-
can Industries, said that, contrary to the
general impression and to the belief he
himself had held, the class of vessels
which had destroyed the largest number
of enemy submarines was not the de-
stroyer but the allied and American sub
marines operating against craft of their
own types.
George Julian Houtain, the toastmaster,
introduced General Hines as "the author
of the book Service of the Coast Artillery,
which is regarded as the army Bible"
General Hines said that during the war
period not fewer than 5000 inventions had
been submitted for consideration by the
Inventions Section Of the General Staff Of
the Army. "And of that number he said
"a very large proportion contributed in
some measure to our success" Referring
to Germany's use of the submarine, he
said that at one period of the war of
every 100 vessels that steamed away
from the British Isles twenty-five never
came back. "And our final success in
combating the enemy submarine was due
to the nventiveness of the American
mind and to the courage and trained ef-
ficiency of the British and American
navies. which enabled our splendid trans
port to carry safely to France 100000 men
and 100000 tons Of supplies and ammu-
nition."
The generals theme was "1nventiins for
Defence" The very best invention for de-
fence, he said, was the cultivation of a
stronger spirit of Americanism. ."The De-
partment of Justice has recently made q
very fine invention said General Hines,
"and that is the invention of the Soviet
Ark, which is now entering the Kiel Canal
hope the time is coming-and that soon
when this country will be very un-
healthy place for all sovets and Rus
sian anarchists who oppose our American
ideals of cooperation and well being"
Among the recent militant inventions
for defence the speaker spoke of the
American automatic rifle and of the sys-
tenn of railroad heavy coast artillery de-
veloped during the war, which promises to
solve the old problem of the defence of
our coast lines.
General Hines said he favored compare
lively small regular army for peace time,
with large and well trained reserve, to
be fed and maintained by a brief term of
universal vocational and mill
tary training.
Simon Lake inventor of the submarine
and president Of the Lake Submarine Boat
Company, who preceded General Hines,
kept his hearers in gales of laughter by
his recital of the thorny path 1le trod when
he was first striving to lay before New
York capitalists and Navy Department
highbrows' the merits of his subrnersible
boat and was regarded by them as a mere
crank.
The National Laboratory Foundation for
Invention and Research, which was organ
lied at the convention, has for its purpose
the development of American inventive
genius and to help America maintain her
supremacy as rne greatest Inventive ma
tion
Il well remember when I first came to
New York, in 1S93,' said Mr. Lake, ito try
to interest capital in my invention of a
submarine boat that could explore the
ocean depths within certain limits, in
which people could sit in comfort and
view the beautiful submarine scenery as
the boat was navigating along the bottom,
and from which they could open a door
and step out on the bottom and collect
submerged objects such as coral, sponges,
pearl oysters and other objects of value
or scientific interest. and that by main
tanning q pressure of air in the divers
compartment no water could enter the
vessel through the open door,
"Premier Weapon"
Also wanted to point out that my in
vention would be of great value in salvag-
ing sunken ships and that as a submarine
torpedo boat it would prove to be the
premier weapon for the defence of our
coast line, our cities and harbors. and tina.
it would. with its torpedoes. destroy any
battle ship afloat or building.
Il usually only got as far as explaining
how j could open a door under water
through which no water would enter the
boat, when / would notice n narrowing
of the eyes of the listener, and he would
usually afterward surrepttiously press a
button and one of his clerks would come in
and advise him that he had made an inn
portant engagement with some other gen.
tleman who was waiting to see him. The
result was that, after wasting several
months, / did not raise a. dollar and only
succeeded In getting one man. Charles II.
Haswell. the noted engineer, to believe in
the possibility of my invention.
At the opening of the convention in the
morning Thomas Howard, temporary
chairman. explained the purposes of the
p~oposed organization of the National
Laboratory Foundation. 1t would help
inventors, he said. to develop their ideas
along practical lines. discouraging need
less and impractical inventions; ii would
help manufacturers develop moro eco
nomical processes, thus permitting indus
try to maintain supremacy In manu-
factures. 1t would save waste in duplca-
tion of research work by maintaining a
bureau of research records and patent
data for easy consultation.
Among the speakers who indorsed the
movement were l.. A. Subers, executive
chairman of the Buckeye Rubber Com
pany, the Subers Rubber Products Com
pany and the American Rubber Products
Company. OF Cleveland. whose inventions
have materially advanced the rubber in
dustry: l.. w. Euelen, vice president OF
the Individual Drinking Cup Company. OF
New York; William NJ. Grosvenor, Ph.D.
chemical engineer and patent expert. and
Major William ]. Hammer, of New York.
Mr.. Luellen was one Of the speakers at
the dinner Samuel Gompers, who was to
have discussed The Importance of In
vention to Labor" telegraphed his regrets.
and John Hayes Hammond, Jr.. who also
had been listed among the speakers, sent
wireless from his yacht outside the har-
Dor explaining that he could not get in
because OF stormy weather.