The Little River news., 1920-12-11
Edison Has Invented Many
 Very Useful Devices

publishes the following dispatch from 
 The part American ingenuity played l in winning the war is disclosed in a history of the Naval Consulting board i of the United States, made public by Secretary Daniels today.
 The volume reveals achievements which, if projected decade ago. pro ! bably would have been rfdiculed as , visionary" Chief among these was a ! device by which the launching of g. I torpedo could be heard on shipboard | 4 1000 yards away-or further than a | torpedo can be effectively launched from a submarine.
 This invention was but one or al score or more contributed by Thomas A. Edison, president of the board.
 MT. Edison appears to have been the moving spirit of the board. Forsaking his laboratories at the outbreak of the war, he practically became naval of ficer. He spent most of his time in the Navy Department here, and took long deep sea 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 of the attention of the board. To this problem Mir. Edison devoted his tradi- tional twenty-four hour working days, and after overcoming many obstacles finally perfected his listening device.
 This contrivance was in the form of an outrigger suspended from the bow spirit of a vessel and containing an immense phonograph dApnram. By means of compensators, the noise of the vessels engines was obliterated, thus making it possible for the device to work perfectly even when the ship was blowing at full speed through the toughest seas.
 With this device boats moving 1,7OO 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 a big storm was in progress and ths boat also proceeding at full speed. MT. Edison followed this invention with a device for the quick turning cf vessel whenever the detector 'indi- cated that torpedo was coming in the vessels direction. He did this by means of strong conical canvas bags. A heavy rope was attached to the mouth of the bag, and light rope, m slip knot, to the tapering end l When cast into the sea the mouth opened, filling the bag with water and thus acting as drag. By pulling the lighter rope the smaf1 end of the bag was opened. This let the water out, instantly relieving the resistance. Four I of these bags cast from the side or q 5000 ton vessel laden with 4,OO0 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 attractei
 his attention. By working day and night over the records of submarine sinkings he discovered that not more than per cent of the sinkings took place at night.
 MT. Edison commenced to work out his plans for the ship to sail in and out cf the danger zone at night; to for sake the old standard lines of travel as much as possible; to anchor through the day in comparatively shallow wat CTS and harbors where submarines could not approach them, steaming only at night to other points of an chorage on the way to their destina- tions.