The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-07-17
Running Battleships by Radio
Nav RevOlutiOniZe Modern War

That's as weak as near beer. Count
decisive victory for the navy In the
first nayy-air service battle.
Count a decisive victory for the
navy-that was all well enough But
what OF the victory for John Hays
Hammond jr inventor VI the
mechanism that enabled Comman-
der Hooper to press key ON the
Ohio that moves a many-ton battle
ship five miles away on the water
"Ahc answered every signal the
ohio gave her. perfectly" the men
on the Henderson said. 1T was
unCauny to see her turn and slithrr
through the water, guided only by
the pressure of mans forctinger
on key"
Some Of the representatives OF
foreign governments could hardly
believe their eyes.
"Du YOU mean there is not n soul
on board that hoat?" one asked.
"Not a soul" he was answered.
"what feeds the proper amount
. of oil to her boilers
Hooper, through the key on the
Ohio
And hc--or rather, this wireless
opens her throttle, regulates her
] water SuHiINt AhAH HS iA'A ~ f''N ~
starboard? 80
yes"
/ Explain some Of tho workings OF
/ this invention, II tho United states
wishes TO do So"
such Of the facts as Hammond
/ and the navy wished Ia be given out
were explained The apparatus for
/ controlling the Iowa consisted Of a
standard radio transmittcr on the
] ohio and a receiving aerial on tho
Iowa. with special radiot receivers,
amplificrs, relays and secret devices
| to transform the radio sent into au-
tomato action on the electrical con-
trolls OF the steering gear and the
throttle Of the main engines.
To explain bit more, here's how
the Iowa was startcd----. \ signal
was sent from the radio room OF the
Ohio, the aerial masts Of the Iowa
picked 1t UP and carried 1t down to
the radio receiver The signal was
amplified by means OF special
vacuum tube amplifiers and made
TO operate a very sensitive relay or
switch. This, in turn, operated an
other switch, larger one. THIS
large relay closed an electrical cir
cult which operated an electrically
controlled pneumatic valve. The
valve opened and let in compressed
air to the throttle of the main en-
rincs which sent the Iowa spinning
forward at the rate of speed desired.
Sounds simple. doesn't 1t?
who is this Mr. Hammond?' the
representatives OF other governments
asked casually.
They were told.
Where does he live?'
"In Gloucester, Mass
He is on board. of course?"
no, he is not on board"
The foreigners seemed greatly
surprised at that, but diplomaticaliS
dropped the questioning for while
Soon enough they resumed II.
The government owns MIR. Ham
mond's invention, does 1t notY'
mo-
What? The government doe
not own it?"
mo"
Once again the questioning wen
back to Mr.. Hammond personally
where he lived, why he had not of
fercd his invention to the govern
mcnt-or had he?
The interest Of the foreign OBJ
servers in Hammond's invention wa'
cooled just the least bit when tbs
casual remark was dropped that tn,
young man had offered his invcn
tion to the United States at sun
!. somewhere up in six figures. No
the United States had not bought IL
but United States radio experts hat
been working with him lately or
its perfection, so II appeared thai
the young man and his govcrnment nj
were not exactly apart on this --latest
J product Of his brain.
Think Of the possibilities Of send.
ing by wireless a ship loaded witf
explosives into another country.
port in time of war" everyone who
saw the Iowa's test thought immc
-diatcly. Think what airplane'
Gould do If they were guided in tha'
way"
, Could airplancs be guided in thai
way? Navy and radio experts be,
lievc they could. II there was any
little detail about the mechanism
r that needed to be cleared up--lcav,
p II TO John Hays Hammond, jr.'