Evening star., 1940-02-04

been successful in getting Foster
Wheeler to submit a boiler, and Bab-
cock g. Wilcox. I was faced. with
this patent situation, which wasn't
clear at all. We could not get up
a boiler which would evade or get
around all of his previous patents.
I was faced with complicated and
unknown patent situation, one that
was fraught with danger of suits.
I was faced with rather curious
group Of associates. I didn't know
whether we could preserve the Sc
crecy, or whether this would leak
on over to foreign countries, and
was faced with lack of funds and
an unproven article. To weigh that
against having other types which
were properly made by large COM
panies which gave equal promise to
the La Mont, it just seemed useless
to 60 on putting up more money to
develop this.
Wanted Navy Financing.
"We made the proposition that
he go ahead and get somebody to
build his boiler and finance it. We
were interested, and If he could only
bring it about and have it developed,
going ahead and getting himself
financed and build it, we would test
it, and if 1t was acceptable we would
be glad to consider the purchase
of 1t. He didn't want that. He
wanted us to finance the develop
ment Of it.
Finally he came back with another
proposition, in which he said he
would get somebody to finance the
construction Of a full-size boiler,
and then they would build it and
submit 1t for test, but if the test
proved satisfactory we would have
to buy it. He might make a
thing that would fit in a ship and
still pass the engineering specifica-
tions, but which would not be suit
able for us. I refused to buy a pig
IN poke. I told him to go ahead
and develop it, like everybody else
does. - You must create your
product, and then we will consider
buying it, We will put you on an
approved list of bidders. And that
didn't satisfy him.
"As far as I know, Mr.. La Mont
has just an idea about boiler. He
tried to sell it to somebody to make
money, and he is trying to get the
Navy to finance it so that he can
sell it to make money for himself,
and the Navy doesn't want to-"
Mr.. Edison said that the Nays
present standard of 900 pounds and
$50 degrees of temperature in boiler
operation has been demonstrated
sufficiently to show "a very large
saving in fuel which means a longer
cruising radius, saving in weight and
space that can be used for military
benefits, and so is generally accept
ed now by the Navy as a perfectly
reasonable standard"
Germans Reduce Pressure.
He said that the Germans had
started the other way, at the ex-
treme upper pressure limits of
around 5000 pounds, but that the
German Navy has reduced its de-
signed pressures for steam installa-
tions to approximately the United
States Navy's current practice OF
600 pounds, according to currently
believed information. He indicated
that it is possible that difficulties
experienced with materials and aux
iliary equipment when using the
high pressures and temperatures
was the cause of the reported re-
duction in pressures used in the Ger
man Navy, and that gains in weight
and space through the use of high
pressures and temperatures were off,
set by a lack of reliability and rug
gedness through trouble with aux
iliary equipment and pipe lines.
Mr.. Edison said there is no avail
able information indicating that the
Germans have employed the La
Mont boiler in their famous pocket
battleships, but that on the con-
trary the recognized authority
James Fighting Ships, states that
eight Diesel engines are used for
propulsion of these ships.
Mr.. Edisons determination that
the United States Navy shall re-
main abreast of all chronological
developments in order that our fight
ing ships may be the most modern
in every particular it is possible te
produce is we'll known. He has insti-
gated a renaissance and enlarge
ment of the Naval Research Labora.
tory, making it independent of the
Navy Bureau of Engineering ano
responsible directly to his own Office
He has added the patents section
from another bureau to the labora.
tory and personally prevailed upor
Admiral Bowen, recognized as one
of the Nays foremost advocates o1
applied research, to take over tht
leadership of the unit.
Research Being Fostered.
Admiral Bowen now is building uE
a national research advisory body
composed of the Nations foremost
industrial and research leaders tx
cooperate in keeping the United
States Navy abreast of the --latest
chronological advances in every fiele
which holds promise of being usefu
to the service.
Not only has Admiral Bowen usee
every effort to expand our research
and make it applicable to improve.
ment of our naval forces, it is point.
ed out at the Navy Department
but he also has sought to break ul
monopolies in the supply of any
essential materials or equipment tt
the Navy and to introduce free ane
open competition in the hope tina
quality may thereby be improved
Most famous of his monopoly
smashing" campaigns had to d.
with the supply Of boilers for nava
vessels, and as q result there today
is free competition in this field
which for many decades has beer
virtually limited to one company
1t is known that he welcomed th'
efforts of boiler company new tt
the naval field to obtain licenses tt