Robert S. Griffin letter to James R. Harris - March 25, 1918
Transcript
[Navy Department letterhead] BUREAU OF STEAM ENGINEERING WASHINGTON, D.C., March 25, 1918. My dear Mr. Harris: I have your letter of the fifteenth, in reference to a visit said to have been made by Messrs. West and Harris to submarine boats at the works of the Lake Torpedo Boat Company, and in reply will say that I have unofficial information that Mr. West did make a visit to the works of the Lake Company, but not upon invitation of an officer of the Bureau of Steam Engineering. It was, I understand, upon invitation of Commander Nimitz, who is attached to the Submarine Base at New London. So far as I am advised, Mr. Harris has not visited the Lake Works or a Lake submarine. When it was represented to me that Diesel engine men were ready and willing to cooperate in the design of an engine, I was very much of your opinion in regard to the matter; but felt that it was an opportunity that should not be disregarded and so called the conference to which you were invited to send a representative, and which resulted in the appointment of an Executive Committee to consider the general design of an engine suitable for naval use. In the appointment of this Committee, I believe the controlling idea was to so constitute it that it should not be representative of, or have in its membership, any firm either supplying the Navy with oil engines or engaged in the manufacture of them; and so far as I am advised such representatives have not had access to engines supplied by your firm. I may say that after such examination as was made, the [page one]
Transcript
[page 2] Committee decided that they could not improve on your engine, and that their efforts have since been centered entirely on mechanical injection of fuel. You ask some questions which I have no desire to evade, and I shall answer them in order : First,- It is not customary to afford facilities to one firm for the examination of equipment furnished by a competitor. Second,- The same applies to plans. Third,- As to possible competitors, the Navy Department has always held that it is free to make any improvement in design that is possible, and in doing so to utilize the best talent available. It cannot determine who may or may not, at some remote period, become a competitor in the field and, therefore, must exercise its judgement as to who may be permitted to examine in confidence equipment, and in doing so has always kept in mind the rights of the builders. Fourth,- Drawings of submarine engines are, subject to the limitations of the preceding paragraph, considered confidential as between the builder and the Navy Department. Very truly yours, [Robert S. Griffin] Engineer-in-Chief, U.S.N. Mr. James R. Harris, President, Busch-Sulzer Bros. Diesel Engine company, St. Louis, Missouri.
Details
| Title | Robert S. Griffin letter to James R. Harris - March 25, 1918 |
| Creator | Griffin, Robert S. |
| Source | Griffin, Robert S. Letter to James R. Harris. 25 March 1918. Busch-Sulzer Collection. Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin. |
| Description | Letter from Rear Admiral Robert S. Griffin to James R. Harris, the Vice President and General Manager of the Busch-Sulzer Diesel Engine Company. Griffin discussed the design of the Busch-Sulzer engine, and the belief that no better engine could be built by the committee of engineers. |
| Subject LCSH | Diesel engine; Submarine boats; Busch-Sulzer brothers Diesel engine company; Lake Torpedo Boat Company; Griffin, Robert Stanislaus, 1857-1933 |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I; Submarine engine |
| Contributing Institution | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Wisconsin Historical Society: 608-264-6535 |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. |
| Date Original | March 25, 1918 |
| Language | English |