Compressed air used for ship camouflage during WWI

WWI ship camouflage (not related to text below)

SPRINGFIELD MAN DRAWS PLANS FOR SHIP CAMOUFLAGE in Springfield News-Record (Springfield IL), December 18, 1917—

Springfield is the birthplace of an invention that may prove useful in concealing Uncle Sam's ships at sea from raiding U-boats, the inventor says. The invention is a system of pipes to radiate about a ship under the water line, through which compressed air is to continually blow a sheet of water up about the ship, thus permitting submarine officers to see through their periscopes only the camouflage of water.

Joseph Collins. 634 West Calhoun Avenue, who has been working for the last six months on the invention. estimates that It will cost only $10,000 or $12,000 for each ship to be equipped with his camouflage system.

He mailed to the US War Department a detailed description of his plan, he says, but the War Department referred him to the Navy, and now he is awaiting a reply from Secretary Daniels' department in Washington, as to whether the government will accept his offer and use his invention.