The J o u r n a l of In d u stria l and Engineering Gfiemistry
Pub l i s hed b y T H E A M E R I C A N G H E M I G A L S O C I E T Y
Volume Y O CTO BER, 1913 No. 10
BOARD OP EDITORS Editor: M. C. W h i t a k e r
f.Associate Editors: G . P. A d a m so n , E . G. B a ile y , H. E. B arn ard , G . E. B arto n , A . V . B leinin ger, W m . B ra d y , C. A. Brow ne, F . K . C am e ro n , F . B. C arp e n te r, C . E . C asp a ri, V . C o b le n tz , W . C . G eer, W . F . H illeb ran d , W . D . Horne, T . K a m o i, A . D . L ittle , C . E . L u ck e , P. C . M c llh in e y , J. M . M a tth e w s, T . J. P ark e r, J. D . P en n o ck , W. D. R ich ard so n , G . C . S to n e, E . T w itc h e ll, R . W a h l, W . H. W a lk e r, W . R . W h itn e y , A . M . W righ t.
P u b lis h e d m o n t h l y . S u b s c r ip ti o n p r ic e t o n o n - m e m b e r s o f th e A m e r ic a n C h e m ic a l S o c ie ty . $ 6 .0 0 y e a r l y . F o r e ig n p o s ta g e , s e v e n ty - f iv e c e n ts , C a n a d a , C u b a a n d M e x ic o e x c e p te d .
E n t e r e d a s S e c o n d - c la s s M a t t e r D e c e m b e r 19, 1 9 0 8 , a t t h e P o s t-O ffic e a t E a s t o n , P a . , u n d e r t h e A c t o f M a r c h 3 . 1879.
C o n tr ib u tio n s s h o u ld b e a d d r e s se d to M. C. W h ita k er, C o lu m b ia U n iv e r s it y , N e w Y ork City
C om m u n ica tio n s c o n c e r n i n g a d v e r t is e m e n t s s h o u ld b e s e n t to T h e A m e r ic a n C h e m ic a l S o c ie t y , 4 2 W est 3 9 th S t ., N ew Y ork City S u b s c r ip t io n s a n d c l a i m s lo r lo s t c o p ie s s h o u ld b e r efer r ed to C h a r le s L. P a r s o n s , B o x 5 0 5 , W a s h in g to n , D. C.
Es c h b n b a c h Pr i n t i n g Co m p a n y, Ea s t o n, Pa.
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S The A n nual M ee tin g a t R o c h e s te r... 7 9 2
Presidential A dd ress: In d u strial R esearch in A m crica. , 793
Or i g i n a l Pa p e r s:
Design of Surface C om bu stio n A p p lian ces. B y C harles
Edw ard L u c k e ... 801
M ethods for the E x a m in atio n of N a tu ra l G as for the Production of G asoline. B y E . S. M erriam and J. A . B irch b y ... 824
I h e C hem istry of A n aesth etics, V .: E th y l Chloride. B y C harles B ask erville and W . A . H a m o r... 828
A R apid V o lu m etric M eth o d for D eterm in in g 0-, in-, and £-Cresols, T h y m o l and Phenol. B y L . V . R e d man, A . J. W eith and F . P . B r o c k ... An A p p aratus and M eth o d for D eterm in in g H ydrogen Sulfide in Illu m in atin g G as. B y E . P . H ard in g and Einer Jo h n son ... A M ethod for the D eterm in ation of Phosphorus in V a n adium Steel and F erro van ad iu m . B y C . F . Sidener and P . M . S k a r t v e d t... A Fusion M eth o d for th e D eterm in ation of Sulfur in Iron and Steel. B y F red erick H . F ra n k lin ... I h e . A n alysis of A llo y s of L ea d , T in , A n tim o n y and Copper. B y D . J. D em orest... A R apid and A c cu ra te G rav im e tric M eth o d for D e term ining F a t in Ice C ream s, C ereals and C hocolate. B y E . p . H ard in g and G u y P a rk in ... Proposed M eth o d for D e te ctin g A d u ltera tio n of C ider Vinegar w ith D istilled V in egar. B y S. L . C raw ford . Chemical Stud ies on th e L im e S u lfu r-L ead A rsen ate Spray M ixture. B y W . E . R u t h ... 847
sponges as a F ertilizer. B y Joseph G . S m ith ... 850
La b o r a t o r y a n d Pl a n t: fh e Chem ical L a b o ra to ry of th e P iclicr L ead C o. B y John A . S ch aeffer... 850
A Simple G asoline G a s G en erator for S u lfu r D eterm i nations. B y C . E . W a te rs ... 853
Ad d r e s s e s: ^a *-ent E x p e rt and the C h em ical M an u facturer. B y B ernhard C . H e sse ... 854
he T heory of th e R e m o v a l of Suspended M a tte r from ,,,,Gafes-. B y W . W . S tro n g ... 858
•ihe U tilization of Sew age. B y G eorge A . S o p e r 860 CuRRf NT In d u s t r i a l Ne w s: Ihe Status of th e C em en t I n d u s tr y ... 861
. . . 831
. . . 836
838 839 842 843 845 T h e B eck to n G as L ig h t and C ok e C o m p an y of London, E n g la n d ... 862
T h e M od ern B y -P r o d u ct C o k e O v e n ... 862
"N e ra d o l D ,” A S yn th e tic T a im in ... 863
T h e C auses and P revention of S ew er P ip e F ailu res 863 A N e w D esign in B oiler S e ttin g s ... 864
A S ep arator for D r y M a te r ia l... 864
A bsorp tion and R eactio n T ow ers for C h em ical W o rk s. . 865
T h e R o ta m e te r ... 865
A n A u to m atic E lectric D ry in g O v e n ... 866
T h e M in eral Prod uction of S w ed e n ... 866
T h e Prod uction of C alciu m C a r b id e ... 866
Progress of th e E lectric Steel I n d u s try ...: . . . . 866
Iron C astin gs to R e sist C orro sio n ... 867
T h e P rod uction of F in ish ed Steel in 19 1 2 ... 867
T h e C om position of W ate r G a s ... 867
T h e P ap er In d u stry of A u stria -H u n g a ry ... 867
Sc i e n t if ic So c i e t i e s: A m erican C hem ical S o ciety — F o rty -e ig h th M eeting , R o ch e s te r ... 868
A m erican Electrochem ical S ociety. D en ver M e e tin g .. 870
T h e C hem ical Societies in N e w Y o r k C i t y ... 870
O b itu a ry — E ugen e A . B y r n e s ... 870
O b itu a ry — F . H . D a n ie ls ... 871
No t e s a n d Co r r e s p o n d e n c e: On M eth o d s of A n alysis of C ru d e G ly c e rin e ... 871
W h a t’s the M a tte r w ith the A m erican C h e m is t... 871
O n C alcu latin g the F a t-F re e R esid ue of M ilk ... 872
N o te on C olorim etric M eth o d for T ita n iu m in Iron and S te e l... 872
Petroleum Prod uction in 19 1 2 ... 872
G overn m en t C on trol of C h ilean M in eral D e p o sits 873 • S co ttish O il F u el for B ritish N a v y ... 873
Progress of A rtificial-Silk I n d u s tr y ... 873
C la y P rod u cts Industries in the U n ited S ta tes in 1912 . . 874
Bo o k Re v i e w s: Iron and S teel; M etallic A llo y s : T h e ir S tru ctu re and C on stitu tio n ; S ervice C h e m istry; L iqu id A ir— O x y gen— N itro gen ; D isin fection and D isin fe c ta n ts 874 Ne w Pu b l ic a t io n s... 877
Re c e n t In v e n t i o n s... 878
Ma r k e t Re p o r t... 880
T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y V o l. s, No. 10
THE. ANNUAL MELTING AT R O C H E S T E R
T h e F o rty -e ig h th A n n u a l M e e tin g of the A m e rican C h em ical S o cie ty w as held in R o ch e ster, N ew Y o r k , S ep te m b er Sth to 14th. T h is is th e first m eeting held in th e fall of th e ye a r under th e n e w ly ad o p ted c o n s titu tion , and is b y fa r th e m ost su ccessfu l in th e h isto ry o f th e S o cie ty . T h e large and re p re se n ta tiv e a tten d an ce a m p ly ju stifies th e ch an ge in d a te fo r th e ann u al m eeting from th e C h ristm as h o lid a ys to the fall of th e year.
W e publish elsew here in th is issue th e program of papers p resented to th e gen eral m eetings and th e vario u s sectio n al m eetings, and a s tu d y o f th e list will show an u n u su al n um ber of v a lu a b le co n trib u tio n s to th e o retical and a pp lied ch em istry. T h e greater portion of th e papers in th is p rogram w ill be published in fu ll in th e Jou rnals of th e S o cie ty .
P resid ent L it t le ’s address w as g iv en on W ed n esd a y m orning a t a general m eeting in th e E a s t H igh School.
T h e S ectio n al m eetings w ere held in th e E a stm a n ' B u ild in g, U n iv e rsity of R o ch e ster. T h e p resid ential address, w hich follow s in fu ll, is a m ost a u th e n tic and com preh ensive tre a tm e n t of the s u b je c t of In d u strial R esearch in A m e rica, and its sta te m e n ts of th e e x te n t and th o rou gh n ess of th is d evelo p m e n t in our m ore progressive in d u stries will be a surprise to m a n y of our readers. A carefu l readin g o f th is address w ill un
d o u b te d ly su ggest to d elin q u en t A m e rican m a n u fa c
tu rers th a t serious and genuine In d u stria l R esearch w ill offer th e on ly m eans b y w hich th e y m a y a v o id th e oth erw ise in e v ita b le ste am roller of cru m b lin g ta riff w alls, foreign co m p e titio n and a n tiq u a te d m ethods and p rod u cts.
T h e general m eeting of th e S o cie ty on S ep tem b er 9th w as p receded b y a m eeting of th e B o ard of D ire c to rs a t th e H o tel Seneca on M o n d a y afterno on. T h e R o ch e ster S ectio n of th e S o c ie ty en terta in e d th e C o u n cil a t dinner on M o n d a y even in g , a fte r w h ich th e form al m eeting of th e C o u n cil w as called to order b y P resid en t L ittle . D r. C h as. L . P arson s w as elected S e cre ta ry of th e S o c ie ty an d D r. A . P . H a llo ck , T r e a s urer for a period of th ree y e a rs u nder th e new c o n s titu tion. T h e ed ito rs an d e d ito rial bo ard s of th e S o c ie ty ’s jo u rn a ls w ere reelected for th e cu rren t y ea r, and th e e d ito rial sta ff of th e In d u strial Jou rn a l wras stren gth en ed b y th e ad d itio n of tw o a ssista n t ed ito rsh ip s.
T h e first general session w as held in th e A sse m b ly H all of th e E a stm a n K o d a k C o m p a n y p la n t a t K o d a k P a rk , on T u e s d a y m orning, and w as opened b y a cord ial address of w elcom e b y M a y o r E d g erto n . P ap ers w ere p resented b y M essrs. J. 0 . H a n d y , C . E . K . M ees, B . C . H esse, G . A . Soper an d H en ry L effm ann .
A t th e conclusion of th e m ornin g session, th e m em bers and th e ir gu ests w ere e n terta in e d a t lu n ch eo n b y th e E a stm a n K o d a k C o m p a n y . A fte r lu n ch eo n th e m a n u fa ctu rin g d ep artm en ts and lab o rato rie s of th e p la n t were th row n open to inspection , and u nder the- gu id an ce o f th e te ch n ica l m em bers of th e E a stm a n sta ff th e visito rs w ere g iv e n an ex cellen t o p p o rtu n ity
to gee one of th e m ost h ig h ly d ev elo p e d industries in A m erica.
T h e R o ch e ster S e ctio n e n te rta in e d th e visiting m em bers on T u e s d a y e ven in g , a t a sm oker in Masonic H all. T h e E n te rta in m e n t C o m m itte e , under the di
rectio n of M . H . E ise n h art, a b ly assisted by large co m m ittee s from th e R o ch e ster S ectio n , provided a m ost e la b o ra te p rogram and fe a st fo r this occasion.
E ach gu e st w as d ecked o u t in a com m odious white apron, on w hich w as in scribed , in b old letters, his n am e and address, and, as a p ro te ctio n again st draughts a C h in ese m an d arin cap w ith p ig ta il. The liquid refresh m en ts w ere p ro v id e d in th e form of a special brew su p p lied b y th e M o e rlb a ck B rew ery. The S m o k er p ro g ram w as arran ged w ith great care and consisted of selectio n s b y profession al talen t inter
spersed w ith m uch m usic from an orchestra, songs from a m em bersh ip q u a rte t, u n u su a lly interesting and in s tru c tiv e m o v in g p ictu res, and several impromptu p a rad es b y gu ests. T h e en tire fu n ctio n was most thor
o u g h ly o rgan ized and e x e cu te d an d w ill stan d as a monu
m en t to th e skill an d en ergy of th e R o ch ester Section.
T h e an n u al b a n q u e t .w as set for T h u rsd a y night at P ow ers H o tel. D r. L . H. B a e k e la n d acted as toast
m aster an d th e p rin cip a l sp eakers were President R ees of th e U n iv e rs ity of R o ch e ster; E d w ard W. Mor- le y , p a st h o n o rary p resid e n t of th e E ig h th International C o n gress; P resid e n t A . D . L ittle ; H. E . H owe of Bausch
& L o m b O p tica l C o .; C . H . H e rty o f th e University of N o rth C a ro lin a ; S. L. B ig e lo w of W ashington; and S e c re ta ry C . L. P arson s. A d e lig h tfu l feature of the b an q u e t w as th e o rch estral m usic and a number of sop ran o solos.
T h e excu rsio ns to th e p la n ts of th e B ausch & Lomb O p tica l C o m p a n y , T a y lo r In stru m e n t Com pany, Cur
tice B ros. C o m p a n y , J. H u n gerfo rd Sm ith Company.
M o e rlb a ck B re w e ry , G erm an -A m erican B utton Com
p a n y , G enessee R e d u ctio n C o m p a n y , M unicipal In
cin erato r, S te c k e r L ith o g ra p h ic C o m p a n y , and others, under th e general d irectio n of M r. J. E . W o o d l a n d ,
C h airm an o f th e F a c to r y E xcu rsio n s C o m m itte e ,
p ro v ed to be one o f th e m ost im p o rta n t features of the A n n u a l M eetin g; R o ch e ster, b eing an industrial cen
te r, is a d m ira b ly situ a te d to p ro v id e this i n t e r e s t i n g
an d in s tru c tiv e fe a tu re o f th e p rogram .
T h e E n te rta in m e n t C o m m itte e h a d also made ample p ro visio n for th e en te rta in m e n t of th e la d y m e m b e r»
an d v isito rs in th e fo rm of a recep tio n a t the U n i v e r s i t j
C lu b , a card p a r ty a t th e C e n tu ry C lu b , an e x c u r s io n
to Iro n d e q u o it B a y w ith lu n ch eo n a t the Newpor*
H ouse an d nu m ero u s a u to m o b ile excursions throug th e c ity an d n eigh b o rh o o d of R o ch e ster.
T h e success of th e m eeting is due to th e work of the lo cal co m m ittee s and it w as th e unanim ous opinion 0 th e v isitin g m em bers th a t to th e R ochester Section b elon gs th e cre d it of o rg a n izin g and administering t0 th e m in u test d eta il th e in n u m erab le features wliic1 c o n trib u te d to th e co m p lete su ccess of th e Forty-eig A n n u a l M e etin g .
Oct., 1913 T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
IN D U S T R IA L R E S E A R C H IN A M E R IC A P R E S ID E N T IA L A D D R E S S
B y Ar t h u r D . Li t t l e
Germany has lon g been recogn ized as preem in en tly the country of o rgan ize d research. T h e sp irit of re
search is th e re im m in e n t th ro u g h o u t th e en tire social structure. T h is is n o t th e tim e nor place, h ow ever, nor is it n ecessary before th is au d ience, to refer in any detail to th e long record of sp lend id a ch ie vem e n t m ade by German research d u rin g th e last fifty years. It is inscribed in lum inous
letters around th e rock upon w hich G e r
many now stan ds se
cure among th e n a tions of the world.
The v irility and range of G erm an r e search were n ever greater th an th e y are to-day. N ever b e
fore have the sup erb energy and calcu late d audacity of G erm an technical d i r e c t o r s and Germ an finan
ciers transform ed so quickly and so su rely the trium phs of th e laboratory in to in dustrial conquests.
Never has th e fu tu re held richer prom ise of orderly and su s
tain e d progress, and yet the preem inence of Germany in in d u s
trial research is b y no means in d efin itely assured. A new co m p e tito r is even now girding up his loins and training for th e race, and th a t co m p e tito r is stra n g ely wough the U nited S tates—th a t pro d i
gal among n ations, still ju stly stig m a
tized as the m ost w a stefu l, careless and im p ro vid e n t
p r e s i d e n t l i t t l e
them all.
To one a t all fa m ilia r w ith th e disdain of scien tific caching which h as ch ara cte rize d our in d u stry , and ich still persists in m an y qu arters, th is sta te m e n t
!s so contrary to th e cu rren t e stim a te th a t its general acceptance can n o t be ex p ected . I t w ill h a ve served
• ^ Purpose if it lead s to a co n sid eratio n of th e fa cts which prove th e thesis.
coun try of F ra n k lin , M o rse and R u m fo rd ; of
• c ormick, H ow e an d W h itn e y ; o f E diso n, T h om so n, stinghouse and B ell; an d of W ilbu r and O rville
W rig h t, is o b v io u s ly a c o u n try n ot w h o lly hostile to in d u strial research or u nable to a p p ly it to go od p u r
pose. I t is, h ow ever, n o t su rp risin g th a t w ith v a s t areas of virgin soil of w hich a share m igh t be had for th e askin g; w ith in term in ab le stretch e s of s ta te ly fo rest; w ith coal and oil and gas, th e ores of m etals and countless oth er g ifts of n atu re scatte re d b ro a d cast b y her lav ish hand, our people en tered upon th is rich inh eritan ce w ith th e sp irit of th e sp en d th rift, and g a v e little heed to refinem ents in m ethods of p rod u ction and less to m inim izing w aste. T h a t d a y and ge n e ra
tion is gone. T o d a y , th e ir children, p a r tly th ro u gh b e tte r recogn ition of p o te n tia l valu es, b u t m ain ly b y the pressure of a g r e a tly increased p o p u latio n and th e stress of co m p e titio n a m o n g th e m selve s and in the m arkets of th e w orld, are ra p id ly a cq u irin g th e kn o w led ge th a t effi
cie n cy of p ro d u ctio n is a soun der basis for p ro sp e rity th a n m ere vo lu m e of p ro d u ct, h o w e v e r g r e a t . M a n y o f th e m h a ve a lre a d y learned th a t th e m ost p ro fitab le o u tp u t of th e ir p la n t is th a t resu ltin g from th e ca ta ly s is of raw m aterials b y brains.
A fa r larger n um ber are still ig n o ran t of these fu n d a m e n ta l tru th s, and so it h a p pens th a t m ost of our in d u stria l effo rt still proceeds under th e gu id an ce o f em piricism w ith a h a p p y d isregard of basic principles. A n a tiv e i n g e n u i t y often brings it to a sur- seem s to su p p o rt th e aphorism 'tis fo lly to b e w ise.”
of in d u strial re said o f a b ab e prising success and
“ W here ign oran ce is p ro fitab le, W h a te v e r m a y be said, th erefore, search in A m erica a t th is tim e is
still in th e crad le b u t w hich has n everth eless, like th e in fa n t H ercules, a lre a d y d e stro y e d its ser
p ents and given prom ise o f its p erfo rm ance a t m an ’s estate.
T h e lon g-contin u ed and h ig h ly o rgan ize d research w hich resulted in th e d ev elo p m e n t o f A m e rican a g ri
cu ltu ra l m ach in ery h as led to th e general in tro d u ctio n of m achines w hich reduce th e lab o r co st o f seven
T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y V o l . S, No. 10 crops $681,000,000 as m easured b y th e m eth od s of
o n ly fifty y e a rs ago.
T h e su p erh u m an d e x te rity and precision of A m erican shoe m ach in ery, w hich has re vo lu tio n ize d a b asic in d u stry and red u ced co m p e titio n to th e s ta tu s of an acad em ic question , presen t A m e rican in d u stria l re search a t its best. T h e y are not th e resu lt of th e in d i
vid u a l in sp iration of a few in v e n to rs as is co m m o n ly supposed. T h e y rep resen t y e a rs of co o rd in a ted effo rt b y m an y m inds d irected an d su stain ed b y co n stan t and refined exp erim e n ta l research.
Y o u need n o t be rem in d ed th a t th e u biqu ito u s telep h o n e is w h o lly a p ro d u ct of A m e rican research.
M u n ch au sen ’s s to ry of th e frozen co n versa tio n w hich a fte rw ard th a w e d ou t is a clu m s y fa b le. T h in k of th e N iag aras of speech p o u rin g sile n tly th ro u g h th e N ew Y o r k telep h on e exch anges w here th e y are sorted ou t, giv en a new d irectio n and d elive re d a u d ib ly p erh ap s a th o u san d m iles a w a y . N ew Y o r k h as 450,000 in s tru m ents— tw ice th e n u m ber of th o se in L ond on . L os A n geles has a telep h on e to e v e ry fo u r in h ab ita n ts.
W h y sh ould one care to p ro je ct o n e’s a stra l b o d y w hen he can call up from th e C lu b in fifte en seconds? O ur w h ole social stru ctu re has b een reo rgan ized , we h a v e b een b ro u g h t to g eth er in a single p a rlo r fo r co n v ersa tio n and to co n d u ct affairs b ecau se th e A m e rican T elep h o n e and T eleg ra p h C o m p a n y spends a n n u a lly for research, th e resu lts of w hich are all a b o u t us, a sum greate r th an th e to ta l incom e of m a n y u n iversities.
T h e nam e of E diso n is a househ old w ord in e v e r y lan gu age. T h e E d iso n m eth od is a sy n o n y m for sp ecialized , inten se research w h ich k n o w s no rest until e v e ry th in g has been tried . B ecau se of th a t m eth od an d th e u nique genius w h ich d irects its ap p licatio n , Ita lia n op eras are h eard am id A la s k a n sn ow s an d in th e d ep th s o f A frica n fo rests; e v e r y ph ase of life an d m o vem en t of in te re st th ro u g h o u t th e w orld is cau g h t, registered , tran sp o rted and rep ro d u ced th a t w e m a y h a v e lion h u n ts in ou r draw ing-ro om s and th e co ro n a tio n in a five -ce n t th e atre. F ro m his la b o r a to ry h a v e com e th e in ca n d esce n t lam p , m u ltip le te le g ra p h y , new m ethods o f tre a tin g ores and a th o u san d oth er diverse in ven tio n s, th e d ev elo p m e n t of a single one of w hich has som etim es in v o lve d m illions.
T h e d ev elo p m e n t o f th e a u to m o b ile, and esp ecially of th e lo w -p riced A m erican car, is a th in g o f y e s te rd a y . T o -d a y a single m a n u fa ctu re r tu rn s o u t tw o cars a m inu te, w hile a n o th er is ex p an d in g h is o u tp u t to 500 cars a d a y . E v e r y 23 d a y s th e to ta l en gin e h orse
p o w er of new cars of one sm all ty p e eq u als th e e n e rg y o f th e en tire M ississipp i riv e r d e v e lo p m e n t a t K e o k u k . E v e r y 46 d a y s th is engine o u tp u t rises to th e to ta l en e rgy d ev elo p m e n t a t N ia g a ra F alls. T h e a m o u n t of gaso lin e consum ed u po n our ro ad s is eq u a l to th e w a ter su p p ly of a to w n o f 40,000 in h a b ita n ts, an d its co st on S u n d a y s and h o lid a ys is $1,000,000.
I t goes w ith o u t s a y in g th a t a n y su ch d ev elo p m e n t as t h a t of th e au to m o b ile in d u s t r y 'in A m e rica h as been based upon and v ita liz e d b y an im m easu rab le am o u n t of research , th e ran ge and influence of w hich exte n d s th ro u g h m an y o th er in d u stries. I t h as a c celerated th e a p p licatio n of h e a t tre a tm e n t m ore th a n
a n y o th er agency.- • O ne tir e m an u factu re r spends
$100,000 a y e a r upon his la b o ra to ry . T h e research d e p artm e n t o rga n ize d b y m y asso ciates for one auto
m obile c o m p a n y com p rised w ith in its sta ff experts in a u to m o b ile design, m a th e m a tics, m etallograp h y and h e a t tre a tm e n ts, lu b rica tio n , gaseous fuels, steel and a llo ys, p a in ts and p a in tin g p ra ctice , in addition to th e ch em ists, p h y sic ists and assista n ts for routine or sp ecial w ork.
T h e b e a u tifu l c it y w hose h o s p ita lity has so greatly ad d ed to th e pleasu re and su ccess of th e present meeting of our S o c ie ty is th e h om e of tw o h ig h ly scientific in d u stries of w h ich a n y c o m m u n ity m a y well be proud.
T h e B au sch & L o m b O p tica l C o m p a n y , through its close affiliatio n w ith th e w o rld -fam ed Zeiss works at Jen a, rend ers im m e d ia te ly a v a ila b le in this country th e la te s t resu lts of G erm an o p tica l research. The E a stm a n K o d a k C o m p a n y is p e rh a p s more generally and w id e ly k n o w n th a n ev en th e Zeiss works, and in c a p ita l, o rga n iza tio n , v a lu e of p ro d u ct and profit of o p eratio n w ill b ear com pariso n w ith th e great German com p anies w hose business is a p p lied science. Like th e m , it spends m o n e y w ith a la v ish hand for the pro
m otion o f te ch n ica l research an d fo r th e fundamental in v e stig a tio n of th e scien tific bases on w hich its in
d u s tr y rests. A s y o u h a v e h a p p ily b een made aware, th is w ork is carried on in th e su p erb new research lab
o rato ries o f th e c o m p a n y w ith an eq u ip m en t which is p ro b a b ly u n riva lle d a n y w h e re fo r its sp ecial purposes.
T h e la b o r a to ry exem p lifies a n o ta b le fe a tu re of Ameri
can in d u stria l research la b o ra to rie s in th a t it makes p ro visio n fo r d evelo p in g new processes first on the la b o r a to ry scale an d th e n on th e m iniature factory scale.
T o no c h a p te r in th e h is to ry o f in d u strial r e s e a r c h
can A m e rican s tu rn w ith g re a te r p rid e th a n to the one w h ich co n tain s th e ep ic o f th e electroch em ical develop
m en t a t N ia g a ra F a lls. I t sta rts w ith th e w o n d e r f u l
s to ry o f alu m in u m . D isco ve re d in G erm an y in 1828 b y W oh ler, it co st in 1855, $90 a p ound. In 1886, it h a d fa lle n to $12. T h e A m e rican C astner process b ro u g h t th e p rice in 1889 to $4. E v e n a t this figure it w as o b v io u s ly still a m etal o f lu x u ry w ith few in
d u strial a p plicatio n s.. H all in A m e rica and H6ro u lt
sim u lta n e o u sly in E u ro p e d isco ve red th a t c r y o lite ,
a d o u b le fluoride o f sodium an d alum inum , fused re a d ily a t a m o d erate te m p e ra tu re , and when so fused d isso lved alu m in a as b o ilin g w a te r dissolves sugar or sa lt, an d to th e e x te n t o f m ore th a n 25 per cent.
e le c tro ly z in g th e fu sed so lu tio n alu m in u m is o b ta in e d .
On A u g u s t 26, 1895, th e N ia g a ra w orks o f th e
P itts b u rg h R e d u ctio n C o ., s ta r te d a t N iagara Falls the m a n u fa ctu re of alu m in u m u n d er th e H all p a te n ts .
In 1 9 1 1 , th e m a rk e t price o f th e m etal was 22 cents
and th e to ta l an n u al p ro d u ctio n 40,000,000 pounds.
A ch an ce rem ark of D r. G eo rge F . K u n z, in 18S0, on th e in d u stria l va lu e of ab rasives, t u r n e d the thoug ' 5 o f A ch eso n to th e p ro b lem o f th e ir artificial p r o d u c t i o n
and led to th e d isco ve ry , in 1891, o f c a r b o r u n d u m a011 its su b seq u en t m a n u fa ctu re on a sm all scale at M o n ° D g a h e la C it y , P e n n sy lv a n ia . In 1S94, Acheson 31
Oct., 1913 T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y 795 before his d irectors a sch em e for m o vin g to N iag ara
Falls, when to q u o te his ow n w ords:
‘‘To build a p la n t fo r one th o u san d horse-pow er, in view of th e fa c t th a t we w ere selling o n ly one-half of the o u tp u t fro m a one h u n d red and th irty -fo u r horse-power p la n t, w as a trifle to o m uch for m y con servative directors, an d th e y , one and all, resigned.
Fortunately, I w as in co n tro l of th e d e stin y of th e Carborundum C o m p a n y . I o rg a n ize d a new board, proceeded w ith m y plans, a n d in th e y e a r 1904, th e thirteenth from th e d a te of th e d isco ve ry , h ad a p la n t equipped w ith a five -th o u sa n d e lectrica l horse-pow er and produced o v er 7,000,000 po u nd s of th o se specks I had picked off th e end of th e electric lig h t carbo n in the spring of 18 9 1.”
The com m ercial d e v e lo p m e n t of carbo ru n d u m had not proceeded far before A ch eson b ro u g h t o u t his p ro cess for th e electric fu rn a ce p ro d u ctio n of artificial graphite and an o th er g re a t N ia g a ra in d u stry was founded. In q u ick succession cam e th e W illson process for calcium carb id e and th e in d u stria l ap p licatio n s of acetylene; ph osphorus; ferro -allo y s m ade in th e electric furnace; m etallic sod iu m , ch lorin e and cau stic sod a first by th e C astn e r process, la te r b y th e e x tra o rd i
narily efficient T o w n sen d cell; e le c tro ly tic ch lo rates and alundum.
Perhaps ev en m ore sig n ifica n t th a n a n y of these great industrial successes w as th e L o v e jo y & B ra d le y plant for th e fixatio n of atm o sp h eric n itrogen w hich was perforce aband o ned . I t is w ell to recall, in vie w of that repu ted fa ilu re, th a t th e p re se n t-d a y processes for fixing n itrogen h a v e m ade little if a n y im p ro ve m en t in yields of fixed n itro gen per k ilo w a tt h our over those obtained in th is pioneer N ia g a ra plant.
In the y e a r 1800, a y o u n g a ssista n t of L avoisier, E. I. du P on t b y nam e, em ig ra te d to th is c o u n try w ith others of his fa m ily an d s e ttle d on th e b an k s of th e Brandywine, near W ilm in g to n , D ela w are. H e en gaged m the m an u factu re of gu n p o w d er. T o -d a y th e du Pont C o m p a n y em p lo ys a b o u t 250 train ed chem ists.
Its chem ical d e p a rtm e n t com prises th ree divisions:
the field division for th e s tu d y of problem s w hich m ust be investigated o u tsid e th e la b o r a to ry and w hich m ain tains upon its sta ff ex p erts fo r each m an u factu rin g activity, to geth er w ith a force of ch em ists a t each p lan t for routine la b o ra to ry w o rk ; second, th e exp erim en tal station which com prises a group of lab o rato rie s for research w ork on th e pro b lem s arisin g in connection with the m an u factu re of b la c k and sm okeless pow der, and the in v estig a tio n of p rob lem s or new processes originating ou tside th e c o m p a n y ; third, th e E astern L ab o rato ry w hich confines itse lf to research concerned wuh high exp lo sives; its eq u ip m en t is housed in 76 buildings, th e m a jo rity b ein g of consid erable size spread over 50 acres. S ince no in d u stria l research laboratory can be called su ccessfu l w hich does n o t in due time p a y its w a y , it is p le asa n t to record th a t the E astern L ab o rato ry is e stim ate d to y ield a p rofit to 'ts company of $1,000,000 a year. In ad d itio n to th e generous salaries p aid fo r th e high -class service de
manded b y th e co m p a n y , consp icu ou s success in re
search is rew arded b y bonu s p a y m e n ts of sto ck.
In A cheson and H all h a v e been a lre a d y n am ed tw o recip ien ts of th e P erk in m edal, th e b ad ge of k n ig h th o o d in A m e rican in d u stria l research. T h e d istin gu ish ed and th o ro u g h ly rep rese n ta tiv e ju rie s w hich a w ard th e m edal an n u ally had p re v io u sly b esto w ed it upon H erreshoff for his w ork in e le c tro ly tic copp er refining, th e c o n ta c t process for su lfu ric acid and th e in v e n tio n of his w ell-kn ow n ro astin g fu rn ace, and upon B ch r for cre a tiv e in d u strial research in th e g rea t glucose in d u stry . In 1912, it was receive d b y F rasch , and th is y e a r it w as aw ard ed G a y le y .
T h e G a y le y in v en tio n of th e d ry air b la st in th e m an u factu re of iron in v o lv e s a s a v in g to th e A m e rican people of fro m $15,000,000 to $29,000,000 a n n u a lly . A m odern fu rn ace consum es a b o u t 40,000 cu b ic fee t of air per m inute. E ach grain o f m oisture per cu b ic fo o t represents one gallon of w a ter per hour for each 1000 cu bic fee t en terin g per m inute. In th e P it ts b u rgh d istrict th e m oisture va rie s from 1.83 grains in F e b ru a ry to 5.94 grains in June, and th e w ater per hour en tering a fu rn ace varies a cco rd in g ly from 73 to 237 gallons. In a m onth a fu rn ace using n a tu ra l air received 164,500 gallons of w ater, w hereas w ith th e d ry b la st it received o n ly 25,524 gallons. A co n s e rv a tiv e sta te m en t accord in g to P rof. C h a n d le r is t h a t th e in ven tio n results in a 10 per cen t increase in o u tp u t and a 10 per cen t sa vin g in fuel.
E sp e cia lly n otable and p ictu resq u e am ong th e triu m p h s of A m erican in d u stria l research is th a t b y m eans of w hich F rasch g a v e to th is co u n try p o ten tia l con trol of th e sulfur in d u stry of th e w orld. T h ere is in C alcasie u Parish, L o u isian a, a g re a t d ep osit of sulfur 1000 fee t b elo w th e su rface u nder a la y e r of qu icksand 500 fee t in th ickness. A n A u s tria n co m p a n y, a F ren ch co m p a n y and n um erous A m erican com panies h ad tried in m an y ingen iou s w a y s to w ork th is deposit, b u t h ad in v a r ia b ly failed . M isfo rtu n e and d isaster to all con n ected w ith it h ad b een th e record of th e d ep osit to th e tim e w hen F ra sch a p p roach ed its problem in 1890. H e co n ceived th e id ea of m elting th e sulfur in place b y su p erh eated w'ater forced dow n a boring, and p u m p in g th e su lfu r up th ro u gh an inn er tu be. In his first tria l he m ade use of tw e n ty 150 H . P . boilers grou p ed aroun d th e w ell, and th e tita n ic exp erim ent was successful. T h e pum ps are now discarded and th e su lfu r b ro u g h t to th e su rface b y com pressed air. A sin gle w ell p roduces a b o u t 450 to n s a d a y , and th e ir com bin ed c a p a c ity exceed s th e sulfur consum ption o f th e w orld.
A n e q u a lly n o tab le so lu tio n of a te ch n ical problem w hich had long baffled oth er in v e stig a to rs is th e F rasch process for refining th e crude, su lfu r-b earin g, C an ad ian and Ohio oils. T h e essence of th e in v en tio n consists in d istillin g th e differen t p ro d u cts o f th e fr a c tion al d istillatio n of th e crude oil w ith m etallic oxides, esp ecially oxide of copper, b y -which th e su lfu r is co m p le tely rem oved w hile th e oils d istill o v er as odorless and sw eet as if from th e b est P en n sy lv a n ia oil. T h e copper sulfide is roasted to regen erate th e cop p er.
T h e in ven tio n had im m ense p e cu n iary va lu e. I t sen t the p rod u ction of th e Ohio fields to 90,000 barrels a
796 T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y V o l . 5, No. 10 d a y and th e price of crude O hio oil fro m 14 cen ts a
b arrel to $1.00.
T u rn in g from th ese exam p les of in d iv id u a l a ch ie v e m ent so stro n g ly ch a ra cte ristic o f th e genius o f our p eople in one aspect, le t us again consider for a m om ent th a t oth er and even m ore sign ifican t ph ase of our in d u strial research, n am ely , th a t w hich in v o lv e s th e co o rd in ated and lo n g-co n tin u ed effo rt of m a n y ch em ists along related lines.
C h e m istry in A m e rica is essen tially rep u b lica n and p ra g m a tic. M o st o f us b elieve th a t th e d octrin e science for scien ce’s sake is as m eaningless and m is
ch ievo u s as th a t of art for a r t ’s sake, or lite ra tu re for lite ra tu re ’s sake. T h ese th in g s w ere m ade for m an, n ot for th em selves, nor w as m an m ade for them . M o st of us are begin nin g to realize th a t th e m ajo r problem s of applied ch em istry are in c o m p a ra b ly harder of solu tio n th a n th e problem s of pure ch em istry , and th e a tta c k , m oreover, m u st often be carried to conclusion a t close q u arters under th e stress and strain in d u ced b y tim e and m on ey facto rs. U n der these circu m stan ces it should not ex cite surprise th a t a c o n s ta n tly rising p rop ortion of our best research is carried on in th e lab o rato rie s of our g re a t in d u stria l corp oratio ns, and now here m ore e ffe ctiv e ly th a n in th e research la b o ra to ry of th e G en eral E le ctric C o m p a n y u nder th e gu id an ce of y o u r p a st p resid ent, D r.
W h itn e y . A s to th e la b o ra to ry m eth od D r. W h itn e y sa y s in a personal le tte r: “ W e see a field w here it seem s as th o u gh exp erim en tal w ork o u g h t to p u t us ahead.
W e believe th a t we need to g e t in to th e w a te r to learn to sw im , so we go in. W e s ta rt b a c k a t th e acad em ic end as far as possible, an d co u n t 011 k n o w in g w h a t to do w ith w h at w e find w hen w e find it. S uppose th a t we surm ise th a t, in general, co m b u stib le in su latio n m aterial could be im p ro ve d upon. W e t r y to g e t som e w ork sta rte d on an artificial m ica. M a y b e w e t r y to sy n th esize it and soon com e to a p u re ly th e o retical qu estion ; e. g., is it possible to cry sta llize such stu ff under pressure in eq u ilib riu m w ith w a ter v a p o r cor
responding to th e com po sition of real m ica? T h is m a y lead a long w a y and call in a lo t of pure c h e m istry and p h ysica l ch em istry. U su a lly w e ju s t keep a t it, so th a t if y o u h a v e n ’t seen it on th e m a rk et w e ’re p ro b a b ly a t it y e t .”
In strik in g c o n tra st to the secrecy m ain tain ed b e
tw een in d iv id u a l w orkers in large G erm an research lab oratories, is th e alm o st u n iversal cu sto m in A m e rica to en courage staff discussion. In th e G en eral E le ctric L a b o ra to ry , as in m an y oth ers, th e w e e k ly sem inars and co n stan t h elpful in terch a n g e of in fo rm atio n has d evelo p ed a sta ff u n ity and sp irit w hich g r e a tly in creases th e efficien cy of th e o rga n iza tio n and raises th a t of th e in d iv id u a l to a h igh er pow er.
M a n y even ings could p ro fita b ly b e sp en t in d is
cussing the a ch ievem en ts of th is la b o ra to ry . T h e ir q u a lity is well in d icated b y the new n itrogen tu n g sten lam p , w ith its */s w a tt per can d le, w h ich com bines th e g rea t work of D r. C oo lid ge on d u ctile tu n gsten w ith th e stu d ies o f L an gm u ir and oth ers of th e sta ff on th e p a rticu la r glass and gas and m etal w hich are b ro u g h t to g eth er in this lam p. -
A n y a tte m p t to a d e q u a te ly present th e enormous vo lu m e of research w ork, m uch of w hich is of the h igh est grad e, c o n s ta n tly in progress in the many scien tific b u reau s and sp ecial lab o rato rie s of the general g o ve rn m e n t or even to in d ica te its actual ex
te n t and ran ge, is of course u tte r ly b eyo n d the limits of m y a tta in m e n ts or of y o u r p a tien ce. T h e generous p o licy of the g o ve rn m en t to w a rd research is unique in th is, t h a t th e resu lts are im m e d ia te ly m ade available to th e w hole people. H e a v y as som e of the govern
m ent rep o rts are, th e y can n o t be exp ected to weigh m ore th a n th e m en w ho w rite th em . Som e, like the G e o ch e m istry of F . W . C la rk e , are o f monumental ch aracte r. A v a s t n u m ber áre m on ograph s embodying real and im p o rta n t co n trib u tio n s to scien tific knowledge or in d u strial p ra ctice. Som e, as w ou ld be expected, are little m ore th a n co m p ila tio n s or present the results of tr iv ia l or ill-con sid ered research .
T h e U n ited S ta te s is still ess e n tia lly an agricultural co u n try and ag ricu ltu re is, in its u ltim ate terms, ap plied p h o to -ch e m istry . T h e v a lu e of our farm p ro p e rty is a lre a d y o v er 842,000,000,000, and each sunrise sees an ad ded in crem en t o f m illions. Even sm all a d va n ce s in a g ricu ltu ral p ra ctice bring enormous m o n e ta ry retu rn s. T h e g re a te st problem before the c o u n try is th a t of d e v elo p in g ru ral life. While our people still crow d in to a lre a d y co n gested cities, some are b egin nin g to realize th a t L o n g A cre Square is not a w h o lly sa tis fy in g su b stitu te for L o n g A cre Farm, and to q u estion w h eth er th e w indin g, fern-fringed country road s of V e rm o n t m a y n o t be a b e tte r national asset th a n th e G re a t W h ite W a y.
C h ief, th erefo re, am ong th e G o vern m en t Depart
m ents, in th e vo lu m e of in d u stria l research is of course th e D e p a rtm e n t o f A g ricu ltu re , w hich includes w ith in its o rg a n iza tio n te n g re a t scien tific bureaus, each inspired b y an in ten se p ra gm a tism and aggressively p ro se cu tin g research in its a llo tte d field. T he m ag n i
tu d e of th ese o p eratio n s of th e D ep artm en t m a y be in ferred from th e fa c t th a t it sp en t for printing alone
du rin g th e fiscal y e a r ju s t en d ed §490,000. The a ctiv itie s of its a rm y o f agen ts lite ra lly cover the earth,
and its an n u al exp en d itu re runs to m any millions.
T h e B u re au o f Soils, th e B u re au of P la n t I n d u s t r y ,
th e B u re au of A n im al In d u s tr y and th e Forest S ervice h a v e to do w ith th e v e ry fo u n d atio n s of our n a t i o n a l
existen ce and p ro sp erity , and th e ir researches have added b illion s to th e n atio n a l w ealth . The B ureau
of C h e m istry , th ro u g h its re latio n to th e e n f o r c e m e n t
o f th e P u re F o o d L a w and th e inspection of m e a t s
before in te rs ta te sh ip m e n t, is as ubiqu itou s in its in
fluence as th e m ornin g n ew sp ap e r and touches the daily life of th e people alm o st as clo sely. T h e consumer is b y no m eans th e o n ly one b en e fitte d b y its activities.
M a n u fa ctu re rs are p ro te cte d fro m th e unfair competi
tio n of less scru p u lo u s p rod u cers. T h e progress of research is stim u la te d n o t o n ly b y investigations within th e B u re au , b u t b y th e ir re a ctio n upon the m a n u f a c
tu rers of foo d p ro d u cts w h o are ra p id ly being brought to estab lish lab o rato rie s o f th e ir ow n. T h e food work of th e B u re au is su p p lem en te d an d extended by the lab o rato rie s of th e s ta te and c ity board s of healt ,
Oct., 1913 T U E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y 797 of which th a t -of M a ssa ch u setts has been n otable for
productive research. S p ccia l lab o rato rie s w ithin the Bureau carry its influence and in v e stig a tio n s into oth er fields as in case of th e P ap er and L ea th er L ab o rato ry .
The Office of P u b lic R o a d s of th e D ep artm en t, mindful of th e fa c t th a t less th a n ten per cen t of the total road m ileage o f th e co u n try has ever been im proved, m ain tains a large o rga n iza tio n of engineers, chemists and oth er scien tists to co n d u ct in v estig a tio n s and com pile d ata, th e u ltim a te purpose of w hich is to secure efficiency and eco n o m y in th e lo catio n , con
struction and m ain ten an ce of c o u n try roads, h ig h w ay s and bridges.
The research w o rk o f th e D e p a rtm e n t of A g ricu ltu re is greatly au gm en ted and g iv e n local ap p licatio n through the a g e n cy of 64 s ta te a g ricu ltu ral experim ent stations estab lish ed fo r th e scien tific in v estig a tio n of problems relatin g to a g ricu ltu re. T h ese station s arc supported in p a rt b y F ed era l gran ts, as from th e Hatch and A d am s fu n ds, and for th e rest b y sta te ap
propriations. T h e ir presen t incom e exceeds S 3,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 . All are well eq u ip p ed ; one o f th e m , C alifo rn ia , in
cludes w ithin its p la n t a su p erb e sta te of 5400 acres with buildings w orth $ 1 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 .
The statio n w o rk is o rgan ized upon a n atio n al basis but deals p rim arily w ith th e p rob lem s of th e in d ivid u al states. T h e efficien cy of th e ir w ork is stim u la te d b y the requirem ent of th e A d a m s F u n d th a t ap prop riation shall be confined to defin ite p ro jects. T h e n um ber of such projects d u rin g 1 9 1 0 w as 3 3 5 and du rin g 1 9 1 1 , 29°- T he red u ction in n u m b er in no w a y im plies diminished a c t iv ity , and is due to m ore carefu l selection and preparation, w ith elim in atio n of tr iv ia l and m erely demonstrational p ro jects. W h ile th e w’ork of the stations n ecessarily c o ve rs a w ide ran ge o f su b jects, many of w hich w o u ld n o t be regard ed as chem ical in nature, a n otable p ro p o rtio n h as to do d ire ctly w ith chcmical p rojects. O n ly th e b riefest reference can be made to a few o f th ese:
At C on n ecticu t, O sb o rn e’s stu d ies of p roteins and their feeding v a lu e s h a v e d evelo p e d differences as great in their a ssim ila b ility as th o se existin g b etw een the different c arb o h y d ra te s.
Kansas has a d e p a rtm e n t for th e s tu d y of problem s ln handling and m illin g grain w ith an exp erim ental baking plant for te stin g th e b re ad -m ak in g c a p a c ity of flours. T h e m illers are a c t iv e ly coop eratin g.
M innesota has a sim ilar th o ro u g h ly m odern b ak in g and testing la b o ra to ry for stu d ies in w h ea t and flour chemistry and te ch n o lo g y.
Arizona finds th a t d a te rip en in g m ay be so hastened by spraying the im m a tu re fru it w ith ace tic acid th at choice varieties are cau sed to ripen in th a t region.
The Cornell S ta tio n h as d em o n strated th a t the growth of a legum e w ith a non-legu m e gives th e la tte r a t,reater protein co n te n t th a n when grow n alone.
Wisconsin has estab lish ed th e significan ce of sulfur as a Piar>t food; grain crops, for exam p le, rem ove n early as much sulfur as th e y do ph osphoric acid, w hereas 1 ie soil supply of su lfu r is fa r less.
ermont is stu d y in g th e fo rcin g of p lan ts b y means carbonic acid gas.
Id ah o has raised th e p rotein co n ten t of w h ea t b y 50 per cent. K e n tu c k y has d evelo p ed a m ethod for th e detection of Bacillus typhosus in w ater, and N orth D a k o ta is co n d u ctin g v e ry exte n sive field te sts on th e d u ra b ility of p aints and oils.
T h ese are of course m ere su rface referen ces w hich h a rd ly to u ch th e real w ork of th e sta tio n s. A n enorm ous am ou nt of research and ro u tin e w ork on fertilizers is co n s ta n tly carricd on b y m eth od s s ta n d ard ized b y th e A sso ciatio n of O fficial A g ricu ltu ra l C h em ists. T h e th e o ry of th e actio n of fertilizers engages th e effo rt of m a n y research w orkers w ho find th e problem far m ore com plex th a n th e old p la n t food th e o ry assum ed.
I t m a y be said w ith o u t fea r of co n tra d ictio n th a t through th e com bin ed efforts of th e D e p a rtm e n t of A g ricu ltu re, the E xp erim e n t S ta tio n s, th e A g ric u ltu ra l Colleges and our m an u factu re rs of a g ricu ltu ra l m a
ch in e ry there is d evo te d to A m e rican a gricu ltu re a far greate r am o u n t of scien tific research and effo rt th an is a t th e service of a n y oth er business in th e w orld.
N o o th er organic su b stan ce occurs in such ab u n d an ce as wood, and few if a n y are m ore g e n e ra lly useful.
A b o u t 15 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 to n s of w ood are still w asted a n n u ally in th e U n ited S ta tes. T h e F o rest P ro d u cts L a b o ra to ry w hich is m ain tain ed b y th e F o re st S ervice in coop eration w ith th e U n iv e rsity of W isconsin has for its purpose, th e d ev elo p m e n t and p ro m u lgatio n of m ethods for securing a b e tte r u tiliza tio n of th e fo rest and its products, and its research w ork is d ire cted to th a t end. T h e la b o ra to ry is sp le n d id ly eq u ipp ed w ith a p p aratu s of sem i-com m ercial size for w ork in tim b er ph ysics, tim b er tests, w ood p rese rvatio n , w ood pulp and p aper and w ood d istillatio n and ch em istry.
In th e U n ited S ta te s P a te n t Office, D r. H all has developed a re m a rk a b ly com p reh en sive ind ex to ch em ical literatu re w hich now co n tain s 1 ,2 5 0 ,0 0 0 cards and w hich is open to e v e ry w orker. T h e B u re au of F is h eries d evo te s $4 0 ,0 0 0 to a single s tu d y and th e G eo lo g ical S u rv e y , $ 10 0 ,0 0 0 to th e in v e stig a tio n of th e m ineral resources of A la sk a. It sp ent, in 1 9 1 3 , $ 1 7 5 ,0 0 0 for en gravin g and p rin tin g alone. T h e superb G eo p h ysical L a b o ra to ry of th e C arn e gie In stitu tio n of W ash ington is also c o n s ta n tly en g a ge d in th e m ost refined researches in to th e com po sition, prop erties and m ode of genesis of th e e a r th ’s cru st. T h e S m ith sonian In stitu tio n is honored th ro u g h o u t th e w orld for th e efficien cy o f its effo rt to increase and diffuse useful know ledge am ong men.
T h e B u reau of M ines of th e D e p a rtm e n t o f th e In terio r w as establish ed to co n d u ct in b eh alf of the pu blic w elfare fu n d a m en ta l inquiries and in v e stig a tio n s into th e m ining, m etallu rgical and m ineral ind u stries.
Its ap pro p riatio n for th e cu rren t fiscal y e a r is $ 6 6 2 ,0 0 0 , of w hich $ 3 4 7 ,0 0 0 is to be d ev o te d to te ch n ical research p ertin en t to th e m ining in d u stry . T h e B u re au has revo lu tio n ize d the use o f exp lo sives in m ines. O ver
$8 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 w orth of coal is now b o u g h t on th e sp ecifica
tion and a d vice of th e B u re au w hile m ore th an 50 of the larger cities, a num ber o f sta te s, and m an y corp oratio n s h ave ad o p te d -th e B u reau p lan of pu rch ase. O ur ow n
T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y V o l . 5, No. 10 D r. P arson s, as ch ief m ineral ch em ist of th e B u reau ,
is ca rry in g its researches in to new and in te re stin g fields.
P erh ap s no b e tte r evid en ce co u ld be ad du ced of th e p resent ran ge and vo lu m e of in d u stria l research in A m e rica th a n th e n ecessity, im p o sed upon th e a u th o r of such a general su r v e y as I am a tte m p tin g , o f co n densing w ith in a p a rag ra p h his reference to th e B u reau of S ta n d a rd s of th e D e p a rtm e n t of C om m erce. Its purpose is th e in v e s tig a tio n and te stin g of stan d ard s an d m easuring in stru m e n ts and th e d ete rm in atio n of p h ysica l co n stan ts and th e prop erties of m aterials.
T o these o b je cts it d evo tes a b o u t $700,000 a y e a r to such good effect th a t in e q u ip m e n t and in th e high q u a lity and o u tp u t of its w ork it h as in ten y e a rs ta k e n ran k w ith th e fo rem o st scien tific in s titu tio n s in th e w orld for th e p rom otion of in d u stria l research and th e d ev elo p m e n t and s ta n d a rd iza tio n o f the in stru m e n ts, m aterials and m ethods th erein em p lo yed . Its in fluence upon A m e rican research and in d u s try is a lre a d y p rofou n d and ra p id ly exten d in g. T h e B u re a u co
o p erates w ith foreign go ve rn m e n ts and in stitu tio n s, and is c o n s ta n tly co n su lted b y s ta te an d m u n icip al officials, te ch n ica l bodies, com m issions and in d u stria l lab o rato rie s as a co u rt of h igh est appeal.
I can n o t b e tte r conclu d e th is cu rso ry and fr a g m en ta ry referen ce to g o ve rn m e n ta l w o rk in a p p lied science th a n w ith th e w ords of th e d istin gu ish ed D i
re cto r o f th e B u re au o f S ta n d a rd s:
“ If th e re is one th in g a b o v e all oth ers for w hich th e a ctiv itie s of our g o v e rn m e n t d u rin g th e p a st tw o or th ree d ecades w ill b e m arked it is its origin al w ork alo ng scien tific lines, and I v e n tu re to s ta te th a t th is w o rk is ju s t in its in fa n c y .”
In vie w o f th e evid en ce offered b y G e rm a n y o f th e far-rea ch in g b en efits re su ltin g fro m th e close co- o p eratio n w h ich th e re o b ta in s b etw e en th e u n iv e rsity la b o ra to ry and th e in d u stria l p la n t, it m u st b e a d m itte d w ith regret th a t our ow n in stitu tio n s of learn in g h a ve , sp eakin g g e n e ra lly , fa ile d to seize or realize th e g rea t o p p o rtu n ity co n fro n tin g th e m . T h e y h a ve , alm o st u n iv e rsa lly , n eglected to p ro v id e a d e q u a te eq u ip m en t fo r in d u stria l research , and, w h a t is m ore to be deplored since th e first w o u ld oth erw ise q u ic k ly follow', h a v e ra re ly acq u ired th a t close to u ch w ith in d u stry essen tial for fa m ilia rity an d a p p reciatio n of its im m ed iate and pressing needs. T h ere are h a p p ily som e n o ta b le excep tion s. P erh ap s fo rem o st am ong th e m sta n d s th e M assa ch u setts In s titu te o f T e ch n o lo g y w ith its sup erb en gineering and te stin g eq u ip m en t, its R esearch L a b o ra to ry of A p p lied C h e m is try and th e m eritorious thesis w o rk of its stu d e n ts in all d e p a rt
m ents. T h e B io lo g ical D e p a rtm e n t h as been esp ecially a c tiv e and su ccessfu l in ex te n d in g its influence in to in d u stria l and s a n ita ry fields, w h ile unusual significan ce a tta ch e s to th e m oto r v e h icle stu d ies ju s t conclu d ed and th e m ore re c e n tly in a u g u ra te d sp ecial in v e s tig a tions in e le c tric ity , since b o th w ere in itia te d an d s u p p o rte d b y ex te rn al in terests. A b o u t tw o y e a rs ago th e In s titu te b ro u g h t v iv id ly before th e co m m u n ity th e v a r ie ty and e x te n t of its w ide-spread service to in d u s try b y h old ing a C on gress o f T e ch n o lo g y , a t w h ich all of
th e m a n y p ap ers p resen ted record ed th.e achievements o f In s titu te alum ni.
T h e C o lo rad o S ch ool o f M ines, recognizing that
$100,000,000 a y e a r is lo st th ro u g h inefficient methods of ore tre a tm e n t, h as r e c e n tly eq u ip p ed an experimental ore dressing and m e ta llu rg ica l p la n t in which prob
lem s o f tre a tm e n t a p p licab le to ores of w ide occurrence w ill be in v e stig a te d . T h e O hio S ta te U niversity has e stab lish ed an en,viable re p u ta tio n fo r its researches in fu el engin eering. C o rn ell h as b een especially alive to th e scien tific needs o f in d u stria l practice, and a lo n g exp erience w ith te ch n ica l a ssistan ts enables me to s a y th a t I h a v e fo u n d none b e tte r equipp ed to cope w ith th e m iscellan eou s p rob lem s o f in d u strial research th a n th e g ra d u a te s of C orn ell. I t m a y in fa ct be stated g e n e ra lly th a t th e q u a lity of a d va n ced chemical tra in in g n ow affo rd ed in th is c o u n try is on a par with th e b est o b ta in a b le in G e rm an y , and th a t home-trained A m e rican y o u th a d a p t th e m se lve s fa r m ore efficiently to th e req u irem e n ts and co n d itio n s of our industries th a n do all b u t th e m ost ex ce p tio n a l G erm an Doctors of P h ilo s o p h y w ho find e m p lo ym e n t here.
S evera l of th e g re a t u n iversities of th e middle west, n o ta b ly th o se o f W iscon sin and Illin o is, have placed th e m selve s clo sely in to u ch w ith th e in d u strial and other needs of th eir co m m u n ities and are exertin g a funda
m en ta l and gro w in g influence u po n affairs. In the east, C o lu m b ia has re c e n tly estab lish ed a p articu larly well e q u ip p ed la b o r a to ry fo r in d u stria l ch em istry and is b ro a d en in g its w o rk in th is d ep artm en t.
T h e U n iversities of K a n s a s and of P ittsburgh are carry in g fo rw a rd an esp e cially in terestin g experiment in th e o p eratio n of In d u stria l R e sea rch Fellowships su p p o rted b y th e sp ecial in te re sts d ire ctly concerned.
T h ese F ello w sh ip s en d ow w orkers for th e attack of su ch d ive rse s u b je c ts as th e ch e m istry of laundering, th e ch e m istry of b read and b ak in g , th a t o f lim e, cement and v e g e ta b le iv o ry , th e e x tr a c tiv e principles from the d u ctless glan d s o f w hales, th e a b a te m e n t of the smoke n u isan ce, th e te ch n o lo g y of glass, and m any others.
T h e resu lts o b ta in e d are in ten d e d p rim arily for the b e n e fito f th e s u p p o rte rs o f th e in d iv id u a l Fellowships but m a y be p u b lish ed a fte r th ree y e a rs. T h e holder of th e fello w sh ip re ce ive s a pro p o rtio n of th e financial benefits re su ltin g fro m th e research , and the scale of sum s a llo tte d h as p ro g re ssive ly risen from $5°° 3 ye a r to $2500 and ev en to $5000. W h ile some dou bt m a y re a so n a b ly be exp ressed as to th e possibility of close in d iv id u a l su p ervisio n o f so m a n y w idely varying p ro je cts, th e resu lts o b ta in e d th u s fa r seem entirely sa tis fa cto ry to th o se b eh in d th e m ovem en t, which has fu rth e r serve d to s tro n g ly em p h asize th e willingness o f our m a n u fa ctu re rs to su b sid ize research.
T h e presen t v it a lit y an d ra te o f progress in A m e ric a n
in d u stria l research is s tr ik in g ly illu s tra te d b y its very recen t d ev elo p m e n t in sp ecial ind u stries. It has been said th a t our b est research is carrie d on in those lab
orato ries w h ich h a v e one clie n t, and t h a t one th e m s e lv e s .
T w e n ty -fiv e y e a rs ago th e n u m ber of industrial concern s e m p lo yin g even a sin gle chem ist was very sm all, and ev en he w as u su a lly e n gage d alm ost wholl>
upon rou tin e w ork. M a n y concerns engaged in busi
