Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-28
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING

are commercially valuable This COM
pany is completing a railroad and plant
which will. it is estimated. cost 5000. 900
The plant will handle 100000 gallons of
brine day. Experts have estimated
that the lake contains 6,OOo.OoO tons of
potassium chloride. 1t is expected that
the daily output from the plant will be
potash salts. 4s9 tons; borax. 225 TONS
soda ash. sos tons: salt. 1907 tons, and
sodium sulphate. 593 tons
1t has long been dream of scientists
that the potash salts known to be part
OF the silicate rocks might be extracted
on a commercial basis. Many men have
attempted to do this. but failure has al
ways been their portion. The agitation
started by the federal government to find
potash in this country seems to have
spurred on the scientists to renewed
efforts along this line, for the United
States patent Office has had a deluge of
applications for patenting processes of
obtaining potash from silicate rocks One
company has already been formed in Bal
timore to exploit one of these processes.
A mineral found in some Of the west
ern states known as alunite is also a
source of potash and commercial inter-
ests have been very busy in attempts
to extracts the salts on profitable basis
At Marysvflle Utah, there is a great de-
post of this mineral. and roasting and
grinding plant is now in process of cree
ton to make potash. In addition to all
OF these different methods of obtaining
this valuable chemical food for the soil.
there is still another which is being tried
out by a number of companies. and this
is the drilling of deep wells in the hope
Of finding potash in solution in the water.
Enterprises of this kind have been
started in Nevada.
In spite of the vigilance Of the federal
physicians at the different ports Of land
ing in the United
Trachoma Among States it seems
Immigrants. e,oted ssts 80
choma, that dread infectious disease of
the eyes. are succeeding in getting into
this country. An examination recently
made by Dr. ]. W. Schereschewsky of
the public health service among the
$3.50 employees of the Youngstown Sheet
and Tube Company, at Youngstown.
Ohio. disclosed the startling fact that
seventy-six cases of true trachoma ex-
listed
Only four cases were found among
l 700 Americans. There were discovered
twenty-five cases among 700 Croatians
and Servians: three cases among $50
Italians; one case among fifty Lithuan-
ians: fifteen cases among 500 Magyars;
two cases among $50 Poles; twenty-five
cases among 100 Roumanians, and seven
cases among 1000 Slovaks. Thirty-two
of the cases had not lasted more than
six months. twenty-one cases from six to
twelve months and twenty-five cases one
year and more.
While the investigation showed that
many of the foreigners must have had
49,
country, the conditions indicated to the
public health service expert that the dis
ease was spreading among the men. The
Youngstown concern that employed the
men was appealed to and a hospital in
which the sufferers could obtain proper
treatment was furnished, fully equipped
with physicians and nurses. This hos
pital now has fifty-five cases in quaran-
tine under treatment. The investigation
has now been extended to the other big
industrial establishments of Youngstown
and 1t is predicted that conditions
equally as bad as in the Sheet and Tube
Company will be found.
Trachoma Is a disease of the eyes. and
the eyes only. 1t is treacherously in
sidfous in Its onset, and the afflicted one
often thinks he is a victim of ordinary
sore eyes or graduated lids Its progress
sion is usually very slow and marked with
spontaneous improvement at times to be
become worse. Sooner or later there will
appear on the upper lid. the part first at
tackled, an evidence of the true trachoma,
which is soon followed by the same APP
pearance on the lower lid. These are in
the nature of granulations or pin-headed
elevations on the otherwise smooth surface
of the lid involved. These granulations
are the typical thing about trachoma and
the subsequent blindness. IL it ensues, is
caused by the mechanical irritation of
the sensitive white and pupil of the eye.
though all cases untreated do not result
in blindness.
Trachoma in remote times was preva-
lent in Egypt, and it was first brought
into Europe when Napoleon and ms SOL
diers returned from their Egyptian con-
quests. For the last 100 years it has pre-
vailed in Egypt to the extent of about 40
per cent of all the inhabitants Today 1t
is found largely in Turkey, Russia. south
ern Italy, Austria Hungary and Greece.
Some time ago it was found that in this
country among the Indians, there were
Il. 900 cases of trachoma among 25ooOo
How the Indians were first injected is
not known The disease Is also found In
large percentage among the inhabitants
of the mountains of eastern Kentucky.
The problem never became one OF I'M
, portance to this country until some emil
nent medical men called attention to the
fact that the disease was infectious, ana
that there was danger of an epidemic
from the foreigners who were coming
to this country from infected countries.
The finding of so many cases of trachoma
IN an industrial center of moderate size
like Youngstown has proved disduieting
to the medical men, 1t is said that 1t Is
likely careful Investigations of other COM
munities where there are large numbers
of foreigners employ ed will be made soon.
The federal government does not like
the idea of preaching to the public that
smoke is unnecessary
Solving the in burning coal while
So, it has federal build
oMohe EVIL. ings throughout the
country that in some instances violate
all the ordinances there are on the smoke
nroblem. 1t gbelieves that wherever and
Whenever possible. If it has something of
value for the people, it ought to illustrate
this itself by way of example.
The bureau of mines has for a number
of years been investigating the proper
burning OF coal and has all the time been
maintaining in smoky Pittsburgh an ex-
neriment station that has been operated
Without Objectionable smoke. In these
experiments the bureaus experts have
found that different Goals from different
parts of the country require different
types of furnace If the coal is to he
burned economically and without smoke.
BY using an experimental furnace the
EXPERTS have discovered a number Of
cardinal principles that they say ought
to be put in operation in every munic-
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