Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-04


OF Mines. whose improved processes for
!nakn" gasoline smohcicss powdc! and
dN"stuffs arc founded on some ur tic
most rcv"iutlpm:,ry discoveries that
eyer originated in . ;;u..rImen; bi-
fcdu. is only ihirty-ou wears old II.
cot mis- IN - from columbia only
HrN'h months ago. and went 10 Wort.
IN. Ding before tho ink 81 his liccusc
or tn" paint on his Office door MAS
drN som" folks think that when you
set a college Sh".pakiu ali yon hav"
to do * TO look shecpsh. Bu, that
isn't the Iittman idea
Mrs. 1tittman really ought tn havc
gone in tho hrst paragraph. bu; sha
begged for the BACKGROUND. and this
u the bees, thar can H." done. t'or she
has worked side by side with her nus
band IN til" laboratory. and has been
an Indispensable aid in h,lpIu. 10 look
up 5000 separate articles bcarin. on
his subjects Sh" has also acted ns
official translate. from all lauGWu.c<
Including Russian. III, simple nos
session Of q working knowIadGc o: tina;
language by anyhodS except 81 native
- enough I" make - whole family
distinguished
i'r. Rittnlar has been III Washing
ton since the announcement 81 his
great achievement. Nobody disc viii
iDnkc ANY dc!init. strtomcnt Tor him
YovcrN. But = series OF experimental
Questions fred OFF In the laboratories
q at Cclumbin drew out a few facts about
the man and his work.
scope of the New rr,crs-
According {" the statement ~ Sec
rotary Lane, the ncw process wiiI rem
dor America independent 70: Germany
in tho production 81 dyes and smoke
loss powder
We're il not FOR this discovery"
said Mr., Lane, 1t is possible that ia
an emergency We might b" compelled
10 rely largely on the greatly inferior
explosives ,nat were used in the time
OF our Civil War. ana this would spell
national Disaster
Resides this. pr ALTMAN has found
method Of increasing the supply OF
S"soi'nc. iiencnf"rward In addition to
dog fancicrs. drn ma tisas aud caiupaig,
button manufacturers, several OF the
more common grades Of business men
such as guards 'nationai and subway
smiths thiack and gold and saucr-
kraui havor"rs Will he able IL run
automobiles 10 san Francisco on their
own gasoline.
To 80 back 10 tho title page Walter
Frank Ritt'nan was born IN Sandushy
O.. on December :. lSS3 lie got his
first degree at Swarthmore College in
laos. lie was :: member os the famous
football team that cleaned up every
thing insiSh. during that period
Walter Camp picked him for the ideal
hil-American team. III other words
Ii" was born, predestined athlete,
with incidental propcnsitics for paus-
Ing in the serious business OF sport
to d" little thinking. He was inter
collegiate wrestling champion, too, and
great swimmer on the side.
Found Practical Work in shops.
But that didn't prevent him from
spending three or four years in the
shops around Cleveland. And he WASH,
above serving as chemist OF the United
Gas Improvement Company Of Philadel-
phia. lie was getting so old by this
time that he felt life was too short To
spend working for one company. So h,,
hung out shinBle and let 'em all come
and ask him. But he used 10 tell them
what he thought Of them.
over IN Germany. it may be recalled
the business man will plan his schedule
for ten years ahead. Then hell decide
what he's likely to want TO begin to
do about the beginning of the second
decade. I'll up laboratory about twice
as large as his factory and tell the
chief chemist TO take his time, with a
year off for travel, hotel tips included.
The American manufacturer turns over
Il converted hon coop to his chemist and
says
invent new process for making
China silk out of spider web / shall
begin work tomorrow. If you can give
me few specifications to look over to-
night SO mich the better"
Next Came tS Columbia.
! Now DR.. Rit;man scolds about this
habit--then he turns around and meets
the demand. But after he had worked
| while rs consulting chemist he de-
| cided he didn't know enough So he
came to Columbia for graduate work.
| He had added an y. NJ. and an NJ l..
| to his titles. He is u great adder
| little over year ago he added the wife
already credited to his account. He lee
| tured in the summer school just to try
| on, the things he was absorbing him.
| self.
| Every summer the scientist goes off
! to the woods or shore. Aside from his
work. his friends say. he is n big hearty
/ hoy, having all the fun he can when his
! brains will let him. Sometimes they
! won't. One summer, in the middle OF
an outing, an Idea struck him. lie
! packed his bag and took the next train
| for town and his laboratory.
"1lc had these problems all solved on
paper" said an associate, before he
[ tried them out in practice" 1t was n
triumph Of his reasoning powers over
experimental skill. Months of work
were needed before any results could be
published. But the great idea was built