Evening star., 1915-07-11

abolishing public nuisance, but he
has devoted his profits to the suosi-
Incidentally, 1t Is worth noting that
the vesting of patent rights in a scien-
tific institution will tend to remove any
possible inclination on the part of users
time this semi-public ownership will
insure the attainment of an equitable
basis for the business transactions. The
scientific instinct and the generous
his persistent efforts and his agreeable
methods. have received the appreciation
of the scientific world, and the value
of the man as well as the value OF the
patents has been established
This Is only a sample OF what nu-
merous scientific and technical jour
nails have had to say about him. Still 1t
has not turned his head. II anything,
1t has increased his shyness and mod
esty. He runs from interviewers. and
he has holy horror of photographers.
Once. several years ago, before he was
known to fame. at the request of his
wife, he had a photograph of himself
taken. But when a demand arose for
those pictures he did his best to sup
press the issue. Only one ever got into
print. 1t is reproduced herewith.
Several months ago when DR.. Cot
trell was in Washington in consulta-
tion with the officials of the bureau of
mines in regard to his work. one of
those officials quietly sent out for
photographer. intending to get a por-
trait of the doctor at a desk. AS the
trell. white and agitated, bolted out of
the other He would not como back
until after dark.
While scientists accord to DR.. Cot
trell all credit for his process. which
has resulted in an economic advantage
of literally millions of dollars already
to the Industries of this country, he in
sists that all he has done is simply to
htttl al. 1rv II t.I,
by other scientists.
The removal of suspended particles
from gases by the aid of electric dis
charges" says DR.. Cottrell. 'is by no
find it suggested by Hohfeld as a means
OF suppressing ordinary gases. and
again a quarter of a century later by
Guitard. These suggestions. which do
not seem to have stimulated any prac-
tical study of the question. were soon
entirely forgotten and only brought to
light again by Sir Oliver Lodge many
years after he himself had independ-
emily discovered the same phenomena
and brought them to public attention
in lecture before the Liverpool Sec
tion of the Society of Chemical Indus
try. November 3. 1885.
Some ten years ago, while studying
various methods for the removal of
acid mists in the contact sulphuric-
acid process at the University of Cali
fornia. 1 had occasion to repeat the
early experiments OF Lodge. and be-
came convinced OF the possibility of
developing them into commercial reali-
ties. The subsequent work may fairly
be considered as the reduction to engi-
neering practice as regards equipment
and construction of the fundamental
processes long since laid open to US by
the splendid pioneer work Of Lodge, q
feat vastly easier today than at the
time of Lodges and Walkers original
attempt"
DR.. Cottrell did not have much money
when, in his native town Of Oakland.
Cal, he started to get his education.
Still, he was an extraordinarily apt
pupil in the common and high schools,
and in 1892. when he was only fifteen
years old, he was ready to pass the
entrance examination for admission to
the University Of California at Berke-
ley Work outside Of study hours and
scholarships he won took him through,
however, and in 1S96-the year he won
the La Conte fellowship-he was grad
uated a bachelor Of science.
For the next three years he taught
chemistry in the Oakland high school,
and then. with the accumulated reserve
fund saved from his salary. he went to
Europe to carry out his long cherished