The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-10-08

every day. We have a leader already
IN every chief branch OF science.
National Academy Useful,
THE National Academy. which or
sani2cd this movement last AnriI nj
me request of the president OF the
United States did so in pursuance of
us duty The academy was established
by act OF Congress during the Civil
war with the stipulation that the sery-
ices OF its members must be available
to the national government without
charge. During and since the Civil war
the government has called upon it on
some sixty different occasions. the
most recent being to conduct n criti-
cal geological investigation OF the
slides in the Panama canal. President
Wilson has now called upon it for this
new and important service 10 the
country.
THE first thing on our program
is TO undertake at once national
register Of research. which will i'm
clude an inventory of equipment for
research in all the general educational.
governmental and privately endowed
institutions.
Another important problem which
we have already taken up is the de-
termination of the best process for
the production of nitric acid. Tho
government. as is known. has appro-
priated S2O,00O,0O0 for the production
OF this acid which Is invaluable for
the manufacture of explosives and for
fertilizers, and ii has asked our aid
TfNtf II,
nitric acid supply. which has come
TO us almost entirely from the nitrate
beds of Chile. though still available
r. procurahle only at high prices,
which have been raised by the war and
in the event OF this country ever be-
Ing at war 1t would he serious han.
dicap TO have to rely on a nitrate sun
ply that was several thousand miles
away. There are now many processes
being tried in foreign countries for tho
manufacture OF nitric acid, by taking
ii from the air and from waste prod.
ucts. and which of these, some OF which
are scarcely known here, is the best
adapted for our purposes will be the
object of this research.
Another item will be an exhaustive
study into the processes for the man
ufacture OF optical and chemical glass
es' which heretofore have come almost
entirely from Germany"
Personnel of Council.
Dr. Hale. who is director OF the Mt
Wilson Solar Observatory, called at
tention also to the personnel of the
council Medicine, for example, is rep
resented by Dr. William H. Welch.
president Of the National Academy, by
Major-General William c. Gorgas, sur
geon general OF the United States
army; Dir. Simon F'lexner, director of
the Rockefeller Medical Institute: and
Dr. Victor c, Vaughan, past president
Of the American Medical Society;
biological science by DR.. Edwin G.
Conklin, professor Of zoology, Prince
ton University; chemistry, by DR.. A.
A. Moves. Of Massachusetts Institute
OF Technology and DR.. l.. II. Baekland:
physics by DR.. A. A. Nicholson, of the
University of Chicago; and electricity
by Professor VI. !. Pupin, of Columbia
University. These branches, with the
exception Of medicine arc In the realm
OF pure science. Recognizing, however
that the practical applications of tho
principles which the pure scientists
discover rest largely with engineers
there liz a strong representation from
the great engineering societies. Glenn
ems Herschcl, president Of the Amerl-
can Society Of Civil Engineers; John
]. Carly, chief engineer Of the Amer!-
can Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany; Gano Dunn, president of the
]. G. White Engineering Corporation;
@. u. Skinner, director of the research
laboratory of the Westinghouse Com
pany; and DR.. W, R. Whitney, dIrec-
70 Of the research laboratory Of the
General Electric Company are among
those who VIII represent the engineer
ing side OF the councils work.
The important military aspects VIII
be presented to the council by Major
General William Crozier, chief Of ord
nance Of the United States army: bS
Lieutenant Colonel George o. suuier,
chief of aviation OF tho United States
army, and Chief Constructor David ",
TaYloE. United Stated navy. will ranrn.