Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-10-06
CHEMICALS TO
MEAN MUCH
PRESENT WAR
DR.. 6. A. Abbott Of Univer.
sity Returns From Meet
ing at Boston.

''The war has become a chemical
BATTLE said DIR. G. A.. Abbott, head Of
the department of chemistry at the
University of North Dakota, who re-
yesterday from Boston, where
he has been in attendance at the an
nual meeting of the American Chem
ical society. and other important gath
erings Of q patriotic nature In the east.
DIR. Abbott has been in h east for
the past month";
In speaking of the contributions
that the chemists are making to tho
winning of the war, DIR. Abbott said:
THE American Chemical. society
which met In annual meeting In Bos-
ton now has q membership of 10000,
the largest of any technical society in
tho world. The meeting was charac-
terized by patriotic expressions and
to render the maximum. service to the
country. There were reports from all
the chemical committees of the Ma
tional Council of Defense, and while
most of these were secret, still 1t may
be said that the chemists are doing
a remarkable work for the governs
ment. .f ~
Detects Escape Of Hydrogen.
1.-TWO men from California, for ex-
ample, have worked out q device for
detecting escape of hydrogen from
balloons and submarines. Hydrogen
is odorless. and invisible, n hence
when it escapes inalarge quantities ex-
plosions occur causing the. destruction
of submarines and balloons. The de-
vice will detect automatically the es-
cape of hydrogen.
1T is evident to a close observer
that the wal is becoming more and
more q chemical battle. The Ger
mans began by using simple gases, but
their chemists have been working on
more complicated one all along, and
now the chemists on both sides are
working on more and ore deadly
gases and on means of protection from
the gases Used by the enemy. This
also applies to ammunition.
chemists. and it is impossible to sup
ply it. DR.. Parsons of the United
States bureau. of mines stated that the
first CONSUMPTION yielded only $50
chemists for the government and that
twice hat number is needed at once.
Industries are expanding and demand
ing far more chemists than can pos
sibly be supplied Practically every
university and college in the United
chemistry faculty and cannot find
them. Many Of the universities have
been stripped Of their best men in the
chemical field, and are having to util-
ize their seniors as instructors.
1.-THE meeting Of the chemists was
marked by the greatest simplicity.
There was no banquet, but a smoker
was held down the harbor at Hull.
At this smoker two ~interestin guests
They were DR.. Grignard, famous or
ganic chemist. of France, and DR..
PAngel. a major in the French army,
on governmental business in this
country. The latter paid high COM
pliments to the United States, saying
that we have accomplished in three
months what France has not accom-
plished in three years. The National
Chemical society Of France is being
which is considered the best in the
perfected Optical Glasses.
Among the interesting things an
nounced in the meeting vas the state
ment by the United States geo-physi-
| cal laboratories that the government
cooperating with factories in Roch.
ester have perfected optical glass, and
America is no longer dependent on
Europe for optical glass.
The chemists from the Mayo In
SLltutc, ItOC1lCSSC1s NAAAAA.s
that they have succeeded in isolatine
the iodine containing substance in the
thyroid gland, the substance which ii
responsible for growth in the human
body. They have announced that by
the injection of this substance into tbs
veins Of dwarfs and undeveloped
adults they have caused growth alons
normal lines. :. -----
After the meeting in Boston DR.
Abbott, representing the Grand Fork
Commercial club, attended the wal
congress of the chambers Of com
merce Of the United States at ATTAIN
tic City. Returning.to New York hi
attended the third annual exposition
of the chemical institutes Of Amertcs
in the Grand Central Palace: It wa:
fully one-third larger than last year
and showed great development in the
applied sciences.
The situation as regards the dye II
this country is reported as very salts.
factory. There WILDE no more "made
in Germany labels, and every dy3
formerly obtained in Germany ha.