The Colorado statesman., 1917-01-06
Uncle Sam Turns Valuable Prod
uct Over to Hospitals for
Treatment of Cancer.
PATENTS GIVEN TO PEOPLE
Methods Evolved by Bureau OF Mines
for Extracting Mineral From Ore
Dedicated to Use of Public.

have cost in the open market more
than a million dollars. The greater
part of it has been turned over to
two great hospitals for use in the
treatment of cancer. The work was
done by the bureau Of mines under
an agreement with the National Ra-
dunn institute, which supplied the nee
essary capital, amounting to 100000,
to develop a more economic method
for the manufacture of radium from
the carnotite ores of the West.
The National Radium institute was
organized for the purpose of studying
the curative properties of radium and
not for private gain. The institute
supplied the notwithstanding landi
and the plant and machinery and the
bureau offered to develop the radium-
making process, being influenced by
the fact that there were $4,000 deaths
each year in the United States from
cancer. Altogether 81a grams of
radium have been made for less
than $4,000 a gram. The market
selling price for radum has been from
100000 to $4,000 gram.
The bureau of mines spent $4,000
in developing this process and will re-
ceive as its share of the cooperative
agreement with the institute at least
100000 worth of radium which will
be used for scientific purposes. The
methods of extracting radium that
have been evolved have been patented
for the benefit of the people and may
hn hU will
United States.
The manufacture of radium is but
one of the notable achievements of the
bureau of mines shown in the annual
report of the director, Van II. Man.
ming.
Big Saving in Gas.
Mr.. Manning declares that as n re-
suit of the introduction of the bu-
reau's methods of drilling oil wells in
the Blackwell field of Oklahoma, there
has been saved more than S20,000,000
worth of natural gas. The plan OF
drilling included the use of a mud that
seals off the natural gas and confines
it in its original reservoir until market
conditions justify its production. Oil
are now following the plan of the bu-
reau of mines.
The report also states that through
experiments with the Rittman furnace,
in the new process for making gaso-
line, it is possible to make from the
waste gas oil of California, worth two
cents gallon, gasoline at a cost of six
cents gallon. 1t further states that,
"as result of the work of the petro-
leum division, the Rittman cracking
process for the manufacture of gaso-
line from kerosene or any other avail
able fraction of petroleum is now a
commercial success, and the bureau
of mines is able to give to the pub
lie commercial cracking process,
free of royalty, which will make avail
able for internal combustion engines
large quantities of otherwise unavail-
able fractions of petroleum"
According to Director Manning, the
bureau of mines, acting in a consult
ing engineer capacity to the other fed
eral bureaus in the District of Column
bia in the purchase and use of coal,
has saved for the government $780,
600, and that if its efforts were ex-
tended to include the entire govern
ment service, the saving would con-
servatively be more than S375, 900 an
nually. 1t is also suggested that the
entire country could save millions of
dollars by similar expert services.
Better Furnaces Made Possible.
The bureau during the last year has
supplied engineers throughout the
country with information that will en-
able them to design furnaces in a ra-
tional manner according to the char
ncter of the fuel to be used, resulting
in great economies.
~"The studies during the past year in
saving metal wastes in brass melting"
says Director Manning, "have resulted
in the development of an electric fur
mace which it is believed will be sue
cessful in the melting of brass. The
bureau has built and operated such a
furnace on laboratory scale, and the
results show marked promise. Arrange
ments have been made with a large
central power station for the build
ing and testing of large commercial
furnace of this type. The Importance
OF developing an electric furnace for
such purposes is patent to all when the
present high price of crucibles is con-
sidered, and when it is understood that
in normal times the metal losses in
brass melting probably amount to as
much as $3,O00,OOO per year and that
in the past year of large production
and high prices this loss has been
probably nearer $1O,OOO,OOO
In the interest of greater safety in
the mines, the bureau has during the
year approved seven types of electric
miners lamps, and these are rapidly
replacing the dangerous open-fame
llmD that in tha mast hoe oonSad