The sun., 1918-07-28

ucNciOp. anu Will IiCfbs NSu ~
more md more instructors will be neces-
sary to teach them navigation, and moro
ind more research men TO chart the new
eourses they'll steer"
To continue the memorandum, with
few interpretations Of Prof. Johnson's
talk:
American chemical industry has al
ready come into its own in that 1t has
shown its ability to surmount conditions
as to production, distribution and con-
sumption never before mel.
Some Recent Achievements.
"The browning achievements have been
the rapid development of our dyestuii IN
dustrv, the increased manufacture OF ex-
plosives for war purposes, the develop
ment of the glass industry, involving the
production of optical glass; the inaugur-
alton of enormous hydroelectric plants for
the production OF nitric acid alphabetically
and the industrial application of the re-
actions of organic chemistry in the manu-
facture of valuable dyes and unusual
chemicals.
"The United States is destined TO take
he lead in the world after this war III the
development of the chemical industry.
She has an abundance of raw material,
adequate facilities for extensive manufac-
turing and transportation; in fact, she
possesses all the fundamental require
nlents, namely. cheap acids, cheap soda,
cheap fuel and power and finally cheap
iron for machinery"
Prof. Johnson was asked what funda-
mental staples if any, cannot be obtained
from sources in this country. He had 10
think a minute.
platinum, of course, which Is so I'm
portant as u catalytIc agent. We have to
import our platinum. | don't know, but
l assume that the bureau of mines has
kept on hand reserve of it which will
see us through the war. But science Is at
work with some success, "a the problem
of finding substitute for platinum for
catalysis.
And. by the way, Emil Fischer, the head
organic chemist of the University of Ber-
lin, has stated, ] see, that anything can
be duplicated or replaced with substi-
tutes. OF co:use, that isn't literally true;
but YOU know how the Germans have
helped themselves by substitutions and
synthetic productions. We have vast OPP
portunity for discoveries in the same field.
Getting Nitrogen from Air.
Then there is Chilean nitrate. If we
couldn't get ii we'd be badly off for
nitric acid-for the time being. Nitro
gen from the arr OF course. Practical
work on that is already under way in the
South. The Germans beat the world 10 it,
and their success was one reason for their
confidence in bringing on the war If they
hadn't insured themselves nitrogen from
the air, they'd have had TO give up the
struggle long ago
Prof. Johnson smiled.
81 remember hearing Bernthsen lecture
in New York in 1910. He had on the lee
turer's table apparatus making ammonia
then and there, befo, o. ewes. from the
a white screen all painted up with indica-
tors, and when he finished he sprayed it
with the reageut and out came the Ameri-
can flag, as big as life, in full colors.
''Well, it was great-a most dramatic
triumph. Only we didn't realize then that
Bernthsen spraying that flag was Deutsch-
land ueber Allies serving notice on Uncle
Sam of her independence of imported salt
petre, and her ability TO supply herself
and fight all creation, no matter how she
might ever be blockadedr'
The memorandum:
"In all our manufacturing centres mill
ions of dollars worth of waste products
are yearly being lost that might be saved
by proper application Of chemical princi-
pies. Throughout our Southern States, in
tho States bnrderipO IN tho Pacific onaO}