The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-12-22
TO MAKE
D|R|GIDLE DEADLY

terror have been straining every nerve
to produce in quantity for the last
year.
Their efforts have. met full success,
and IL hostilities had continued Ger
many would have learned that in the
scientific fields in which she has won
many triumphs, and claimed more, she
has been beaten to n frazzle" by
American brains and enterprise In the
development OF weapon which would
have had a terrible effect IN destroy
ing the resisting power OF her en-
pire.
The hydrogen employed for floating
observation and dirgihle balloons has
one vital defect-its, inflammability.
When struck by an ineendiaTy bullet
the balloon Instantly bursts into vol
cahic flame and fails In smoking frag-
ments to the earth.
Elininpte Fire Risk.
Helium,. on the contrary. Is an inert
gas like nitrogen. The use of lhelium
in balloons means therefore that the
IRE risk is eliminated and that a
hehum fiiIed -sirship. could be brought
down or seriously injured only by
driving an airplane into IL
hto a4N onSo6O CAlAklb 1NAN~
ly little reduction in the airshipss
cargo capacity, for helium has ninety
two per cent Of the lifting power OF
hydrogen, and, next to that gas. is
the lightest one knewn. II the war
had lasted until next spring the
American and = British govern
ments would have dispatehed hell
iuni-fiiied, rigid sirships to strategic
NJ - SwG -
ships = would have been capable of
dropping ten tons Of high explosives,
either IN ono discharge or at inter-
walls during the raid. When It Is con-
sidered that the largest airplanes can
scarcely carry q ton the potential de-
structiveneEs Of this huge load can be
Appreciated
From the disastrous failure OF Ger
manyss Zeppelin campaign It does not
follow that the rigid airship has not
q distinct and important field OF. its
own-in bombing raids, in scouting
and In long distance flights for any
ium vii make possible . number of
important Improvements in design.
For example, with this non-tnflam-
mable substance in the; gas bags the
engines and passengers. may be car
ried.-within the, main frame OF the
aifship. thus doing away with suspend
ed cars and securing fiEmer engine
foundations. and also guns can be
mounted for driving off enemy air
planes or for use themselves in at
tack. zs1.ti So. -
AT this time airshtps are capable of
crossing the Atlantic within sixty
hours or less under normal conditions
Or. wind and weather. With the full
resumption Of the activities of peace,
such runs. probably win become fire.
quent for the purpose Of carrying
mail and spassengers. In that serv-
ice helium will be an essential II
for no other reason, the cost OF in
surance will make its use imperative.
Helium Is a relatively rare gas, and
II Is both difficult and costly. to sep
arate 1t from the mixtures in which
Ii occurs in natural deposits. Until
the present year there never had
been more than 1--WE cubic feet of
heIium in any one container. and the
cost had been from 81 500 to $4,000 a
cubic foot. 1t Is stated that -o1r Gov
eminent is now producing It at q rate
of less than 500 a thousand cubic
ieet, and that shipments for use in
kite balloons for the army had been
made just prior to the armistice.
var showed that considerable quanti-
les of heIidm existed in the natural
gases OF Kansas, Oklahoma. and Tex
ds In the province of Ontario, Can
ada, an appreciable amount of helium
vas also found in certain deposits OF
natural gas there. In any case the
lost practicable means OF separating
the helium from the other compo-
'nts OF the natural gas was the
Iquifaction of all OF the gases except
The helium, which could then be
trawn OF. This process involved the
Use of apparatus for obtaining tenn
peratures as low as 317 degrees Fab
icnheit below zero. g..
While the United States remain ID
neutral nothing was done with our de-
positS of natural gas containing helium.
But as soon as we entered the war the
British government referred to our mill
tary and naval authorities various re-
search problems whose solution would
aid In ending the war. Among those
problems was that Of securing an ade-
Iqate supply Of helium for use in OBJ
servation and dirigible balloons.
Building Big Plant. !
This question was considered by tho
Joint Army and Navy Aircraft Board,
md the result OF the elaboration was
hat the Burfau OF Mines began the de-
sign OF plant on original lines in the
endeaSor to lessen the cost Of separat-
ING helium, while the Bureau. OF Steam
Engineering Of the Navy Department
insisted on modifying existing appar-
.tus and, so far as possible. on secur-
nE the help OF operating companies in
btaining the gas.
NSo the effort TO produce "argon," the
hmoufiaGed helium, was prosecuted
igorously.' The Bureau Of Steam En-
iReering enlisted two organizations in
he matter-the only ones in this coun-
lry which had the necessary experience
Tor such novel work. The Aircraft
Board had made Recommendations In.
october. 1911. and in March. 1913. the
lrSt Of these organizations had a plant
II operation. This was followed In
lay by the completion Of unit by
Ie second company.
During the Experimental period OF
re operation of these plants the Navy
apartment has been in close touch
ith all that was done and with all
CARNATIONS which could aid in the
o-k. In, particular the Lone Star
-. = ~ ary---su1plying natural gas
..-. oil" ''-S. and other
cities Of northern Texas-gave its