Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-07-13

navy consists in material additions to the
fleet Of dirisible balloons. and 1t is due to
the work OF the scientists Of the Naval
Consulting Board that the dirigible has
now become very much the safest and
surest machine for aerial navigation.
Instead OF the Zeppelin being a failure.
it was in every respect. except that OF its
extreme vulnerability to direct attack. .
great success. The Zeppelin. like every
Other type Of balloon. had the weakness.
however. that the only lighter than air gas
available in large quantities for filling II
was hydrogen. which is the most inflam-
mable Of all gases. A single incendiary
bullet piercing the envelope of military
balloon ignites the hydrogen. and the bal
loon crashes to earth in flames. It was
only by being set afire that Zeppelins
were brought down.
To obtain = substitute for hydrogen was
regarded as impossible. The problem was
undertaken by American scientists, how
ever. and efforts were directed toward
possible sources of supply of the gas he
lium. the strange substance found In min
ute quantities in atmospheric air, discov-
RayieiEh and Sir William Ramsay. He
dun is only slightly heavier than hydro
gen. but 1t is entirely non-inflamnabls.
HeIium Ten Cents a Feot.
Army ana navy scientific investigators
and experts OF the Bureau OF Mines Coop
Grated in the effort to solve the problem.
1t WAS known that helium 10 found wher-
ever radioactive minerals are present.
some OF the oil wells In the Texas fields
were known to produce radioactive sub
stances. A series of experiments disclosed
the presence OF helium in fairly large
quantities in the natural gas obtained
from wells in the vicinity Of Petrolia,
Texas
BY process OF refrigeration and CON,
preston this gas was treated first for the
OF Its gasolene content and then
for the extraction OF the helium. twas
found that. taking the value OF the Saso-
lene and other by-products into considera-
ton. the actual cost Of the neliurn so pro-
duced was only ten cents q cubic foot. The
cheapest il had ever before been produced
FOR was 81 500 cubic foot.
Government Now Owns PIPE Lines.
As result OF long and patient cxperi-
nent and triumph over obstacles the
United States now owns pipe lines con-
,ecting number Of Texas gas wells with
! central compression and storage plant,
where helium is confined under pressure in
sealed tanks. in which it can
EASILY be transported to any point where
alloons are to be charged. With the navy
the establishment Of balloon OBJ
ervation posts every few miles along all
'ur coasts. AZ well as the construction OF
many moro great dirixibles. some Of them
4 the Zeppelin type. the Importance Of
his source Of supply Of q safe gas for
nfiating balloons can hardly be overesti-
mated.
So far from having finally settled the
controversy between the advocates Of the
eavier than air airplane and the lighter
han air airship. tho experience Of tho
far has simply opened the question still
rider. The advisability at an unlimited
urpfy OF helium gas 1t low price has
lready given encouragement to the ad-
erents Of the dirigible NJ opposed to the
lane. and predictions Of globe encircling
on-stop flights in aircraft. capable Of
arryiny 4 hundred or moro pAssengerA
re being made.