The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-09-03
THE ROMANCE OF HELIUM
BY FREDERIC J. HAsklN

, This protest became so general in
certain parts of Kansas that DR.. H. p.
Cady, chemist of the University of
Kansas, made an investigation Of the
gas produced In that section. He
found that this gas contained helium
and sometimes there was so much he
lium present that the combustibility of
the gas wAs seriously impaired.
DR.. Cay wrote O. paper for some
scientific Journal setting forth his re-
markable discovery, and like many
other remarkable discoveries, it was
promptly forgotten--at least in this
country.
Along In 1917, the British were trying
to devise some way of making reprisals
upon Berlin tor the Zeppelin raids
over London. II was apparent that the
Zeppelin itself was a failure. and that
it was Of no use to compete with Ger
many IN making unwieldlv gas bags
filed with inflamable hydrogen, for the
anti-aircraft gun and ineendiary pro-
jecties were rapidly putting the Zeps
out Of the game.
What tho British needed was a nom
infiammable gas and the British intel
ligence office called the attention Of
the American government to the fact
that an American chemist in 1907 had
discovered helium to be mixed with
the natural gas in certain parts OF the
west, and Il respectfully suggested that
an investigation be made.
Accordingly. Prof. Cady and his for
COTTON monograph were dug up, and
the occurrence of helium in natural gas
was studied in a most elaborate way.
Secret Guarded.
All OF this was kept secret at the
time. and the story has probably not
been told before. The word henum
was never mentioned. the non-inflam-
mable gas being always referred to az
argon. which Is related gas, but of
no use for the purposes OF aviation.
There was great excitement in scien-
titic circles. The army and the navy,
the bureau of mines and the bureau
OF standards, and all of the private con-
Germs that owned processes for the sep
aration of gases were called into con-
sultation. The army and navy put UP
the money and the scientific organiza-
tons did the work. First $4,000 was
appropriated, then 100000, and then
$500. 900, as the possibilities Of the busi-
ness opened up. The British govern
ment sent over two chemists to CO.
operate with the Americans. and
placed an order for more helium than
we could have produced in ten years.
1t also went to work at once building
the airships in which the helum was to
be used. All the plans were laid and
q large part of the work done in a cam
paign which was intended to blow the
city Of Berlin off the map. And it
seems reasonably certain that the trick
would have been done in a few years.
when enough helium had been pro-
duced. For the n-inflammable gas
bags, mounting big guns. hanging
thousands of feet above the city, would
have been practically invvlnerabie. and
terribly destructive.
AS 1t was, we produced several hum
bred thousand cubic feet of helium. and
some of this was already loaded into
steel tubes under heavy pressure and
had been placed on the docks at New
Orleans, ready for shipment to England,
when the armistice was signed
The cost of producing helium during
the war was reduced from about $4,000
a cubic foot to about 40 cents a cubic
foot. This cost is still much too high
to make it available for commercial
use, and the navy department is TAX
ing possession of all that is produced
for use in experiments and in case of
war. So the use of the helium bag by
civilians is probably several years in
the future. But both the navy depart
ment and the bureau of mines are still
operating helium plants in Texas, and
there is every reason to expect steady
improvement in methods of production.
(Subject of tomorrow letter, "One
More Conuuering Hero ComeS.")