Arizona republican., 1919-06-29

companies interested, put hio 0AA0 ' along this line were eltner not taken seriously or were rldlculed.
 "There's a smoke bug up in the uni versity," was the only comment hearo which even indicated to Doctor Cot trell that his presence was known py the men running the smelters. Strange- ly enough this smoke bug was to play an all important part in the develop ments of the future.
 It happened that the Riverdale Port land Cement company, near RlVerdale, Cal, was having all manner of trouble with the orange growers in the vicinity. Dust blown out of the stacks from the rotary kilns were settling Tn the buds and killing the crops. The orange growers had taken the matter into the courts and were spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in pressing and winning their cases.
 The company bought up the land at $1, 900 an acre and then found 1t could not stand the pace. More than one mil lion dollars had already been spent by the company in litigation and still there was no relief in sight. In the course of one meeting somebody re- peated the story about the smoke buzz at the university and the directors said, Bring him to us"
 Doctor Cottrell went to the com pany's plant and installed his process. It worked like a charm. His process did away with the smoke and collected approximately one hundred tons of dust per day His presence at the plant gave him an opportunity to get acquainted with the men running the business. They found him interesting and full of suggestions designed to help them.
 The mill had a capacity of five thous- and barrels of cement day and busl- ness was good, but Doctor Cottrell told them they might find it profitable to examine the smoke dust, which was coming in at the rate of one hundred tons a day. He figured that there might be profitable potash values con- tained in this dust. The company took his advice and investigated Now the Portland Cement company is manufac- 1 turing chiefly potash, obtained from the smoke dust by the Cottrell process, and is only making cement as a by product A new and profitable means of getting potash has been discovered.
 The United States government now feels assured that by means of Doctor Cottrells discovery America will have more than enough potash for it's own needs without depending on Germany or any other outside source. In a statement issued on October last Sec retary of the Interior Lane said defi- nitely:
 "The United States does not need German potash. America can in two years become entirely independent of Germany in this regard by the develop ment of her own deposits and the use of processes devised by Doctor Cot trell of this department.
 The assets of the research corpora tion, of which men like Charles D. Wal colt, secretary of the Smithsonian In stitution, and Otto H. Kahn are direc- tors, jumped to s217,S62.72 from royal ties on Doctor Cottrells invention as soon as it got fairly started. More money is coming in than the corpora. ton knows what to do with, but Doctor Cottrell is convinced that new scien- tific discoveries can be helped alons by financial assistance from discover ies already made. That is his slogan Other important work has been done by Doctor Cottrell, but the value of tht right man in the right place has beer particularly emphasized by the devel opment of the non- -inflamrnable gas helium.
 The idea of using helium in balloons dirigibles, etc, is that it has practi cally the same lifting power as hydro gen, but unlike hydrogen cannot be SC afire. It makes the balloon and dirigi ble safe against explosive bullets. I , is the airship's defense against the in
 cendiary bullet just as armor was tn defense of the old wooden ships agains | cannon.
 | The military authorities dread t,
 Germans had had helium instead O hydrogen in their Zeppelins during tn London and Paris raids.
 3 It was during one of the Zeppelin 3 raids over London that the first nov toward developing helium started. A, old British scientist fell to thinkin l what would happen if the ZeppeliI
 could not be set afire. He remembere 5 having put away an old report mad l some ten years ago by Professor Cad ' of the University of Kansas whic : claimed that helium could be found i , the ground in Oklahoma and Texa. He got the report out and sent it to tn
 admiralty.
 The British experts decided that
 there was one chance in a thousand {
 get anything of that sort it was wort
 taking. so they communicated with tn
 government of the United States an
 sent experts over. The experts wer
 referred to the bureau of mines, an
 Director Manning of the bureau in tur
 referred them to Doctor Cottrell. The
 things began to happen.
 Doctor Cottrell brushed aside a