Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-02-05
Frederic Haskin's Letter
MORE ABOUT HELIUM-

people of Dexter. IA crowd collect
ed and the we'll was dramatically
opened, the gas rushed forth and In
order to make the demonstration
complete. . lighted torch was thrust
into the mouth Of the we'll. Accord
ing to all rules the gas should
have Immediately ignited and
blaxed forth the news Of the OPEN
ing Of the we'll to the community
but It did nothing Of the sort The
torch promptly went out and though
others were thrust into the gas 1t
still refused to flame and the people
returned to their homes In q rage
with nature who had cheated them
CT their promised supply Of cheap
fuel.
Samples of the mysterious gas
were sent to the. state university
where the secret of its fireproof
qualities was disclosed when DR..
H. p. Cady Of the university stat
announced that it contained large
quantity Of nitrogen. and 1.S4 per
cent Of helium, both gases being in
cumbustible. Other wells in Kan
sas were asked to submit samples
and a careful analysis disclosed the
fact that nearly all Of them con-
tanned herium. The gas was found
to be particularly abundant In
southern Kansas where for years
it had been called wind gas" and
allowed to waste into the air on the
theory that it had no practical
value. Probably many millions OF
cubic feet of the now precious sub
stance was wasted in this manner.
/ Not only had the gas been re-
garded as useless but drilleys for
the deep oil bearing sands had
found it a great hindrance to their
work.
When the value of helium for
flying was discovered, experts from
the army and navy were called into
the conference and finally two
small experimental plants were
opened at Fort Worth, Texas, to
treat the gas in the nearby Petrolia
fields. Later a third plant was
opened in the field itself.
The history of the development Of
the helium resources of this coun-
try is the most wonderful Of all,
involving experts from all over the
nation and finally bringing into the
story chemists from overseas sent
bys the English government to lend
, hand in the work.
The principle of the helium pro-
cess can best be described in the
words of the late DR.. G.. S. Rogers
Of the United States geological sur
vey, whose recent death in South
America was a great blow to sci
ence. .
THE details of the process Of ex-
tracing helium are highly tech
meal" DR.. Rogers once said. "but
the general scheme. is easily under
stood"
All of the main constituents of
natural gas including nitrogen be-
come liquified when cooled to about
t-32S degrees F; but the helium re-
mains gas even at this exceed
ingly low temperature and is thus
easily separated.
1.-THE principle by which these
exceedingly low temperatures are
obtained is one known to every mo-
torist who has been unfortunate
enough to have to blow up one OF
his own tires. When the air is
compressed in a tire it becomes
hot; then If the air is allowed to
cool to an ordinary temperature,
J tEe valve opened and the air al
loved to escape it becomes cool.
Similarly the natural gas is but
under a very high pressure and
then refrigerated and when allowed
to cool it becomes so cold that all
of it's constituents with the excep-
ton of helium become liquids. The
liquid, after being separated from
the helium. is then allowed to
warm up and when it has returned
to its normal gaseous state is put
back in the mains and used for
fuel"