The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-06

WASHINGTON, Feb. GA large
commercial company for the production
of helium has just been formed, WIN
retired officers Of the United States az
service among its directorate. At the
same time the government is initiating
survey of the helium resources OF the
United States. 1t is confidently pc
lieved that these are very large anu
they are the only known helium flelds
in the world
Helium, you know, is the nonnflam-
mable gas which is now used IN pace
of hydrogen for the filling OF dlrlglpls
balloons. A former Haskin Letter told
how helium was made in this country
during the war, and was ready Tor
shipment to England to be used IN
great air raid on Germany when the
war came to an end
The interesting thing about hehum
now is the fact that it seems to afford
the safest means. of flying YET dlscoH-
cred. If helium is found in the guam
titles which experts believe to exist,
it is quite probable that all of US VIII
be safely travelling by air much sooner
than would have been possible win
only the heavier than-air machines 10
rely upon
While believers in helium do not I'M
derestimate the possibilities OF me ar
plane, they regard the helium- inflated
balloon as the safest and most prac-
teal airship, especially for long Voy-
ages. They declare that the dirlglble
can travel much greater distance than
the airplane without stopping for fuel,
that it affords a much smoother way 10
travel the air and with hellum subStl-
tuted for hydrogen, is practically indie
structble.
Heretofore the greatest danger in bal
loon travel has been the highly inflam-
mAble character of hydrogen, and TINS
one difficulty has been so great as 10
practically eliminate the dirigibe as
common means of aerial transportation,
A tiny spark from the motor or
flash of lightning has been sufficient to
destroy, in the twinkling of an eye, an
airship costing hundreds of thousands OF
! dollars, sending the machine with its
! crew and passengers crashing TO the
| ground in mass OF flames
Airplanes are dangerous, but COM
pared to the hydrogen-inflated airship,
| they are as safe as cradles in fire.
/ proof building. Scientists were at
| loss for a substitute for hydrogen, for
| apparently it was the only gas obtain
| able light enough for the purpose,
The fire hazard practically eliminated
the dirigble from the war program
the lighter than-air craft going down
| to ignominious defeat before the anti
| aircraft guns of the enemy. during the
/ hostilties the United States lost A OBJ
servation balloons with replacement
value reaching over q million dollars
and. as Maj Paul Pless declared in his
report on helium, the loss of obserVa-
ton time was incalculable.
| A dirigible can carry much greater
load than the airplane, II being pos
| sible to construct an airship with a MT.
! ing capacity reaching $780, 900 to 4O0,OOO
pounds, while the largest airplane ever
built can carry only about 5000 pounds.
The original discovery Of helium In
America was made in little town
called Dexter in Southern Kansas,
where the event of it's discovery was
| regarded rather in the light OF ca
lamity than a blessing by the inhabi-
tants of the town and the owners of
| the well.
The men drilling for the natural gas
| had been confident of securing a sup
ply sufficient for the households and in
! dustries of the community, so the event
4 of opening the well was made holiday
| for the people of Dexter. A crowd col
leCted and the well was dramatically
opened, the gas rushed forth and III
order to make the demonstration com
! plete, a lighted torch was thrust INTO
\ the mouth of the well According 70
ali rules the gas should have immedi-
! ately ignited and blazed forth the news
| Of the opening OF the well to the com =
munity, but it did nothing Of the sort,
The torch promptly went out and
though others were THRUST ihto ll'S 500
II still refused to flame. and the peo-
ple returned to their homes in rage
with nature who had cheated them OF
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 dis
closed when DIR, H. P. Cady. of the
university staff. announced that 1t con,
tanned a large quantity Of nitrogen and
1874 per cent Of helium, both gases be-
ing incombustihle. Other wells in Kan.
sas were asked to submit samples and
n careful analysis disclosed the fact
that nearly all of them contained
helium. The gas was found to be par
tiCularly abundant in Southern Kansas.
where for years 1t had been called
wind gas" and allowed to waste intc
, the air on the theory that 1t had nc
, 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 regarded
, az useless, but drllers for the deep oil
bearing sands had found 1t great
hipdrance to their work.
When the value OF helium for flying
, was discovered, experts from the army
, and navy were called into conference
. and finally two small experimental
plants were opened at Fort Worth
Texas, to treat the gas in the nearby