The Dolores star., 1921-12-30
u. s. DEVELOPING
RARE METALS
extensive SURVEY OF PRO.
DUCTS IN AMERICA is NOW
UNDER WAY.
WORKING on HEL|UM
nsPoRiFlcATioN PLANT IN viR.
oINIA UNDER SUPERVISION
OF DR.. r. 3. MOORE.
Western Newspaper Union News ser,ics)

western Newspaper Union News Seryles)
Washington, d. C.-Dr. r a
Moore, who for five years was in
charge of the federal bureau of mines
experimental plant at Golden, Colo.
ana VINO was engaged there and at
Denver In special research work re-
ssrdlng rare metals, is conducting ex-
tensive development work with hell
um in the laboratory here, formally
opened by Nine. Marie Curie, on May
q last
During the last fiscal year the army
built helium republication plant at
Langley Field, Va, using the Claude
system. DR.. Harvey N. Davis of Har-
ward university was actively associat-
ed with this work. In the spring the
army asked the bureau of mines to
take charge of the work and complete
1t and furnished the funds for the
purpose. The. plant was put under
the general supervision of DIR. r. B.
Moore, who placed D. NJ. Ferris in
active charge. The army also trans
ferred to the bureau of mines a hell
um republication unit on two rail-
road cars, one car having the power
equipment and the other the refrig-
Grafton and refining equipment. The
staff of the cryogenic laboratory is
designing the charcoal republication
unit. which will be used in connec-
ton with this plant, which is also in
charge of DR.. Moore.
Field investigations of possible sup
completed during the year. every
known gas field in the United States
having been tested. Results were
markedly successful. as they have
shown that this country contains the
largest supply of heliumbearing nat
ural gas in the world.
The experimental helium plant at
| Petrolia, Texas, using the Jeffries-
Norton process, was in operation dur
ing the year at various times, and
helium was produced for short peri
DDS, yielding a product as high as
40 per cent helium. The plant, how
ever, was not developed into an
actual operating unit, and on account
of congress greatly reducing the
funds for helium work during 1927
and 1922, it was decided to discon-
| tinue operations at Petrolia in July,
and to place the plant in standby
condition until further fundamental
data required for efficient operation
could be obtained through work on
a smaller scale. In the meanwhile
the larger part of the funds appro-
priated for the production of helium
in the plant erected by the navy de-
partment at Fort Worth, Texas,
which is now in regular operation
producing helium. The plant at Pc
trolia has been under the executive
supervision of H. S. Mulliken of the
Washington office of the bureau OF
mines, with H. F. Fisher in active
charge at Petrolia.
Investigatve work on helium recent
~ conducted by the bureau of mines
may be divided into the following
heads: Heium production at Petro-
liza, Texas; investigation of known
and of probable areas of helium-bear-
ing gas: helium storage; helium re-
purificntiOn after use in balloons; and
investigations of gases and liquids at
low temperatures, with particular ref
erence to obtaining data for use in
perfectng methods for separating he
lium from natural gas by progressive
selective liquefaction.